USA Baseball announced the three finalists for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award on Wednesday, June 10. World Baseball Network takes a look at the three finalists, which include UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky, Arizona State’s Landon Hairston, and Georgia’s Daniel Jackson.
Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA Bruins
Roch Cholowsky has been one of the most formidable players in college baseball this season. In 2026, he had a .320 batting average and a .452 on-base percentage. Cholowsky also had 10 doubles, 21 home runs, and 60 RBIs. In his 2025 and 2026 seasons, he combined for 44 home runs.
Cholowsky already has lots of hardware to his name. He is the back-to-back reigning Big 10 Player of the Year and was also first-team All-Big 10 in back-to-back seasons.
He led UCLA in home runs, OPS, and runs scored this season. Heading into the summer, Cholowsky has a shot to be the number one overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft in Philadelphia.
Cholowsky can become the second UCLA player ever to win the Golden Spikes Award. The first and only former Bruin to win the award was Trevor Bauer in 2011.
Landon Hairston, OF, Arizona State Sun Devils
Landon Hairston lands a spot as a 2026 Golden Spikes Award finalist after having one of the best seasons by an Arizona State player in recent memory.
In 2026, the Sun Devils’ outfielder had a .400 batting average and a .509 on-base percentage. He also had 94 hits and an OPS of 1.368 this season. Hairston is the Big 12 Player of the Year in 2026 and is also the Baseball America Player of the Year.
He finished with 28 home runs and 81 RBIs as well. Hairston shattered the Arizona State record for home runs in a season. The previous record was 27, which was set by Mitch Jones during the 2000 college baseball season.
If he wins the 2026 Golden Spikes Award, Hairston will become the fourth Arizona State player to win it. The previous three winners were Bob Horner in 1978, Oddibe McDowell in 1984, and Mike Kelly in 1991.
Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia Bulldogs
Daniel Jackson has been the leader of college baseball’s most high-powered offense. Jackson is third in the country in home runs with 31 this season. He has eclipsed the 100-hit mark, has 86 RBIs, and has a .389 batting average as well.
With 29 stolen bases, Jackson is one stolen base away from elite company. Jackson’s 30th stolen base gives him 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases this season. The only other player to accomplish this is Florida State’s J.D. Drew in 1997. Drew won the Golden Spikes award that season.
Jackson vastly improved into one of college baseball’s best players after a lackluster 2025 season with the Georgia Bulldogs.
If he wins the 2026 Golden Spikes award, Jackson will become the second Georgia player to win the award. In 2024, Charlie Condon won the award while playing for Georgia.
When is the Golden Spikes award ceremony?
The 2026 Golden Spikes Award ceremony will be on Monday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The ceremony is on MLB Network.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Georgia’s Daniel Jackson (3) runs to first base during an NCAA super regional baseball game against Mississippi State on June 7, 2026, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)
