Reese, Valincius Selected To Golden Spikes Watch List

STARKVILLE – Two Mississippi State standouts were selected to the Golden Spikes Award midyear watch list.

Ace Reese and Tomas Valincius were among the 45 top collegiate and high school players picked for the prestigious honor, which is presented annually to the nation's top amateur player.
Reese has started all 29 games at third base and is hitting .327 with a dozen doubles and a team-leading eight homers and 38 RBIs. The junior third baseman has an OPS of 1.078.

Through seven starts, Valincius has posted a 6-0 mark on the mound with a measly 0.91 earned run average. The sophomore left-hander has struck out 56 and only walked 11 across 39 2/3 innings and held opposing batters to a .173 average.

Former Diamond Dawg Will Clark claimed the Golden Spikes Award in 1985. Rafael Palmeiro (1984) and Brent Rooker (2017) were both finalists for the award while Dakota Hudson (2016), Jake Mangum (2019), Ethan Small (2019), Tanner Allen (2021), Landon Sims (2021) and Dakota Jordan (2024) were semifinalists.

A total of 25 semifinalists will be selected on May 14 and three finalists will be named on June 10. The Golden Spikes Award will be presented to the winner on MLB Network on June 29 at 6:30 p.m.

A complete list of the 45-player 2026 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List is as follows:
Name - Year - Position - School - Conference
Jarren Advincula - JR - INF - Georgia Tech - ACC
Myles Bailey - SO - INF - Florida State - ACC
Trey Beard - JR - LHP - Florida State - ACC
Tristan Bissetta - SR - OF - Ole Miss - SEC
Ben Blair - JR - RHP - Liberty - CUSA
Jake Brown - JR - OF - LSU - SEC
Lorenzo Carrier - R-SR - OF - Pittsburgh - ACC
Roch Cholowsky - JR - INF - UCLA - Big Ten
Quinton Coats - SO - INF - Cincinnati - Big 12
Daniel Cuvet - JR - INF - Miami - ACC
Tague Davis - SO - INF - Louisville - ACC
Jason DeCaro - JR - RHP - North Carolina - ACC
Evan Dempsey - JR - RHP/OF - FGCU - A-SUN
Mason Edwards - JR - LHP - Southern Cal - Big Ten
Grady Emerson - SR (HS) - INF - Fort Worth Christian (HS)
Jackson Flora - JR - RHP - UC Santa Barbara - Big West
Henry Ford - JR - INF/OF - Tennessee - SEC
Will Gasparino - JR - OF - UCLA - Big Ten
Grant Govel - SO - RHP - Southern Cal - Big Ten
AJ Gracia - JR - OF - Virginia - ACC
Landon Hairston - SO - INF - Arizona State - Big 12
Ryder Helfrick - JR - C - Arkansas - SEC
Daniel Jackson - JR - C/OF - Georgia - SEC
Dee Kennedy - JR - INF - Kansas State - Big 12
Vahn Lackey - JR - C/INF - Georgia Tech - ACC
Brendan Lawson - SO - INF - Florida - SEC
Justin Lebron - JR - INF - Alabama - SEC
Chris Levonas - SO - RHP - Wake Forest - ACC
Mulivai Levu - JR - INF - UCLA - Big Ten
Jake Marciano - SO - LHP - Auburn - SEC
Wes Mendes - JR - LHP - Florida State - ACC
LJ Mercurius - JR - RHP - Oklahoma - SEC
Tre Phelps - JR - INF/OF - Georgia - SEC
Jack Radel - JR - RHP - Notre Dame - ACC
Logan Reddemann - JR - RHP - UCLA - Big Ten
Ace Reese - JR - INF - Mississippi State - SEC
Ruger Riojas - SR - RHP - Texas - SEC
Aiden Robbins - JR - OF - Texas - SEC
Drew Smith - SR - INF/OF - Oregon - Big Ten
Caden Sorrell - JR - OF - Texas A&M - SEC
Sawyer Strosnider - SO - OF - TCU - Big 12
Tomas Valincius - SO - LHP - Mississippi State - SEC
Dylan Volantis - SO - LHP - Texas - SEC
Dax Whitney - SO - RHP - Oregon State - Pac-12
Derek Williams - SR - OF - Miami – ACC

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateBB' on X, Facebook and Instagram.

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Reese, Valincius Selected To Golden Spikes Watch List

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Ace Reese

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