No. 1 Wake Forest Baseball Leads The Nation with Four Named to 2024 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
2/9/2024 1:56:00 PM | Baseball
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Four Demon Deacons in Chase Burns, Josh Hartle, Seaver King and Nick Kurtz were named to USA Baseball's Preseason Watch List for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award, an annual honor given to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
The Deacs have been recognized 15 times on the prestigious list since the award's inception in 2008, 14 coming during head coach Tom Walter's tenure. Additionally, this marks the fifth-straight year Wake Forest has been represented on the preseason watch list and just the fourth time multiple Deacs have earned the recognition in the same year.
The preseason list includes 55 players across high school and college baseball. The Golden Spikes Advisory Board will maintain the award's watch list on a rolling basis, allowing athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award based on in-season performance. Wake Forest led all schools with four players selected.
The 2024 Golden Spikes Award timeline is as follows:
• April 4: Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List announced
• May 20: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, and fan voting begins
• June 3: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends
• June 5: Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, and fan voting begins
• June 21: Golden Spikes Award finalists' fan voting ends
• June 23: Golden Spikes Award winner announced
Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2024. Baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, beginning on May 20 with the naming of the semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 5, and fan voting will once again open at GoldenSpikesAward.com before closing on June 21.
To stay up to date on the 2024 Golden Spikes Award, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Instagram and Twitter/X.
Burns, a repeat nominee, joined the Demon Deacons ahead of the 2024 season from the University of Tennessee where he compiled a 13-5 record over the course of two seasons with the Volunteers. Burns was named the National Freshman of the Year following the 2022 season by the NCBWA, D1 Baseball and Collegiate Baseball.
Posting an 11-2 mark across 102.1 innings last year, Hartle earned his first preseason recognition from Golden Spikes, having finished the 2023 season as a semifinalist for the award. As a sophomore, Hartle fanned the second-most batters in program history (140) which ranked fifth in the nation. The Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist will look to better his fourth-lowest ERA in the ACC (2.81) in 2024.
Transferring in from DII powerhouse Wingate, Seaver King received his first nod from Golden Spikes, The 2023 Summer Breakout Prospect Award Winner by D1 Baseball posted the third longest hit streak in NCAA DII history at 47 games while hitting .411 as a sophomore.
Following a 2023 campaign that saw Kurtz slash .353/.527/.784, the rising junior earned his second-straight Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List nod. He finished second in the ACC in home runs (24), walks (63), runs scored (76) and slugging percentage (.784) last season, while providing an elite glove at first base for the Deacs.
The group and the rest of the Demon Deacons open the 2024 season on Friday, Feb. 16 through Sunday, Feb. 18 when they take on Fordham, Illinois and Akron at David F. Couch Ballpark.
2024 Tickets
Claim your spot at David F. Couch Ballpark for what is shaping up to be another exciting season on the diamond. Reserved chairback season tickets are now sold out! Fans still wanting to purchase season tickets can buy general admission season passes starting at $150.
Single-game tickets for the full home schedule are also available now. Non-conference tickets start at $5 and ACC tickets start at $10.
This season you can also purchase 10 FLEX vouchers to use on reserved or bleacher general admission seats. Vouchers can only be purchased in multiples of 10. FLEX vouchers may not be purchased or redeemed at the ticket office on game day. They MUST be redeemed at least 2 hours before the current game. The Friday and Saturday games against North Carolina, Florida State and Clemson are not available to redeem through FLEX.
Tickets for the 2024 Wake Forest baseball season tickets are on sale now by calling the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 or by clicking here.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The Deacs have been recognized 15 times on the prestigious list since the award's inception in 2008, 14 coming during head coach Tom Walter's tenure. Additionally, this marks the fifth-straight year Wake Forest has been represented on the preseason watch list and just the fourth time multiple Deacs have earned the recognition in the same year.
The preseason list includes 55 players across high school and college baseball. The Golden Spikes Advisory Board will maintain the award's watch list on a rolling basis, allowing athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award based on in-season performance. Wake Forest led all schools with four players selected.
The 2024 Golden Spikes Award timeline is as follows:
• April 4: Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List announced
• May 20: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, and fan voting begins
• June 3: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends
• June 5: Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, and fan voting begins
• June 21: Golden Spikes Award finalists' fan voting ends
• June 23: Golden Spikes Award winner announced
Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2024. Baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, beginning on May 20 with the naming of the semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 5, and fan voting will once again open at GoldenSpikesAward.com before closing on June 21.
To stay up to date on the 2024 Golden Spikes Award, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Instagram and Twitter/X.
Burns, a repeat nominee, joined the Demon Deacons ahead of the 2024 season from the University of Tennessee where he compiled a 13-5 record over the course of two seasons with the Volunteers. Burns was named the National Freshman of the Year following the 2022 season by the NCBWA, D1 Baseball and Collegiate Baseball.
Posting an 11-2 mark across 102.1 innings last year, Hartle earned his first preseason recognition from Golden Spikes, having finished the 2023 season as a semifinalist for the award. As a sophomore, Hartle fanned the second-most batters in program history (140) which ranked fifth in the nation. The Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist will look to better his fourth-lowest ERA in the ACC (2.81) in 2024.
Transferring in from DII powerhouse Wingate, Seaver King received his first nod from Golden Spikes, The 2023 Summer Breakout Prospect Award Winner by D1 Baseball posted the third longest hit streak in NCAA DII history at 47 games while hitting .411 as a sophomore.
Following a 2023 campaign that saw Kurtz slash .353/.527/.784, the rising junior earned his second-straight Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List nod. He finished second in the ACC in home runs (24), walks (63), runs scored (76) and slugging percentage (.784) last season, while providing an elite glove at first base for the Deacs.
The group and the rest of the Demon Deacons open the 2024 season on Friday, Feb. 16 through Sunday, Feb. 18 when they take on Fordham, Illinois and Akron at David F. Couch Ballpark.
2024 Tickets
Claim your spot at David F. Couch Ballpark for what is shaping up to be another exciting season on the diamond. Reserved chairback season tickets are now sold out! Fans still wanting to purchase season tickets can buy general admission season passes starting at $150.
Single-game tickets for the full home schedule are also available now. Non-conference tickets start at $5 and ACC tickets start at $10.
This season you can also purchase 10 FLEX vouchers to use on reserved or bleacher general admission seats. Vouchers can only be purchased in multiples of 10. FLEX vouchers may not be purchased or redeemed at the ticket office on game day. They MUST be redeemed at least 2 hours before the current game. The Friday and Saturday games against North Carolina, Florida State and Clemson are not available to redeem through FLEX.
Tickets for the 2024 Wake Forest baseball season tickets are on sale now by calling the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 or by clicking here.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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