Saturday November 16th, 2024 5:00AM

Dogs' Condon named finalist for Golden Spikes Award

By Georgia Sports Communications

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia's All-America third baseman/outfielder Charlie Condon has been named a finalist for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award, USA Baseball announced on Wednesday.

Condon, the 2024 SEC Player of the Year, is one of three student-athletes up for the award which is given annually to the nation's top amateur baseball player. The 46th Golden Spikes Award will be presented on June 22 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN ahead of game one of the College World Series Finals. The other finalists are Travis Bazzana (Oregon State) and Hagen Smith (Arkansas).

A 6-6, 216-pound native of Marietta, Ga., Condon leads the NCAA in batting (.445), home runs (a BBCOR-era record 36), slugging percentage (1.036), total bases (228), hits (98) and OPS (1.602). He ranks third in on-base percentage (.566) and has drawn a team-high 55 walks, including 27 intentional free passes. He had a seven multi-home run games and homered in eight consecutive contests from April 26-May 9, one shy of the NCAA record. He has made starts at third base, first base and all three outfield positions for the seventh-seeded Bulldogs who are 42-15 and begin a Super Regional Saturday versus 10th-seed N.C. State at Foley Field.

“It’s a huge honor to be a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award,” said Condon. “It might be an individual award, but there’s a lot of people that have supported me and allowed me to be the best version of myself. Without the guys behind me, and the guys in the locker room and what we have going on here, I’m nothing special. I owe a lot of credit to them, and they are going to continue to be the heartbeat of this team, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Condon becomes the fifth Bulldog in school history to be named a finalist, joining pitcher Cris Carpenter (1987), pitcher/designated hitter Derek Lilliquist (1987), pitcher Dave Fleming (1990) and shortstop Gordon Beckham (2008). Condon was a semifinalist for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award (won by LSU’s Dylan Crews) when he was the consensus National Freshman of the Year and capped his first year playing for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team last summer. A member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Condon is a finance major.

Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2024. Baseball fans can vote for their favorite player on GoldenSpikesAward.com, beginning today until June 21.

Here is the latest 2024 Golden Spikes Award timeline:

June 5: Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, fan voting begins
June 21: Golden Spikes Award finalists fan voting ends
June 22: Golden Spikes Award winner announced

A final ballot will be sent to the Golden Spikes Award voting body consisting of national baseball media, select professional baseball personnel and USA Baseball staff, and the previous winners of the award, totaling a group of more than 100 voters. From Wednesday, June 5, to Monday, June 10, the voting body will cast their final vote for the Golden Spikes Award winner and fan voting will simultaneously be open on GoldenSpikesAward.com.

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