UF pitcher Hunter Barco and center fielder Jud Fabian have been named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, USA Baseball announced on Tuesday. The Golden Spikes Award is presented annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
The 55-person preseason watch list will be trimmed down to a midseason watch list on April 5. The semifinalists will be named on May 24. Fan voting will take place from May 24-29.
The finalists will be named on June 8, and fan voting on that will take place from June 8-12.
This is the second consecutive year that Barco and Fabian were placed on the preseason watch list, and it continues an eventful preseason for them.
Barco was named to all five preseason All-America teams. The NCBWA, Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball selected him to their first teams, while D1Baseball and Perfect Game placed him on their second teams.
Fabian was named to Collegiate Baseball’s preseason All-America first team, the NCBWA’s second team and D1Baseball’s and Perfect Game’s third teams.
Additionally, both of them were tabbed to the Preseason All-SEC First Team by the coaches.
Barco led the Gators with 10 wins in 2021. He posted a 4.01 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 83 innings. Opponents batted just .239 against him, and he put together a streak of nine consecutive starts without being charged with a loss.
He was named to the SEC All-Newcomer Team and the Southeast-ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team. He was recently named the No. 7 college prospect for the 2022 MLB Draft by Baseball America. MLB Pipeline ranked the Jacksonville native as the 54th-best prospect in the draft overall.
Fabian became just the fifth Gator to ever slug 20 home runs in a season, a total that also ranked second in the SEC. He also ranked ninth in the SEC in walks (40) and tied for 13th in slugging percentage (.560).
He recorded four games with multiple home runs, and he reached base safely in 23 consecutive games at one point.
Fabian played superb defense in center field, posting a .971 fielding percentage and two outfield assists in 139 chances. He was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team for his performance.