Southern's Rickie Weeks Wins 2003 Golden
Spikes Award
July 15, 2003
Durham, North Carolina - USA Baseball has announced that Rickie
Weeks - an infielder from Southern University - topped an incredibly
talented field of five finalists to capture the 2003 Golden Spikes
Award, amateur baseball's most prestigous honor. The 26th presentation
of the award, which is sponsored annually by the Major League
Baseball Players Association, will be held at a later date and
time to be determined.
USA Baseball Photo |
Rickie Weeks |
Weeks - a native of Altamonte Springs, Florida - won back-to-back
NCAA batting titles (2002-03) with batting averages of .495 and
.479, respectively. In 2003, Weeks went 78-for-163 with an NCAA-best
1.61 runs scored per game (82 in 51 contests). He added 16 home
runs and 66 RBI and was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference
Player of the Year for the second straight year. Weeks led Southern
to the nation's best winning percentage (.863) in Division I
baseball this season at 44-7. The standout capped his season
by belting a two-run homer to push the Jaguars into the second
round of the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional with a 5-3 triumph over
Southern Mississippi.
"Growing up as a little kid, I always wanted to be considered
one of the best players in the country. So, I'm very elated to
win the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award - it's the Heisman Trophy
of baseball." Weeks, who has won every 2003 National Player-of-the-Year
award to date, was the 2nd overall pick in this past June's Major
League Baseball Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.
"USA Baseball is extremely proud to honor Rickie Weeks
of Southern University with the 2003 Golden Spikes Award," said
Paul Seiler, USA Baseball Executive Director / CEO. "Rickie's
magnificent collegiate career in which he helped put the Jaguars
back on the college baseball map, certainly proves he was the
most outstanding amateur player this year. We're also excited
that Rickie is such an exemplary young man off the field, and
we're very happy for the Southern baseball program and their
head coach, Roger Cador."
For the past 25 years, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur
baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award.
(See winners box below.) The award is presented each year to
the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary
sportsmanship. Past winners of this prestigious award include
current Major League Baseball stars J. D. Drew, Pat Burrell,
Mark Kotsay, Jason Jennings and Mark Prior, as well as 2002 winner
Khalil Greene of the San Diego Padres.
The television special was aired across the nation this afternoon
on Fox Sports Net South, Fox Sports Net Bay Area, Cox Sports
TV New Orleans, Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast, Comcast Sports
Net Mid Atlantic, and CSTV.
The Golden Spikes Award is sponsored by the Major League Baseball
Players Association (MLBPA), underscoring the commitment of Major
League Baseball players to the grassroots development of baseball
programs, particularly for youth, around the world. The MLBPA
supports USA Baseball's ongoing efforts to provide instruction
for youth baseball players, coaches, and volunteers, and to prepare
amateur athletes for professional competition.
Golden Spikes Award Winners
Year GSA Recipient School
2003 Rickie Weeks - Southern
2002 Khalil Greene - Clemson
2001 Mark Prior - Southern California
2000 Kip Bouknight - South Carolina
1999 Jason Jennings - Baylor
1998 Pat Burrell - Miami
1997 J.D. Drew - Florida State
1996 Travis Lee - San Diego State
1995 Mark Kotsay - Cal State Fullerton
1994 Jason Varitek - Georgia Tech
1993 Darren Dreifort - Wichita State
1992 Phil Nevin - Cal State Fullerton
1991 Mike Kelly - Arizona State
1990 Alex Fernandez - Miami-Dade South
1989 Ben McDonald - Louisiana State
1988 Robin Ventura - Oklahoma State
1987 Jim Abbott - Michigan
1986 Mike Loynd - Florida State
1985 Will Clark - Mississippi State
1984 Oddibe McDowell - Arizona State
1983 Dave Magadan - Alabama
1982 Augie Schmidt - New Orleans
1981 Mike Fuentes - Florida State
1980 Terry Francona - Arizona
1979 Tim Wallace - Cal State Fullerton
1978 Bob Horner - Arizona State
2003 Golden Spikes Award Finalists
Michael Aubrey - Tulane
Carlos Quentin - Stanford
Kyle Sleeth - Wake Forest
Tim Stauffer - Richmond
Rickie Weeks - Southern
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