CARY, N.C. – Oregon State’s Cooper Hjerpe, Texas’ Ivan Melendez, and Georgia Tech’s Kevin Parada were named the three finalists for the 2022 Golden Spikes Award by USA Baseball today. This year will celebrate the 44th Golden Spikes Award winner, honoring the top amateur baseball player in the nation who best exhibits exceptional on-field ability and exemplary sportsmanship.
The winner will be announced on June 24 on ESPN during the “College World Series Special” at 8 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CDT.
“It is an honor to name the three finalists for this year’s Golden Spikes Award as we move another step closer to recognizing the top amateur baseball player in the country,” said USA Baseball Executive Director and CEO Paul Seiler. “Each of these young men is worthy of this recognition after contributing outstanding campaigns for their respective schools this season. Since 1978, the Golden Spikes Award has honored a spectacular collection of athletes and it’s exciting to know that one of these young athletes will soon join this lauded group of people.”
Oregon State sophomore southpaw Cooper Hjerpe boasts a 10-2 record, a 2.40 ERA, and a .182 batting average against for the Beavers this season, and he currently ranks in the top 15 in three pitching categories entering the Super Regionals. Hjerpe’s 155 strikeouts (in 95.2 innings pitched) lead the nation, while his 0.88 WHIP and 7.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio are good enough for eighth and 15th in the country, respectively. He was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week twice this season and earned National Pitcher of the Week honors after striking out 17 against Stanford on April 1. Hjerpe is the third Beaver to be named a Golden Spikes Award finalist, joining Michael Conforto in 2014 and eventual winner Adley Rutschman in 2019.
Big 12 Player of the Year Ivan Melendez led the conference in batting average, home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS to end the regular season for the Texas Longhorns. Following the NCAA Regionals, he is the national leader in four offensive categories: home runs (30), RBIs (90), slugging percentage (.895), and total bases (204). Additionally, Melendez also ranks in the top 10 in batting average (.404) and on-base percentage (.522). Throughout his redshirt-junior season in Austin, Melendez set a Big 12 record with five Player of the Week selections in 2022. He is the 10th Longhorn to be named a Golden Spikes Award finalist in program history and the first since Kody Clemens got the nod in 2018.
Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada has had a stellar sophomore season for the Yellow Jackets, ranking in the top 10 in four offensive categories. He finished his season third in the nation in RBIs (88), sixth with a school-record 26 home runs, fourth in total bases (183), and fourth in runs scored (79). Parada started all 60 of Georgia Tech’s games this season, playing an impressive 55 of them behind the dish, where he posted a .992 fielding percentage and threw out 12 would-be base thieves. In ACC play, Parada led the league in home runs, RBIs, runs, and total bases and ranked second in hits and third in slugging. He has racked up numerous accolades this year, being named National Player of the Week three times and ACC Player of the Week once. Parada is the first Georgia Tech player to be named a finalist since Mark Teixeira in 2000 and the sixth Yellow Jacket overall, including 1994 winner Jason Varitek.
The 2022 winner will look to join a group of recent winners that include Kevin Kopps (2021), Adley Rutschman (2019), Andrew Vaughn (2018), Brendan McKay (2017), Kyle Lewis (2016), Andrew Benintendi (2015), A.J. Reed (2014), Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009), Buster Posey (2008), and David Price (2007).
Historically, Golden Spikes Award winners have gone on to have tremendous success in the Major Leagues. Of the 43 previous winners, six earned Rookie of the Year honors, including Lewis in 2020. Additionally, three have won the Cy Young award, three were named MVP, and 11 have won a World Series championship as a player or manager, combining for 18 championships. Nineteen previous winners have also been named to at least one All-Star Game roster as a player or manager, combining for 59 total selections.
A final ballot will be sent to the Golden Spikes Award voting body consisting of national baseball media, select professional baseball personnel and USA Baseball staff, and the previous winners of the award, totaling a group of more than 150 voters. From Wednesday, June 8 to Tuesday, June 14, the voting body will cast their final vote for the Golden Spikes Award winner and fan voting will simultaneously be open on GoldenSpikesAward.com.
The presentation of the 44th Golden Spikes Award will take place on Friday, June 24 during the “College World Series Special” on ESPN. To stay up to date on the 2022 Golden Spikes Award visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden Spikes Award Winners:
- 2021: Kevin Kopps - Arkansas
- 2019: Adley Rutschman - Oregon State
- 2018: Andrew Vaughn - California
- 2017: Brendan McKay - Louisville
- 2016: Kyle Lewis - Mercer
- 2015: Andrew Benintendi - Arkansas
- 2014: A.J. Reed - Kentucky
- 2013: Kris Bryant - San Diego
- 2012: Mike Zunino - Florida
- 2011: Trevor Bauer - UCLA
- 2010: Bryce Harper - Southern Nevada
- 2009: Stephen Strasburg - San Diego State
- 2008: Buster Posey - Florida State
- 2007: David Price - Vanderbilt
- 2006: Tim Lincecum - Washington
- 2005: Alex Gordon - Nebraska
- 2004: Jered Weaver - Long Beach State
- 2003: Rickie Weeks - Southern
- 2002: Khalil Greene - Clemson
- 2001: Mark Prior - Southern California
- 2000: Kip Bouknight - South Carolina
- 1999: Jason Jennings - Baylor
- 1998: Pat Burrell - Miami
- 1997: J.D. Drew - Florida State
- 1996: Travis Lee - San Diego State
- 1995: Mark Kotsay - Cal State Fullerton
- 1994: Jason Varitek - Georgia Tech
- 1993: Darren Dreifort - Wichita State
- 1992: Phil Nevin - Cal State Fullerton
- 1991: Mike Kelly - Arizona State
- 1990: Alex Fernandez - Miami Dade CC
- 1989: Ben McDonald - LSU
- 1988: Robin Ventura - Oklahoma State
- 1987: Jim Abbott - Michigan
- 1986: Mike Loynd - Florida State
- 1985: Will Clark - Mississippi State
- 1984: Oddibe McDowell - Arizona State
- 1983: Dave Magadan - Alabama
- 1982: Augie Schmidt - New Orleans
- 1981: Mike Fuentes - Florida State
- 1980: Terry Francona - Arizona
- 1979: Tim Wallach - Cal State Fullerton
- 1978: Bob Horner - Arizona State
