John Michael Faile Named to 2023 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
CARY, N.C. - USA Baseball announced the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List and North Greenville’s John Michael Faile represented Conference Carolinas on the list.
The award is given to the nation’s top amateur baseball player. The 2023 preseason list includes 55 athletes from the ranks of high school and college baseball. Moving forward, the Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain the award’s watchlist on a rolling basis, allowing athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award based on their performances throughout the season.
Faile is one of five non-NCAA Division I players named to the list and will look to be just the third non-NCAA Division I player to win the award. Faile is the first Conference Carolinas student-athlete to ever be named to the preseason watch list.
A senior catcher from Boiling Springs, South Carolina, Faile was a First Team All-American last season and was the 2021 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and Perfect Game NCAA DII Most Valuable Player. He was named to the NCBWA All-Southeast Region and All-American preseason teams.
Last season Faile hit .427 in 192 at-bats with 82 hits, 12 doubles, 16 home runs and 86 RBIs with 61 runs scored. He had a 1.246 on-base plus slugging with three stolen bases.
The 2023 Golden Spikes Award timeline is as follows:
- April 5: Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List announced
- May 22: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced and fan voting begins
- June 5: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends
- June 7: Golden Spikes Award finalists announced and fan voting begins
- June 21: Golden Spikes Award finalists’ fan voting ends
- June 25: Golden Spikes Award winner announced
Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2023. Amateur baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, beginning on May 22 with the naming of the semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 7, and fan voting will once again open at GoldenSpikesAward.com before closing on June 21.
To stay up to date on the 2023 Golden Spikes Award, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com
and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Instagram and Twitter.
The full release is available here.