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