Sleeth Selected as Golden Spikes Award Finalist
5/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 6, 2003
Durham, N.C. - Wake Forest junior right-handed pitcher Kyle Sleeth has been selected as one of five finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given by USA Baseball in partnership with the Major League Baseball Players to the top player in college baseball -- amateur baseball's most esteemed honor.
Sleeth is joined as a finalist by Tulane infielder Michael Aubrey, Stanford outfielder Carlos Quintin, Richmond pitcher Tim Stauffer and Southern infielder/outfielder Rickie Weeks. Sleeth was teammates with three of the players -- Aubrey, Quintin and Weeks -- last summer on the Team USA team that toured the United States and participated in tournaments in The Netherlands and Italy.
"It's a little bit of a shock, actually. It wasn't something I expected but it's a great honor. It's nice to see all the work I've put in the last three years at Wake Forest paying off," Sleeth said. "All of the other finalists are great players and very deserving of the award."
"He's such a deserving candidate because he's a great player on the field and a great person off the field," said Wake Forest's 16th year head coach George Greer. "It's a great honor for Kyle, his family and our baseball program at Wake Forest."
"I'm very happy for Kyle. His achievements on the field not only put him among the greats of this year, but the greats of all-time," said Wake Forest pitching coach Michael Holmes. "This is a well-deserved honor. He is a great representative of Wake Forest University and college baseball."
Earlier this year, Sleeth, a native of Westminster, Colo., tied the NCAA record for consecutive winning decisions with 26 earlier this season. He owns a 7-2 record as a junior with a 2.71 earned run average. Sleeth has struck out 92 hitters in 83 innings while opposing hitters are batting just .212 against him.
Four of the five players (Aubrey, Sleeth, Stauffer, Weeks) are the first players to ever be named a USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalist from their respective schools, while one player (Quentin) is the 10th finalist from Stanford. All five players are juniors, eligible for the upcoming Major League Baseball player entry draft in June.
The 2003 Golden Spikes Award winner will be announced on Tuesday, July 15, during the broadcast of the 26th Annual Golden Spikes Award show. The broadcast, presented in conjunction with the Major League Baseball Players Association, will also highlight USA Baseball's recent move to the Triangle Region of North Carolina, as well as some of the various organizational youth baseball initiatives supported by USA Baseball and the MLBPA.
The broadcast will be seen on various regional cable sports networks, each covering a region of the country from which the five Golden Spikes Award finalists are from. The television show will be aired just a few hours prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on FOX, and it will be hosted by George Grande - longtime TV play-by-play voice of the Cincinnati Reds.
"USA Baseball is once again proud to recognize the inspiring performances of the nation's top collegiate baseball players. We also appreciate our ongoing relationship with the Major League Baseball Players Association and the undying support Major Leaguers display in helping amateur baseball players, especially at the grassroots level," said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball Executive Director / CEO.
For the past 25 years, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. Following the first ever presentation of the Award to Bob Horner of Arizona State in 1978, the Golden Spikes Award has been presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2002 Golden Spikes Award winner was Khalil Greene of Clemson University. Past winners of this prestigious award include current Major League Baseball stars such as Mark Prior ('01), Jason Jennings ('00), Pat Burrell ('98), J.D. Drew ('97), Travis Lee ('96), Mark Kotsay ('95), Jason Varitek ('94), Darren Dreifort ('93), Phil Nevin ('92) and Robin Ventura ('88). Former Major League stars that have captured the award include Alex Fernandez ('90), Ben McDonald ('89), Jim Abbott ('87), Will Clark ('85), Dave Magadan ('83), Terry Francona ('80), Tim Wallach ('79), and Bob Horner ('78).
The MLBPA (http://www.bigleaguers.com) is the collective bargaining representative for all professional baseball players of the National League and the American League and serves as the exclusive group licensing agent for commercial and licensing activities involving active Major League Baseball Players. On behalf of its members, it operates the Players Choice licensing program and Players Choice events, which benefit children through the Major League Baseball Players Trust for Children, a charitable foundation established and run entirely by Major League baseball players.
USA Baseball is the National Governing Body of amateur baseball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The organization selects and trains the USA Baseball Olympic Team, the USA Baseball National Team, the USA Baseball Junior National team (18-under), and the USA Baseball Youth National Team (16-under) which participate in various international competitions each year.