FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas landed a pair of key players on the Golden Spikes Award list. That’s for the top amateur players in the country.
Pitcher Gabe Gaeckle and infielder Wehiwa Aloy were named to the list of 55 players Friday. The Razorbacks have won the award twice in program history.
Outfielder Andrew Benintendi (2015) and pitcher Kevin Kopps (2021) have previously won the award as the best amateur baseball player in the country. Arkansas is one of six schools, along with Florida State (4), Arizona State (3), Cal State Fullerton (3), LSU (2) and San Diego State (2), with multiple Golden Spikes Award winners.
Aloy, also named to last year’s preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, started all 60 games at shortstop for the Razorbacks in 2024, his first season at Arkansas after transferring from Sacramento State.
He hit .270/.355/.485 with a team-high 14 home runs and 56 RBI, finishing his sophomore campaign as the team leader in runs scored (45), multi-RBI games (11), stolen bases (7) and consecutive games reached base safely (31).
Aloy is now the fourth two-time preseason watch list candidate for the Golden Spikes Award in program history, joining outfielder Heston Kjerstad (2019-20), infielder Casey Martin (2019-20) and infielder Robert Moore (2021-22).
Gaeckle is entering 2025 with numerous accolades after being named Baseball America’s preseason SEC Pitcher of the Year, clinching consensus preseason All-America status from Baseball America, D1Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game and earning preseason first-team All-SEC recognition from the league’s 16 head coaches.
The Aptos, Calif., native was a unanimous first-team Freshman All-American in 2024 following a historic rookie campaign in which he made 22 relief appearances on the mound and posted a 3-3 record with a 2.32 ERA, 57 strikeouts and a team-leading seven saves in 42.2 innings, becoming the fifth Arkansas freshman pitcher since 2003 to record five or more saves in a season.
Gaeckle is the 16th Razorback player since 2008 to earn a spot on the Golden Spikes Award’s preseason watch list.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
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