NEW YORK – UCLA junior right-hander Trevor Bauer earned the 2011 Golden Spikes Award, as presented by USA Baseball on Friday evening during a live television program in MLB Network’s studios.

Trevor Bauer

Bauer becomes the first player in UCLA history to earn the Golden Spikes Award, which has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country since 1978. The GSA is sponsored by Major League Baseball and presented each year to the player who best exhibits exception on-field ability and exemplary sportsmanship.

Bauer was joined on stage with the award’s other two finalists, pitchers Danny Hultzen (Virginia) and Taylor Jungmann (Texas), and their families.

Already honored as the national player of the year by Baseball America and Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball, Bauer had a sensational year for UCLA in 2011. He went 13-2 with a 1.25 ERA in 136.2 innings and led the nation in strikeouts (203) and complete games (10). He allowed just 22 runs (19 earned) and 73 hits, limiting the opposition to a conference-leading .154 batting average.

The day after UCLA’s season ended, Bauer was selected as the No. 3 overall selection in the MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Bauer set UCLA career records in strikeouts (460), wins (34) and innings (373.1) and owns the school’s top two marks in single-season strikeouts with 203 in 2011 and 165 in 2010.  In two postseasons, Bauer collected a 4-0 record with a 3.00 ERA, logging school records with 55 strikeouts in 39.0 innings. No UCLA pitcher has ever collected three postseason victories, and only five pitchers have earned two wins.

In his final start, Bauer established himself as the Pac-12 Conference’s single-season strikeout leader. He finished the 2011 season with 203 strikeouts, one ahead of Mark Prior’s 202 strikeouts in 2001 at USC. Bauer ranks second on the conference’s career strikeouts list, 31 shy of Tim Lincecum’s 491 strikeouts at Washington (2004-06).

Bauer was honored as National Pitcher of the Year at the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s Night of Champions in Lubbock, Texas, on July 3. At the conclusion of the regular season, he captured 2011 Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year honors. He was a three-time All-Pac-10 Team selection, just the second player in school history to accomplish that feat (along with infielder Garrett Atkins, 1998-2000).

USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Winners

(in chronological order)

Year     Player Name                 College Attended

1978     Bob Horner                   Arizona State

1979     Tim Wallach                  Cal State Fullerton

1980     Terry Francona              Arizona

1981     Mike Fuentes                 Florida State

1982     Augie Schmidt              New Orleans

1983     Dave Magadan              Alabama

1984     Oddibe McDowell          Arizona State

1985     Will Clark                       Mississippi State

1986     Mike Loynd                   Florida State

1987     Jim Abbott                    Michigan

1988     Robin Ventura               Oklahoma State

1989     Ben McDonald              LSU

1990     Alex Fernandez             Miami-Dade Community College

1991     Mike Kelly                     Arizona State

1992     Phil Nevin                     Cal State Fullerton

1993     Darren Dreifort              Wichita State

1994     Jason Varitek                Georgia Tech

1995     Mark Kotsay                  Cal State Fullerton

1996     Travis Lee                     San Diego State

1997     J.D. Drew                     Florida State

1998     Pat Burrell                     Miami

1999     Jason Jennings             Baylor

2000     Kip Bouknight               South Carolina

2001     Mark Prior                     University of Southern California

2002     Khalil Greene                 Clemson

2003     Rickie Weeks                 Southern

2004     Jered Weaver                Long Beach State

2005     Alex Gordon                 Nebraska

2006     Tim Lincecum                Washington

2007     David Price                   Vanderbilt

2008     Buster Posey                Florida State

2009     Stephen Strasburg        San Diego State

2010     Bryce Harper                 College of Southern Nevada

2011     Trevor Bauer                UCLA