JJ Wetherholt Named to Golden Spikes Award Watch List

Another day, another preseason award for JJ Wetherholt, WVU Baseball’s superstar shortstop:  this time he’s receiving recognition by being named as one of the 55 players on the Golden Spikes Award watch list. 

The trophy is one of two awards commonly referred to as college baseball’s Heisman Trophy, along with the Dick Howser Trophy—although any amateur baseball player can win the Golden Spikes Award, while the Dick Howser Trophy is reserved for college baseball alone.

Wetherholt was a semifinalist for last year’s Golden Spikes Award, eventually losing to Dylan Crews, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The junior led the nation with a .449 batting average last season, along with 16 home runs, 24 doubles, and 36 stolen bases.

Busy Offseason

Preseason awards are coming in droves for Wetherholt, who played second base last season before training for a move to shortstop during the offseason: playing a premium defensive position could help his case when it comes time for the actual votes if the switch pays off. Along with the Golden Spikes watch list, Wetherholt has received preseason All-American honors from four of the six main award publications covering college baseball: Perfect Game, D1Baseball, Baseball America and the NCBWA. The other two publications are almost certain to recognize him when they release their preseason lists too, as he was a consensus All-American last year. 

He also received unanimous recognition as the preseason big 12 Player of the Year, an award voted on by the conference’s coaches. While it has been a busy offseason for JJ Wetherholt, don’t be surprised if things get even more hectic for him and the Mountaineers as the season begins: he’s currently getting buzz as the first overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft, so there will be plenty of eyes on him and the program.