Junior outfielder Anfernee Grier has been named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, announced by USA Baseball Wednesday.
USA Baseball honors the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award, an honor given each year since 1978.
Grier is making a strong case for himself by putting on consistently dominant performances. In a presser before the season home opener in February, he expressed his excitement to compete.
“I’m just ready to get back out there and compete with the team,” Grier said. “I feel more prepared.”
That preparation, backed by his time playing for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2015, has shown as he continues to excel on the field this season.
Grier leads the SEC in hits with 67 and total bases with 102, and ranks in the SEC with an impressive .414 batting average. His 46 runs ranks second in the league, and his slugging percentage, .630, and on-base percentage, .497, rank in the top three.
Coming into this week, Grier ranked in the top 10 nationally in hits, runs and total bases.
Grier has hit eight home runs in 2016, a 400 percent increase on his career total of two entering this season. He has also driven in a career-high 29 runs, and has stolen a career-best 16 bases.
In addition to his incredible offensive performance this season, he has established himself as one of the top defensive outfielders in the country.
The Golden Spikes Award is presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary scholarship.
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