Razorback named Golden Spikes finalist for second straight season

Fellow Florida State shortstop Alex Lodise and Tennessee left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle are the other finalists.

The award, established by USA Baseball in 1978, is widely considered the most prestigious in college baseball and is the equivalent to the Heisman Trophy in college football.

Aloy is slashing .355/.440/.686 with 20 home runs and is just the seventh player in school history to reach that mark. He has also started all 59 games at shortstop this year and hit in the No. 2 spot in the lineup in every game.

On the other side of the ball, Aloy has improved his defense, commiting just five errors in 205 total chances for a .976 fielding percentage.

It's the latest season award that Aloy remains in serious consideration after he was also named a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award (best shortstop) and a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award.

It is the second straight season that the Razorbacks have had a finalist for the award after Hagen Smith set a new program record for single-season strikeouts with 161 and set a new NCAA record for strikeouts per nine innings at 17.25 (minimum 50 innings).

He ultimately lost the award to Georgia's Charlie Condon after he hit 37 homers, breaking the NCAA single-season home run record.

Another finalist will also take part in the Fayetteville Super Regional. Doyle broke the Tennessee program record for single-season strikeouts with 158 in just 92 innings. Even with allowing a career-high eight runs against Arkansas on May 16, he's pitched to a 2.84 ERA.

Doyle is also on a torrid a strikeout pace himself, leading college baseball with a K/9 of 15.34.

He will start one of the first two games of the series against the Razorbacks after picking up the final seven outs in the regional in a game seven in the regional round against Wake Forest.

Perhaps the favorite for the award is Lodise, who ranks in the top 15 nationally in batting average (.404) to go along with a .467 on-base percentage and a .738 slugging percentage. He has 38 extra-base hits with 17 homers, 18 doubles and three triples to go along with a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts.

All three are playing in the Super Regional as the Seminoles hit the road to face the No. 8 Oregon State Beavers.

Aloy is the fifth player in school history to be named a finalist, joining Smith, RHP Phil Stidham (1991), OF Andrew Benintendi (2015) and RHP Kevin Kopps (2021). Benintendi and Kopps both won the award.

Fans can now vote for the award on at GoldenSpikesAward.com and closes on June 20.

The winner of the Golden Spikes will be announced 5:30 p.m June 21 on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. prior to first pitch of Game 1 of the College World Series finals.

First pitch between Tennessee and the Razorbacks for the right to go to the College World Series starts 4 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on ESPN.

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