Help Matt in the Fan Vote for the Golden Spikes Award!
Cary, N.C. – (June 8, 2021) – USA Baseball today announced the 25 semifinalists for its Golden Spikes Award, moving one step closer to naming the top amateur baseball player of the year. The winner of the 43rd Golden Spikes Award will be announced in July.
Twenty-two different universities are represented by the 2021 semifinalists, which includes Fordham senior pitcher
Matt Mikulski (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.), becoming only the second Atlantic 10 player to be a semifinalist for the prestigious award (Adam Mills – Charlotte – 2007).
"We are thrilled to honor these twenty-five tremendously talented student-athletes as Golden Spikes Award semifinalists in 2021," said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball's Executive Director and CEO. "This group of players truly showcases the elite level of amateur baseball talent in the United States as they have excelled on and off the field this season, and we are privileged to recognize their contributions to their teams and schools."
Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2021. Beginning with the semifinalist announcement and continuing through the finalist round voting deadline on Tuesday, June 15, fans from across the country will be able to vote for their favorite player on GoldenSpikesAward.com.
The 2021 Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year and a
Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-American, Mikulski completed one of the finest single seasons in Fordham baseball history in 2021.
The senior finished the year with a perfect 9-0 record to go with a 1.45 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 68.1 innings pitched. He led the Atlantic 10 in ERA, hits allowed/9 innings, strikeouts, strikeouts/9 innings, wins (T-1st), complete games (T-1st), and WHIP in the regular season, while nationally, he was the NCAA leader in both hits allowed/9 innings and strikeouts/9 innings and among the top five in ERA, total strikeouts, and WHIP.
A four-time Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week and two-time National Player of the Week honoree, Mikulski held opponents to a .127 batting average overall, while lefties hit to an .073 average (4-for-55). He set single season record for strikeouts at Fordham, breaking Hank Borowy's 1939 mark of 115, while also becoming the all-time strikeout king at Fordham with 272, surpassing Javier Martinez's 264 from 2004-07.
Additionally, his 1.45 ERA is the fifth-best single season mark at Fordham with his 3.17 career ERA, raking in a tie for 15th all-time. Mikulski also became the 11th Ram to reach 20 career wins (tied for fifth all-time with 21), while his nine wins in a single season is tied for eighth.
A complete list of the 2021 Golden Spikes Award semifinalists is as follows:
Name, Position, School, Conference
Andrew Abbott; LHP; Virginia; Atlantic Coast
Tanner Allen; OF; Mississippi State; Southeastern
Jacob Berry; INF; Arizona; Pac-12
Colton Cowser; OF; Sam Houston; Southland
Henry Davis; C; Louisville; Atlantic Coast
Sal Frelick; UTL; Boston College; Atlantic Coast
Tyler Hardman; INF; Oklahoma; Big 12
Jace Jung; INF; Texas Tech; Big 12
Niko Kavadas; INF; Notre Dame; Atlantic Coast
Austin Knight; INF; Charlotte; C-USA
Kevin Kopps; RHP; Arkansas; Southeastern
Jack Leiter; RHP; Vanderbilt; Southeastern
Ethan Long; INF; Arizona State; Pac-12
Ty Madden; RHP; Texas; Big 12
Matt Mikulski; LHP; Fordham; Atlantic 10
Matheu Nelson; C; Florida State; Atlantic Coast
Doug Nikhazy; RHP; Ole Miss; Southeastern
Connor Norby; INF; ECU; American
Kumar Rocker; RHP; Vanderbilt; Southeastern
Spencer Schwellenbach; INF/RHP; Nebraska; Big Ten
Landon Sims; RHP; Mississippi State; Southeastern
Paul Skenes; C/RHP; Air Force; Mountain West
Trey Sweeney; 3B; Eastern Illinois; Ohio Valley
Gavin Williams; RHP; ECU; American
Aaron Zavala; OF; Oregon; Pac-12
