Feb. 9, 2018
DURHAM, N.C. - Auburn junior pitcher Casey Mize has been named to the 2018 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, USA Baseball announced Friday afternoon.
Mize is one of six players nationally and the only from the Southeastern Conference who was named to the 2017 Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List to also be recognized this preseason.
The Springville, Ala., native, who has already earned five preseason All-American honors and was named Preseason First Team All-SEC, is coming off a sophomore season in which he became the 25th All-American in program history after leading the team with an 8-2 record, 2.04 ERA and 109 strikeouts despite missing three starts.
His ERA registered third in the SEC and 25th in the NCAA, while his strikeout total was the highest by an Auburn pitcher since 1999. Additionally, Mize led the NCAA with a 12.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio and ranked 15th in the country by striking out 11.73 batters per nine innings.
The preseason watch list features 55 of the nation's top amateur players from high school and college baseball.
The SEC leads the way with 15 representatives, while the Atlantic Coast Conference has nine candidates, and the Big 12 and Pac-12 Conferences have six each.
The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain a rolling list of players, allowing athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the season.
Amateur baseball fans across the country will be able to vote for their favorite players at
GoldenSpikesAward.com again in 2018, starting on May 21 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists on June 6, and voting will begin that day and last until June 22.
The winner of the 41st Golden Spikes Award will be named on Thursday, June 28, at a presentation in Los Angeles. The finalists will be honored at the Rod Dedeaux Foundation Award Dinner that evening at Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles.
Mize and the Tigers begin the 2018 season as Longwood comes to town for a three-game series beginning Friday, Feb. 16 at Plainsman Park. Season tickets, which are $185 per seat, cover the Tigers' 35-game home schedule and include 15 SEC contests. Single-game and specialty-pack tickets are also available. Fans can reach the Auburn ticket office by phone at 334-844-4040 or 1-855-282-2010 or by emailing tickets@auburn.edu. To order tickets online, visit www.aubtix.com.