Bignall Named Semifinalist for USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award
By: Jason Snavely
Updated: May 29, 2012
UALR's Sean
Bignall
added another accolade to his outstanding senior season on Tuesday, as
the 5-8 outfielder was named one of 30 semifinalists for the 2012 USA
Baseball Golden Spikes Award (GSA). Now in its
35th year of existence, the GSA is given annually to the nation's top
amateur baseball player.
Bignall
enjoyed a breakout senior year in 2012, as he established new school
records for home runs (18) and total bases (149), while becoming the
first
player in school history to reach 60 runs and 60 RBI in a season. A
native of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, Bignall ended the regular season
ranked fourth in the nation in home runs, fifth in slugging percentage
(.696), fifth in total bases and sixth in RBI. A
First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, Bignall leads the league
in all four of those categories, as well as runs scored. His 64 RBI
place him second on UALR's all-time single-season list, one shy of the
school record, while his 60 runs scored are good
enough for third all-time at UALR.
A
semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, Bignall tied the school record
for home runs in a game by hitting three in a win over South Dakota
State on
March 7, while setting a new UALR standard with 14 total bases. He tied
another school record by scoring five runs in UALR's 17-8 win over South
Alabama on April 13. Bignall was named Sun Belt Player of the Week in
back-to-back weeks this season (March 5 and
March 12), and ends his career tied for second on UALR's all-time home
run chart with 20.
GoldenSpikesAward.com
-- powered by MLB.com -- will once again be the online home for the
award. Beginning today fans will be able to vote on the 2012
GSA by visiting GoldenSpikesAward.com and selecting their favorite
amateur player. Fans can follow online as the list of 30 players is
narrowed to three finalists on Tuesday, June 5.
For
the second year in a row, the GSA will be awarded live on MLB Network.
On Friday, July 6, the three finalists for the award will be at MLB
Network's
studios for the presentation on The Rundown, which will feature interviews, video highlights and the announcement of the winner. The
presentation will also be simulcast live on GoldenSpikesAward.com and MLB.com.
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
(USOC)
and the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). The organization
selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, World Cup and Pan
American teams (and all other USA Baseball professional teams); and the
Collegiate, 18U, 15U, and Women's National Teams, all
of which participate in various domestic and international competitions
each year.
A complete list of the 2012 Golden Spikes Award semifinalists is as follows:
Name, Position, Class, School, Conference
Mark Appel, RHP, Junior, Stanford, Pac-12
Sean Bignall, OF, Senior, Arkansas-Little Rock, Sun Belt
Jayce Boyd, IF, Junior, Florida State, ACC
Kris Bryant, IF, Sophomore, San Diego, WCC
Kevin Gausman, RHP, Sophomore, Louisiana State, SEC
Jeff Gelalich, OF, Junior, UCLA, Pac-12
Marco Gonzales, LHP/IF, Sophomore, Gonzaga, WCC
Andrew Heaney, LHP, Junior, Oklahoma State, Big 12
Kurt Heyer, RHP, Junior, Arizona, Pac-12
Goose Kallunki, IF, Senior, Utah Valley, Great West
Daniel Kassouf, IF, Senior, Appalachian State, SoCon
Alex Keudell, RHP, Senior, Oregon, Pac-12
Trenton Moses, IF, RS-Junior, Southeast Missouri, Ohio Valley
Tyler Naquin, OF, Junior, Texas A&M, Big 12
D.J. Peterson, IF, Sophomore, New Mexico, Mountain West
Nick Petree, RHP, RS-Sophomore, Missouri State, Missouri Valley
Kevin Plawecki, C, Junior, Purdue, Big Ten
Danny Poma, OF, Senior, Hofstra, CAA
James Ramsey, OF, Senior, Florida State, ACC
Raph Rhymes, OF, Junior, Louisiana State, SEC
Carlos Rodon, LHP, Freshman, North Carolina State, ACC
Michael Roth, LHP, Senior, South Carolina, SEC
Richie Shaffer, IF, Junior, Clemson, ACC
Chris Stratton, RHP, Junior, Mississippi State, SEC
Ross Stripling, RHP, Senior, Texas A&M, Big 12
Marcus Stroman, RHP, Junior, Duke, ACC
Josh Turley, LHP, Junior, Baylor, Big 12
Michael Wacha, RHP, Junior, Texas A&M, Big 12
Alex Yarbrough, IF, Junior, Mississippi, SEC
Mike Zunino, C, Junior, Florida, SEC
Courtesy: UALR
Courtesy: UALR
