CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today named the midseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award presented by Chinook Seedery, continuing the process of identifying the best amateur baseball player in the country for the 2025 season. The list features 45 of the nation's top athletes from college and high school baseball.
Regis University Baseball's Adam Paniagua has been named to the list, the only NCAA DII athlete to be recognized. Paniagua leads all of DII in home runs with 21, and is second in RBIs with 66. He has collected one National Hitter of the Week accolade so far this season.
The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will continue maintaining a rolling list of athletes throughout the season, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award before the announcement of the semifinalists on May 18.
"We are honored to acknowledge the top forty-five amateur players in the nation for their stellar performances so far this season," said USA Baseball CEO/Executive Director Paul Seiler. "There is unbelievable talent up and down the entire amateur baseball landscape, and the players on this list represent the best of the best. We look forward to watching the rest of the season unfold as we move closer to naming the 47th winner of the prestigious Golden Spikes Award."
Twenty-six athletes have played their way onto the list since the announcement of the preseason watch list on February 7, while 19 players who were on the preseason list made the midseason watch list. Jamie Arnold (Florida State), Drew Burress (Georgia Tech), and Jace LaViolette (Texas A&M), who were named semifinalists last year, along with Ryan Prager (Texas A&M), all appear on the midseason watch list for the second consecutive year after being named to last year's list.
Thirty-five different schools have at least one player on the midseason watch list. Florida State, Tennessee, and Wake Forest lead the way with three athletes each on the list, while Clemson, Indiana, LSU, and Texas A&M boast two players each. This is the second consecutive year that Florida State has three players on the midseason watch list, while this is the first time that Tennessee has since 2022 and first time that Wake Forest hassince 2023.
Additionally, 11 NCAA conferences are represented on the list. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads all conferences with 14 players, followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with 12 and Big Ten with six. Seven other Division I conferences havea combined 10 players on the list.
Paniagua is one of three non-Division I players on the list, joined by Seth Hernandez, and Ethan Holliday. This marks the sixth time since 2011 that three or more non-Division I athletes have been featured. Hernandez (Corona HS) and Holliday (Stillwater HS) are two of the top-rated prep prospects ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft.
Georgia's Charlie Condon is the most recent winner of the Golden Spikes Award, earning the prestigious honor after a record-setting season in 2024. He joins an elite group of recent winners including Dylan Crews (2023), Ivan Melendez (2022), Kevin Kopps (2021), Adley Rutschman (2019), Andrew Vaughn (2018), Brendan McKay(2017), Kyle Lewis (2016), Andrew Benintendi (2015), A.J. Reed (2014), Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Trevor Bauer (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009), Buster Posey (2008), and David Price (2007).
Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2025. Following the semifinalist announcement on May 18, baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com to help determine the finalists and winner. The 2025 Golden Spikes Award winner will be announced in late June in conjunction with the end of the amateur baseball season.
To stay up to date on the 2025 Golden Spikes Award, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Instagram and Twitter/X.
A complete list of the 45-player 2025 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List is as follows:
Name; Position; School; Conference
Wehiwa Aloy - JR - SS - Arkansas - SEC
Kade Anderson - SO - LHP - LSU - SEC
Jamie Arnold - JR - LHP - Florida State - ACC
Aiva Arquette - JR - SS - Oregon State - Pac-12
Max Bayles - JR - RHP - Santa Clara - WCC
Trey Beard - SO - LHP - Florida Atlantic - American
Tyler Bremner - JR - RHP - UC Santa Barbara - Big West
Drew Burress - SO - OF - Georgia Tech - ACC
Alex Calarco - SR - CF - Maryland - Big Ten
Cam Cannarella - JR - OF - Clemson - ACC
Roch Cholowsky - SO - SS - UCLA - Big Ten
Ethan Conrad - JR - OF - Wake Forest - ACC
Korbyn Dickerson - SO - CF - Indiana - Big Ten
Liam Doyle - JR - RHP - Tennessee - SEC
Joseph Dzierwa - JR - LHP - Michigan State - Big Ten
Hunter Elliott - R-JR - LHP - Ole Miss - SEC
Patrick Forbes - JR - RHP - Louisville - ACC
Dominic Fritton - JR - LHP - NC State - ACC
Seth Hernandez - SR - RHP/INF - Corona HS (CA)
Ethan Holliday - SR - INF - Stillwater HS (OK)
Marek Houston - JR - SS - Wake Forest - ACC
Grant Jay - JR - CF - Dallas Baptist - C-USA
Jared Jones - JR - 1B - LSU - SEC
Gavin Kilen - JR - 2B - Tennessee - SEC
Aidan Knaak - SO - RHP - Clemson - ACC
Jace LaViolette - JR - OF - Texas A&M - SEC
Justin Lebron - SO - SS - Alabama - SEC
Logan Lunceford - JR - RHP - Wake Forest - ACC
Maximus Martin - JR - SS - Kansas State - Big 12
Wes Mendes - SO - LHP - Florida State - ACC
Mason Neville - JR - CF - Oregon - Big Ten
Adam Paniagua - SR - C - Regis University (DII) - RMAC
Liam Peterson - SO - RHP - Florida - SEC
Ethan Petry - JR - 1B - South Carolina - SEC
Marcus Phillips - JR - RHP - Tennessee - SEC
Ryan Prager - R-JR - LHP - Texas A&M - SEC
James Quinn-Irons - JR - CF - George Mason - Atlantic 10
Nolan Schubart - JR - OF - Oklahoma State - Big 12
Luke Stevenson - SO - C - North Carolina - ACC
Brendan Summerhill - JR - OF - Arizona - Big 12
Devin Taylor - JR - OF - Indiana - Big Ten
Joey Volini - R-JR - LHP - Florida State - ACC
Ryan Wideman - JR - CF - Western Kentucky - C-USA
Kyson Witherspoon - JR - RHP - Oklahoma - SEC
Ryland Zaborowski - GR - 1B - Georgia - SEC
About Golden Spikes Award
Since 1978, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. The award goes to the amateur baseball player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2024 Golden Spikes Award winner was harlie Condon from the University of Georgia. Winners of this prestigious award from the past 20 years include Major League Baseball All-Stars such as Adley Rutschman ('19), Andrew Benintendi ('15), Kris Bryant ('13), Mike Zunino ('12),Trevor Bauer ('11), Bryce Harper ('10), Stephen Strasburg ('09), Buster Posey ('08), David Price ('07), Tim Lincecum ('06), Alex Gordon ('05), and Jered Weaver ('04). Fans can follow the Golden Spikes Award on Instagram and Twitter @USAGoldenSpikes.
About USA Baseball
Headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, USA Baseball serves as the national governing body for baseball in the United States. Since 1978, the organization has been dedicated to Leading the Growth of Our Pastime's Future, supporting and protecting the game for its 15.6 million participants nationwide. A proud member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), USA Baseball's national teams have earned 70 gold medals in international competition, including two Olympic gold medals and a World Baseball Classic title. Beyond competition, USA Baseball champions the sport's growth and well-being through initiatives such as BASE (Baseball Athlete Safety Education), Fun At Bat, Pitch Smart, PLAY BALL, the Prospect Development Pipeline, and USABat.
Additionally, it recognizes the nation's top amateur baseball player each year with the prestigious Golden Spikes Award. For more information about USA Baseball, its national teams, or its development initiatives, visit USABaseball.com or USABDevelops.com.
