North Carolina State University Athletics
Sam Highfill Featured On Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
2/15/2022 1:01:00 PM | Baseball
CARY, N.C. – NC State baseball pitcher Sam Highfill was named to USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, as announced by the organization on Tuesday afternoon.
He is one of 55 players featured on the list, as the award is given annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
The Apex, N.C., native is the 11th NC State player since 2008 to be named to the watch list and the fifth in the last four seasons to earn a spot on the list.
Highfill was an integral part of the Wolfpack's College World Series appearance in 2021 and returns as one of the team's top pitchers in 2022. Thanks to his efforts on the mound last season, he was named a Preseason Second Team All-American by four major publications prior to the start of the year.
Last season he made 16 starts and led the Wolfpack's pitching staff with a 3.66 earned-run average and 9-2 record while tallying 84 strikeouts in 93.1 innings. In his last 10 starts of the season, the result was a win for the Pack as he went at least five innings in nine of those outings. Additionally, he closed out the year with five consecutive wins, surrendering just six earned runs in 31.1 innings.
Highfill was dominant in the NCAA Tournament, as he tossed 5.1 shutout innings vs. Louisiana Tech in the NCAA Ruston Regional, then threw 6.1 innings to capture the win against top-seeded Arkansas in the NCAA Super Regional in Fayetteville, Ark.
In Omaha at the College World Series, he pitched a two-hit shutout in a career-long 7.1 innings, then went 3-for-4 at the plate in the infamous #Pack13 game against 2019 National Champion Vanderbilt.
Fan voting will once again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2022. Amateur baseball fans will be able to vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, starting on May 24 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 8 and fan voting will open at GoldenSpikesAward.com concurrently, remaining open through June 12.
The 2022 Golden Spikes Award timeline:
April 5: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list announced
May 24: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, fan voting begins
May 29: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends
June 8: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, fan voting begins
June 12: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists fan voting ends
He is one of 55 players featured on the list, as the award is given annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
The Apex, N.C., native is the 11th NC State player since 2008 to be named to the watch list and the fifth in the last four seasons to earn a spot on the list.
Highfill was an integral part of the Wolfpack's College World Series appearance in 2021 and returns as one of the team's top pitchers in 2022. Thanks to his efforts on the mound last season, he was named a Preseason Second Team All-American by four major publications prior to the start of the year.
Last season he made 16 starts and led the Wolfpack's pitching staff with a 3.66 earned-run average and 9-2 record while tallying 84 strikeouts in 93.1 innings. In his last 10 starts of the season, the result was a win for the Pack as he went at least five innings in nine of those outings. Additionally, he closed out the year with five consecutive wins, surrendering just six earned runs in 31.1 innings.
Highfill was dominant in the NCAA Tournament, as he tossed 5.1 shutout innings vs. Louisiana Tech in the NCAA Ruston Regional, then threw 6.1 innings to capture the win against top-seeded Arkansas in the NCAA Super Regional in Fayetteville, Ark.
In Omaha at the College World Series, he pitched a two-hit shutout in a career-long 7.1 innings, then went 3-for-4 at the plate in the infamous #Pack13 game against 2019 National Champion Vanderbilt.
Fan voting will once again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2022. Amateur baseball fans will be able to vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, starting on May 24 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 8 and fan voting will open at GoldenSpikesAward.com concurrently, remaining open through June 12.
The 2022 Golden Spikes Award timeline:
April 5: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list announced
May 24: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, fan voting begins
May 29: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends
June 8: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, fan voting begins
June 12: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists fan voting ends
Players Mentioned
RHP/INF
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