Koenig Named to Golden Spikes Watch List

MILWAUKEE - Senior Sam Koenig of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team was named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list, the organization announced on Thursday.

The USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award is presented annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.

Koenig is the only Horizon League player on the list.

Koenig is having a phenomenal senior campaign, most recently earning back-to-back Horizon League Player of the Week honors in leading Milwaukee to six victories in its past seven games, including a win over 15th-ranked Iowa Wednesday.

The senior is topping the Horizon League in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, and he ranks high among all NCAA national leaders as well, starting this week first overall with his .857 slugging percentage and second in the country with his .462 batting average and .555 on-base percentage.

According to the USA Baseball press release, the 2015 Golden Spikes Award winner will be named on Tuesday, June 23, at a presentation in Los Angeles. The finalists and their families will be honored at the Rod Dedeaux Foundation Dinner that evening at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles. The complete list of finalists can be found here.

On May 22, USA Baseball will announce the semifinalists for the 2015 Golden Spikes Award. 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 37 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.

Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2015. Friday, May 22, marks the day when amateur baseball fans across the country will be able to vote for their favorite semifinalists at GoldenSpikesAward.com. As part of this selection process, all voters will be asked to choose three players from the list. On Tuesday, June 2, USA Baseball will announce the finalists, and voting will once again commence that same day.

(Release courtesy of Milwaukee athletics media relations)