CARY, N.C. – Adding to his list of preseason accolades, junior catcher Ike Irish has been named to the 2025 Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list presented by Chinook Seedery, USA Baseball announced Friday.
The preseason list, which begins the process of identifying the best amateur baseball player in the country for the 2025 season, includes 55 players across high school and college baseball.
It marks the second straight season Irish has been recognized by the Golden Spikes Award after being named to the midseason watch list in 2024. The junior backstop has already been named Preseason First Team All-SEC and a Preseason All-American by Baseball America, D1 Baseball and Perfect Game.
A 2024 First Team All-SEC performer, Irish led or tied for the team lead in all three major offensive categories with a .319 average to go along with 14 home runs and 59 RBI. He also led the team in runs (47), tied for second in doubles (11) and threw out nine would-be base stealers from behind the plate.
In 105 career games, the Hudsonville, Michigan native has turned in a .343 average and has totaled 145 hits, including 35 doubles, three triples and 20 homers, and has driven in 109 runs. He earned Freshman All-America and SEC All-Freshman Team honors in 2023 and was named ABCA First Team All-Region and a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and Buster Posey Award in 2024.
Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2025. Following the midseason watch list announcement on Apr. 3, fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com with the naming of the semifinalists and finalists. The award winner will be announced in late June.
The complete 2025 Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list can be found here.