Oregon State OF Conforto Named Golden Spikes Award Finalist

Michael Conforto takes the honor after being named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year – for the second consecutive season.

Oregon State outfielder Michael Conforto is one of three finalists for the 2014 Golden Spikes Award, USA Baseball announced on Tuesday via GoldenSpikes.com. Photo Courtesy: OSU Athletics

(CORVALLIS, Ore. ) - Oregon State outfielder Michael Conforto is one of three finalists for the 2014 Golden Spikes Award, USA Baseball announced on Tuesday via GoldenSpikes.com.

Conforto is a finalist after being named one of 21 semifinalists in late May. He’s joined by LSU pitcher Aaron Nola and Kentucky infielder/pitcher A.J. Reed. All three received the most votes from the Golden Spikes Award voting committee.

Conforto takes the honor after being named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year – for the second consecutive season – and is Oregon State’s first-ever three-time All-American as he was named a first-team selection by Louisville Slugger. He also earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors three consecutive seasons, the first Beaver to have that distinction in more than a decade.

He led Oregon State to its sixth consecutive postseason appearance in 2014, and its third regional host during that stretch. He finished the season with a .345 batting average with seven home runs and 56 runs batted in, which is second only in the Pac-12 to teammate Dylan Davis’ 64. Conforto also walked a school-record 55 times in 2014, which leads the Pac-12 and is tied for second nationally.

Conforto leads the Pac-12 in slugging percentage (.547), on-base average (.504) and runs scored (52), is fifth in average (.345) and hits (70) and tied for third in both doubles (16) and total bases (111).

Conforto is the first Oregon State player in school history to be named a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award.

Fans can continue to stay up to date on the GSA by visiting GoldenSpikesAward.com -- powered by MLB Advanced Media -- which serves as the online home for the award. The website features content devoted exclusively to the GSA, including news, voting history, past winner photo galleries and photographs and video highlights of the 2014 finalists.

Following the presentation of the award on July 17, all three finalists will be celebrated at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles as part of the 2014 Rod Dedeaux Award Dinner. Hosted by the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, the dinner will honor the Golden Spikes Award finalists, the Rod Dedeaux Award winner and the Rod Dedeaux USA Baseball Coach of the Year award winner.

In 2007, USA Baseball instituted a new selection and balloting procedure for the most prestigious award in amateur baseball, and it follows the same model again in 2014. After working closely with sports information directors and amateur baseball media across the country to determine watch lists and the top-performing athletes, a list of 21 semifinalists was sent to the GSA voting committee last week. The three players that received the most votes advanced to the finalist round, and beginning today, the committee will have the opportunity to vote for the winner.

Fans will once again be able to vote for the 2014 award by visiting GoldenSpikesAward.com and selecting their favorite finalist. Voting for fans and the voting body ends at 5 p.m. ET on Friday, June 13.

Source: Oregon State Athletics