Brent Rooker Named Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
May 30, 2017 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After being named the school's first-ever Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, Brent Rooker is not done reeling in accolades.
The redshirt junior slugger was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Golden Spikes Award, given out by USA Baseball to the top college baseball player in the country, the organization announced on Tuesday. The award's finalists will be announced on June 14.
The live presentation of the 2017 Golden Spikes Award will be exclusively on ESPN's SportsCenter, on Thursday, June 29. The announcement will take place in ESPN's Los Angeles Production Center at L.A. Live.
Rooker's season has been one of the best in Mississippi State baseball history. The Germantown, Tennessee native has slugged 21 home runs and a program-record 29 doubles in addition to driving in 76 runs so far on the year. He also currently owns a .404 batting average and his 90 hits is the most by a Bulldog since Adam Frazier tallied an NCAA-best and school-record 107 hits in 2013.
Through 60 games this season, Rooker is putting up offensive numbers in certain categories that haven't been seen from Golden Spikes Award Winners in years (Highest batting average and slugging percentage since Bryce Harper in 2010, most total bases since Kris Bryan in 2013 and most doubles since Khalil Greene in 2002).
In addition to being named SEC Player of the Year and Golden Spikes Semifinalist, Rooker was awarded the C Spire Ferriss Trophy as the best player in Mississippi. He also was named First Team All-SEC as a first baseman.
Rooker and the rest of the Diamond Dawgs will be back in action in the Hattiesburg Regional in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. MSU will take on third-seeded South Alabama in the opening round of the tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN3.
For more information on the Diamond Dawg program, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateBB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
2017 Golden Spikes Award Semifinalists:
Jake Adams, Jr., IF, Iowa
J.B. Bukauskas, Jr., RHP, North Carolina
Jake Burger, Jr., IF, Missouri State
Griffin Canning, Jr., RHP, UCLA
Morgan Cooper, Jr., RHP, Texas
Greg Deichmann, Jr., IF, LSU
Drew Ellis, Jr., IF, Louisville
Alex Faedo, Jr., RHP, Florida
Stuart Fairchild, Jr., OF, Wake Forest
Steven Gingery, So., LHP, Texas Tech
Nate Harris, Sr., RHP, Louisiana Tech
Adam Haseley, Jr., LHP/OF, Virginia
Luke Heimlich, Jr., LHP, Oregon State
Keston Hiura, Jr., INF/OF, UC Irvine
Gunner Leger, Jr., LHP, Louisiana Lafayette
Nick Madrigal, So., IF, Oregon State
J.J. Matijevic, Jr., IF, Arizona
Brendan McKay, Jr., LHP/1B, Louisville
Nate Pearson, So., RHP, College of Central Florida
David Peterson, Jr., LHP, Oregon
Brent Rooker, Jr., OF, Mississippi State
JP Sears, Jr., LHP, The Citadel
Brian Shaffer, Jr., RHP, Maryland
Pavin Smith, Jr., IF/OF, Virginia
Evan White, Jr., IF, Kentucky
The redshirt junior slugger was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Golden Spikes Award, given out by USA Baseball to the top college baseball player in the country, the organization announced on Tuesday. The award's finalists will be announced on June 14.
The live presentation of the 2017 Golden Spikes Award will be exclusively on ESPN's SportsCenter, on Thursday, June 29. The announcement will take place in ESPN's Los Angeles Production Center at L.A. Live.
Rooker's season has been one of the best in Mississippi State baseball history. The Germantown, Tennessee native has slugged 21 home runs and a program-record 29 doubles in addition to driving in 76 runs so far on the year. He also currently owns a .404 batting average and his 90 hits is the most by a Bulldog since Adam Frazier tallied an NCAA-best and school-record 107 hits in 2013.
Through 60 games this season, Rooker is putting up offensive numbers in certain categories that haven't been seen from Golden Spikes Award Winners in years (Highest batting average and slugging percentage since Bryce Harper in 2010, most total bases since Kris Bryan in 2013 and most doubles since Khalil Greene in 2002).
In addition to being named SEC Player of the Year and Golden Spikes Semifinalist, Rooker was awarded the C Spire Ferriss Trophy as the best player in Mississippi. He also was named First Team All-SEC as a first baseman.
Rooker and the rest of the Diamond Dawgs will be back in action in the Hattiesburg Regional in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. MSU will take on third-seeded South Alabama in the opening round of the tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN3.
For more information on the Diamond Dawg program, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateBB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
2017 Golden Spikes Award Semifinalists:
Jake Adams, Jr., IF, Iowa
J.B. Bukauskas, Jr., RHP, North Carolina
Jake Burger, Jr., IF, Missouri State
Griffin Canning, Jr., RHP, UCLA
Morgan Cooper, Jr., RHP, Texas
Greg Deichmann, Jr., IF, LSU
Drew Ellis, Jr., IF, Louisville
Alex Faedo, Jr., RHP, Florida
Stuart Fairchild, Jr., OF, Wake Forest
Steven Gingery, So., LHP, Texas Tech
Nate Harris, Sr., RHP, Louisiana Tech
Adam Haseley, Jr., LHP/OF, Virginia
Luke Heimlich, Jr., LHP, Oregon State
Keston Hiura, Jr., INF/OF, UC Irvine
Gunner Leger, Jr., LHP, Louisiana Lafayette
Nick Madrigal, So., IF, Oregon State
J.J. Matijevic, Jr., IF, Arizona
Brendan McKay, Jr., LHP/1B, Louisville
Nate Pearson, So., RHP, College of Central Florida
David Peterson, Jr., LHP, Oregon
Brent Rooker, Jr., OF, Mississippi State
JP Sears, Jr., LHP, The Citadel
Brian Shaffer, Jr., RHP, Maryland
Pavin Smith, Jr., IF/OF, Virginia
Evan White, Jr., IF, Kentucky
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