@MizzouBaseball’s Sikkema Named 2019 Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
5/15/2019 9:33:00 AM | Baseball
Tiger southpaw is only one of 25 semifinalists for prestigious honor
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball junior LHP TJ Sikkema (Dewitt, Iowa) has been named a semifinalist for the 2019 Golden Spikes Award, announced Wednesday by USA Baseball. Sikkema is now only one of 25 players nationally up for the 42nd Golden Spikes Award.
He becomes the first Tiger to garner Golden Spikes Award semifinalist recognition since RHP Kyle Gibson in 2009. Sikkema is Mizzou's third all-time individual to receive the accolade, as RHP Aaron Crow was the first to do so in 2008.
Sikkema has continued his impressive three-year career at Mizzou with an outstanding 2019 campaign. In 16 appearances (12 starts), he owns an exceptional 1.36 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 91 strikeouts in 79.2 innings pitched and a .183 batting average against.
In the latest NCAA individual rankings (May 13), Sikkema places sixth nationally in ERA, 45th in strikeouts and 47th in WHIP. In SEC only action, he ranks top-10 with his 1.65 ERA (1st), 21 strikeouts looking (T-3rd), 60.0 innings pitched (3rd), 66 strikeouts (4th), nine earned runs allowed (T-4th), .183 batting average against (6th) and five wins (T-6th).
In one of Sikkema's recent outings vs. South Carolina (April 27), he tossed 7.0 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts while not allowing a single hit. The fantastic performance secured his first career SEC Pitcher of the Week honor. It marked his third career award by the league office, as he was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week twice in 2017.
Sikkema's 10 punch outs versus South Carolina marked his fourth double-digit strikeout performance this season, including his third consecutive such start at home. He became the first Tiger hurler to toss four, 10-plus strikeout performances in a single-season since 2009, as Kyle Gibson accomplished the feat in midst of his Second-Team All-America campaign.
Sikkema has also etched his name in the Mizzou record book, as his 248 career strikeouts currently ranks seventh all-time, recently surpassing Tiger legend RHP Max Scherzer.
The list of semifinalists will be sent to a voting body consisting of baseball media members, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and 40 of the previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.
As part of the selection process, all voters will be asked to choose three players from the list of semifinalists this season. On May 29, USA Baseball will announce the finalists and voting for the ultimate winner will begin that same day. The recipient of the 42nd Golden Spikes Award will be announced on June 14.
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