Georgia Tech catcher among final 32 in the running for top amateur baseball player
CARY, N.C. – Georgia Tech sophomore catcher Kevin Parada(Pasadena, Calif./Loyola) continues to rack up honors, getting named a semifinalist for the 2022 Golden Spikes Award, it was announced Tuesday afternoon.
Parada joins 36 student-athletes from 26 universities as a semifinalist and is one of seven from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Golden Spikes Award honors the top amateur baseball player in the country.
Already a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and Buster Posey Award, Parada has had a sensational sophomore campaign for Georgia Tech, ranking among the nation’s best in almost every offensive category. He entered the ACC Tournament ranking second with a school-record 26 home runs and second in total bases (173), while ranking third in RBI (84), seventh in runs (71) and 16th in its (84). In the Atlantic Coast Conference, Parada leads in home runs, RBI, runs and total bases and ranks second in hits and third in slugging.
Parada has racked up accolades this year in his second year of collegiate action. A preseason All-American, he’s been named National Player of the Week three times (Feb. 28, April 11, May 2) and ACC Player of the Week once (April 11).
The Pasadena, Calif. native joins 11 Yellow Jackets to be named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and is the first since Joey Bart in 2018. Parada will look to become the first finalist since Mark Teixeira (2000) and first winner since Jason Varitek (1994).
Beginning with the announcement of the semifinalists, a ballot will be sent to a voting body consisting of baseball media members, select professional baseball personnel and USA Baseball staff, and the previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 150 voters. As part of this selection process, all voters will be asked to choose three players from the list of semifinalists. On June 8, USA Baseball will announce the finalists, and voting for the winner will begin that same day.
Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2022. Beginning with the semifinalist announcement and continuing through the finalist round voting deadline, fans from across the country will be able to vote for their favorite player on GoldenSpikesAward.com.
The winner of the 44th Golden Spikes Award will be named on Friday, June 24, on ESPN.
Golden Spikes Award semifinalists
Chris Alleyne; OF; Maryland; Big Ten Conference
Jacob Berry; INF; LSU; Southeastern Conference
Chase Burns; RHP; Tennessee; Southeastern Conference
Justin Campbell; RHP; Oklahoma State; Big 12 Conference
Carlos Contreras; OF; Sam Houston; Western Athletic Conference
Dylan Crews; OF; LSU; Southeastern Conference
Gavin Cross; OF; Virginia Tech; Atlantic Coast Conference
Sonny DiChiara; INF; Auburn; Southeastern Conference
Kendal Ewell; OF; Eastern Kentucky; Atlantic Sun Conference
Jake Gelof; INF; Virginia; Atlantic Coast Conference
Peyton Graham; INF; Oklahoma; Big 12 Conference
Tanner Hall; RHP; Southern Miss.; Conference USA
Thomas Harrington; RHP; Campbell; Big South Conference
Cooper Hjerpe; LHP; Oregon State; Pac-12 Conference
Gabriel Hughes; RHP; Gonzaga; West Coast Conference
Jace Jung; INF; Texas Tech; Big 12 Conference
Dominic Keegan; UTIL; Vanderbilt; Southeastern Conference
Ryan Lasko; OF; Rutgers; Big Ten Conference
Brooks Lee; SS; Cal Poly; Big West Conference
Trey Lipscomb; INF; Tennessee; Southeastern Conference
Ryan McCarty; INF; Penn State Abington; United East
Ivan Melendez; INF; Texas; Big 12 Conference
Jacob Melton; OF/INF; Oregon State; Pac-12 Conference
Parker Messick; LHP; Florida State; Atlantic Coast Conference
Kevin Parada; C; Georgia Tech; Atlantic Coast Conference
Tanner Schobel; INF; Virginia Tech; Atlantic Coast Conference
Daniel Susac; C; Arizona; Pac-12 Conference
Drew Thorpe; RHP; Cal Poly; Big West Conference
Max Wagner; INF; Clemson; Atlantic Coast Conference
Tommy White; INF; NC State; Atlantic Coast Conference
Jacob Wilson; INF; Grand Canyon; Western Athletic Conference
