DURHAM, N.C. – Preseason honors continue to roll in for sophomore pitcher Tanner Burns and junior shortstop Will Holland as the duo has been named to the 2019 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list.
Burns and Holland are the first Auburn pair to be named to the preseason watch list in the same season, and the Tigers' two representatives on the 55-man list are tied for the second most in the country.
Burns has already been named preseason All-SEC and a preseason All-American by D1 Baseball (second team) and Collegiate Baseball (third team). Holland has earned preseason All-America honors from Perfect Game (second team), D1 Baseball (third team) and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (third team).
A native of Decatur, Alabama, Burns is coming off a freshman campaign in which he turned in a 7-4 record and 3.01 ERA as a mainstay in the team's weekend rotation. The right-hander ranked second on the team in strikeouts (77) and innings pitched (86.2). His strikeout total was the most by an Auburn freshman since 2008 and his ERA ranked 12th among freshmen nationally. Burns was not only named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, but was also named a Freshman All-American by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1 Baseball and Perfect Game.
Holland was a major cog in the lineup from opening day as he played in all 66 games and earned 65 starts at shortstop in 2018. The Lawrenceville, Georgia, native led the team and ranked tied for seventh in the Southeastern Conference with 61 runs scored. He also tied for the team lead in hits (78), ranked second in batting average (.313), doubles (18) and RBI (52), and finished tied for second in home runs (12). Holland went on to be named Second Team All-SEC, First Team ABCA All-South Region and a Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist.
The 2019 Golden Spikes Award timeline:
- April 10: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list announced
- May 15: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, voting begins
- May 26: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists voting ends
- May 29: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, voting begins
- June 10: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists voting ends
- June 14: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation
The Tigers begin the 2019 campaign with a three-game series against Georgia Southern from Feb. 15-17. Season tickets, which cost $195 per seat, cover Auburn's 32-game home schedule and include 15 SEC contests. Fans can reach the Auburn ticket office by phone at 1-855-282-2010 or by emailing tickets@auburn.edu. To order tickets online, visit www.aubtix.com.