NC State’s Bailey & Wilson Named to 2019 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List

DURHAM, N.C. – For the third consecutive season, NC State baseball is represented on the Golden Spikes Award Watch List as sophomore Patrick Bailey and junior Will Wilson were selected to the preseason listing announced on Thursday.

Presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award recognizes the nation’s top amateur baseball player. The 42nd Golden Spikes Award will be presented on June 14.

The preseason watch list features 55 players, as NC State is one of 10 schools with more than one selection. In total, 44 different schools in 18 different conferences are represented on the 2019 preseason watch list.

Last season, ACC Pitcher of the Year Brian Brown and First Team All-ACC selection Brett Kinneman were named to the midseason watch list and Brown was one of 25 semifinalists for the accolade. In 2017, second-round MLB selection and All-American Joe Dunand garnered a place on the preseason watch list.

The Wolfpack has two players on the preseason watch list for the first time since 2014, when Carlos Rodon and Trea Turner garnered the mention.

Both Bailey and Wilson have earned 2019 Preseason All-America honors from at least four publications, including Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Perfect Game.

Wilson put together a .307 batting average as a sophomore to go along with 53 RBIs and 15 home runs. He was one of seven Wolfpack players to claim All-ACC honors and one of four named to the first team.

The Kings Mountain, N.C., native made program history during the season by becoming the first NC State player to claim ACC Player of the Week honors three times in a season. Wilson hit 10 home runs against ACC teams, which tied for the third most in conference games and is the most among returning players. He was named one of 35 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, which is given annually to the top player in collegiate baseball.

Wilson was also selected to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, which is presented to the nation’s top shortstop. He was tabbed National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and College Sports Madness, along with NCBWA National Hitter of the Week during the season.

He was recently tabbed one of the top 50 prospects for the 2019 MLB Draft by MLB Pipeline and spent last summer as a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team (CNT).

Bailey was a unanimous Freshman All-America selection last season, claiming the honor from all five publications to announce the award, including Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Perfect Game.

The Greensboro, N.C., native turned in a stellar rookie season to earn ACC Freshman of the Year. Bailey led all freshmen in the ACC in batting average (.321), home runs (13), total bases (113) and slugging percentage (.604).

He was tabbed a Second Team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team selection, in addition to being an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Region honoree. Bailey set the NC State freshman home run record with 13 long balls in his initial season, eclipsing the previous mark of 12 held by Colt Morton.

The switch-hitting catcher made history against William & Mary, when he became the first Wolfpack player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game.

Bailey’s .604 slugging percentage led the Pack, was the fourth highest in the ACC and best for a freshman. He logged the second most multi-hit games on the team with 21 and also contributed 11 multi-RBI games, highlighted by two games with five or more RBIs. Bailey threw out 11 runners on the base paths and recorded a .983 fielding percentage.

The 2019 Golden Spikes Award timeline:

• April 10:USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list announced
• May 15:USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, voting begins
• May 26: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists voting ends
• May 29:USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, voting begins
• June 10:USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists voting ends
• June 14:USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation

About Golden Spikes Award
Since 1978, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. Following the first-ever presentation of the Award to Bob Horner of Arizona State, the Golden Spikes Award has been presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2018 Golden Spikes Award winner was Andrew Vaughn from the University of California Berkeley. Past winners of this prestigious award include current Major League Baseball players such as Brendan McKay (’17), Kyle Lewis (’16), Andrew Benintendi (’15), Kris Bryant (’13), Mike Zunino (’12), Trevor Bauer (’11), Bryce Harper (’10), Stephen Strasburg (’09), Buster Posey (’08), David Price (’07) and Alex Gordon (’05). Former Major League stars that have captured the award include Tim Lincecum (’06), Pat Burrell (’98), Mark Kotsay (’95), Robin Ventura (’88), Jim Abbott (’87), Will Clark (’85), Dave Magadan (’83), Terry Francona (’80), Tim Wallach (’79), and Horner (’78).  For more information, please visit GoldenSpikesAward.com.  Fans can follow the Golden Spikes Award on Twitter @USAGoldenSpikes.

About Rod Dedeaux Foundation
The Rod Dedeaux Foundation was formed to continue Rod’s spirit by supporting youth baseball and softball programs in underserved areas. Currently, inner city organizations are fighting for survival as public funding is drying up, coupled with the game’s waning popularity with children in Urban areas. Through the efforts of the Foundation, youth receive more than just uniforms and renovated facilities, they receive a sanctuary from challenging environments and a support system specifically designed to build character and academic support to enable underprivileged youth to achieve their dreams. For more information, please visit DedeauxFoundation.org.

About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation.  The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, Premier12 and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year.  The organization is responsible for the continued proliferation and health of the sport, and leads a number of amateur initiatives including PLAYBALL and Pitch Smart.  USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.  For more information, please visit the organization’s official websites: USABaseball.com, PLAYBALL.org, PitchSmart.org, SportDev.org, GoldenSpikesAward.com and USABaseballShop.com.