May 3, 2011
DURHAM, N.C. — Junior pitcher Mark Pope has been named to the midseason watch list for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Pope joins teammate Jed Bradley, a preseason nominee, as two members of the 10th-ranked Yellow Jackets are apart of 60 student-athletes in the running for the prestigious award given to the nation’s top amateur baseball player.
Both Tech pitchers will look to appear on the semifinal list of 30 players announced on May 31.
The award presentation will air live at 6 p.m. ET on “MLB Tonight” on Friday, July 15. The three finalists for the award will be at MLB Network’s studios for the presentation, which will feature interviews, video highlights and ultimately the announcement of the winner of the GSA.
Since 1978, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. The award is sponsored by Major League Baseball and presented each year to the player who best exhibits exceptional on-field ability and exemplary sportsmanship.
A three-time ACC Pitcher of the Week and two-time Collegiate Baseball National Player of the week in 2011, Pope leads the conference in innings pitched (86.1), complete games (5) and shutouts (3). His nine wins are tied for the most in the ACC, while his 1.25 ERA is the second lowest. He is also fourth in opponent-batting average (.192) and tied for seventh in strikeouts (72).
This marks the third straight year a Georgia Tech player has appeared on the list. Former Jackets Deck McGuire and Derek Dietrich were both semifinalists in 2010.
