Kyle Lewis named 2016 Golden Spikes Award winner
6/30/2016 8:38:00 PM | Baseball
The honor recognizes Lewis as national player of the year
LOS ANGELES – Former Mercer University outfielder Kyle Lewis was awarded one of college baseball's most prestigious honors Thursday evening, as he was named the 39th recipient of the Golden Spikes Award during a live presentation on SportsCenter at ESPN's Los Angeles studio.
The Golden Spikes Award is Lewis' third national player of the year honor as he beat out three other finalists; Louisville Corey Ray, Florida's Logan Shore and Clemson's Seth Beer.
Lewis – the No. 11 overall pick by the Seattle Mariners in 2016 MLB Draft on June 9 – joins an elite list of players to win the Golden Spikes Award, including current major league all-stars such as Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant, Stephen Strasburg, David Price and Buster Posey, among others.
In addition to consensus All-America first team honors, the Snellville, Ga. native has been named the Baseball America National Player of the Year, American Baseball Coaches Association Player of the Year and a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist. He was also named the Southern Conference Player of the Year for the second straight season.
En route to leading the Bears to a second straight SoCon regular season title and their seventh straight season with 35 wins or more, Lewis established himself as one of college baseball's premier players. He led the nation's second-best power-hitting team with 20 home runs and 72 RBIs, which ranked sixth and fifth nationally, while ranking top-5 nationally in walks (66), on-base percentage (.535) and runs (70) and top-15 nationally in batting average (.395).
The former Bear is the first player in SoCon history and second from the state of Georgia (Georgia Tech's Jason Varitek, 1994) to win the award.
The Golden Spikes Award has been presented by USA Baseball since 1978 to honor the top amateur baseball player in the nation. The award is sponsored by Major League Baseball and is presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation.
Follow Mercer baseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest news on Lewis and the Bears. To view the full list of previous Golden Spikes Award winners, click here.
HEAD COACH CRAIG GIBSON ON THE AWARD:
"What a great day for Kyle Lewis, Mercer University and our athletic program – this is the crown jewel of college baseball and the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. The Golden Spikes Award couldn't have gone to a better person, player and individual on and off the field.
Kyle represents what a great student-athlete really is and his achievements have been phenomenal. He's off to a great start in his professional career and we couldn't be more excited and proud for Kyle and his family."
GIBSON ON WHAT THE AWARD MEANS FOR MERCER:
"It's unbelievable at our level to have a player of Kyle's caliber and for us to have been a part of his life for three years here in Macon. This certainly adds to our reputation, regionally and nationally, as a successful baseball program."
