This week, Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson won USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award, which goes to the best player in college baseball. He became the second Georgia Bulldogs baseball player to win the coveted college baseball award in three seasons. The other player to bring home the hardware was Charlie Condon in 2024.
World Baseball Network takes a look at two historic Golden Spikes seasons for two Georgia Bulldogs players in the past three years.
2026 Golden Spikes Winner Daniel Jackson
Jackson finished the 2026 college baseball season with a .354 batting average and a .455 on-base percentage. The catcher also had 32 home runs and 87 RBIs this season. He was second in the country in home runs and tied for second nationally in RBIs.
On top of the 32 home runs, Jackson finished the year with 29 stolen bases. He became the sixth player in college baseball history this season to have 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in the same year.
Along with winning the Golden Spikes Award, Jackson was the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year, a consensus first-team All-American, the Dick Howser Trophy Winner, and the Buster Posey Catcher of the Year.
He was a part of a Georgia team that went to the College World Series for the first time since 2008 and won the SEC regular season and tournament titles.
2024 Golden Spikes Winner Charlie Condon
In 2024, Condon became the first Georgia player to win the Golden Spikes Award. That season, he had a .433 batting average and reached 100 hits. He also had 20 doubles, 37 home runs, and 78 RBIs.
Condon drew more walks than strikeouts in 2024 as well, with 57 walks compared to 41 strikeouts. This led to an elite on-base percentage of .556. The Marietta, Ga., native led the country in batting average and home runs.
Much like Jackson, Condon also won the Dick Howser Trophy, was a consensus All-American, and was the SEC Player of the Year.
After a historic 2024 college baseball season, Condon was selected third overall in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies. He is currently playing Minor League Baseball for the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes.
According to MLB Pipeline, Condon is a top 65 prospect in baseball. He is also the number-two prospect in Colorado’s farm system, sitting behind 19-year-old Ethan Holliday.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: AP | Jason Allen, Vera Nieuwenhuis
