LSU center fielder Dylan Crews receives Golden Spikes Award, beating out Paul Skenes

OMAHA, Neb. — LSU center fielder Dylan Crews is the 2023 recipient of the Golden Spikes Award. 

USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the nation with the Golden Spikes Award since 1978. It’s given to the player who best exhibits on-field ability and exemplary sportsmanship.

Right-hander Ben McDonald is the only other LSU player to have won the award, earning it 1989. He was the No. 1 overall MLB draft pick that summer. Crews is projected to go first or second in the draft next month. 

Alex Bregman was LSU’s most recent finalist for the Golden Spikes Award in 2015, losing out to Arkansas’ Andrew Benintendi. 

This year marked the second time in history LSU had two finalists for the award, as right-hander Paul Skenes was also finalist. Russ Johnson and Todd Walker were both finalists in 1994 for LSU. 

Florida two-way player Jac Caglianone was the third finalist.

Crews was the 2023 SEC Player of the Year, slashing .418/.562/.707 with 16 doubles, one triple and 18 home runs entering the College World Series finals against Florida. His batting average is sixth-best in the country while his on-based percentage rank second. His 104 hits this season rank fifth nationally. 

Crews was named to the All-Defensive Team this season, in addition to earning All-SEC first team honors.

He has now reached base in 73 straight games, dating to June 3, 2022 and had a 26-game hitting streak this year.