DURHAM, N.C. – Maryland junior shortstop Kevin Smith was named to the 55-player preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List, unveiled Wednesday afternoon by USA Baseball.
The award, presented to the top amateur baseball player in the country, will be presented on June 29 in Los Angeles.
Smith, a freshman All-American in 2015, started all 57 games of his sophomore campaign and batted .259 with eight home runs and 34 RBI. He slugged .409 and recorded nine doubles.
The East Greenbush, N.Y., native is coming off a spectacular summer in which he earned Cape Cod League All-Star and All-League honors after batting .301 with two home runs, 12 doubles and 14 RBI. He led the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox to a CCBL title, earning League Championship Series MVP honors in the process.
Smith was named the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by Perfect Game, Baseball America and D1Baseball.com. Perfect Game and Baseball America named Smith a preseason first-team All-American, while D1Baseball tabbed Smith a preseason third-team All-American.
It is the second consecutive season Maryland has placed a player on the Golden Spikes preseason watch list after Mike Shawaryn was included prior to the 2016 campaign. Shawaryn was also included on the 2015 midseason watch list, along with former Terp second baseman Brandon Lowe.
Starting on March 27 and ending April 2, fans will be able to nominate their favorite players for the Golden Spikes Award prior to the reveal of Midseason Watch List on April 12. The semifinalists list will be sent to a voting body consisting of past USA Baseball National Team coaches and press officers, members of the media that follow the amateur game closely, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 39 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.
Fan voting will continue to be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2017, starting on May 31 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. Amateur baseball fans across the country will be able to vote for their favorite semifinalists at GoldenSpikesAward.com. On June 14, USA Baseball will announce the finalists and voting will begin that day and last until June 23.
The winner of the 40th Golden Spikes Award will be named on Thursday, June 29, at a presentation in Los Angeles. The finalists and their families will be honored at the Rod Dedeaux Foundation Award Dinner that evening at Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles.
Maryland opens its season at the Clearwater Tournament in Clearwater, Fla. The Terps will take on Ball State in its opener on Friday, February 17 at 7 p.m. at Spectrum Field.
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