Feb. 18, 2009

USA Baseball announced Tuesday that Tennessee sophomore Kentrail Davis is among 50 of the nation's top collegiate talents named to the 2009 Preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List. This marks the 32nd year that the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award has been presented to the nation's premier amateur baseball player.

Davis was a semifinalist for the award in 2008 and is one of only eight sophomores on the junior/senior dominated list.

He earned Freshman All-America honors last season while becoming just the ninth Vol in school history to win the team triple crown and the first since 2002. He led the Vols in batting average (.330), home runs (13) and RBI (44), while also pacing the team in hits (68), triples (3), total bases (120), hit-by-pitches (15) and on-base percentage (.435).

Davis also was a second-team All-SEC selection and was named unanimously to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

In total 40 colleges and universities are represented on the 2009 GSA Preseason Watch List. Among conferences, the Southeastern Conference and the Pacific-10 Conference were tops with eight players on the list, while the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big-12 Conference boast six and five players, respectively.

"We're very pleased to announce the 50 members of the preseason watch list for the 2009 Golden Spikes Award," said Paul Seiler, Executive Director/CEO of USA Baseball. "The talent in college baseball is growing exponentially and to see quality players such as these recognized for this prestigious award speaks highly in regards to the caliber of athletes playing the game of baseball today."

On May 26, USA Baseball officials will cut the watch list of players to 30 semifinalists. The list will then be sent to a voting body of 150 who will select the five finalists and the eventual 2009 USA Golden Spikes Award winner to be announced July 15.