Golden Spikes Watch List updated

FAYETTEVILLE – The names of Zack Cox and Brett Eibner were included as USA Baseball released its updated Golden Spikes Award Watch List Tuesday. The two Razorbacks were part of the initial preseason release announced in February. The new list consists of 60 of the best collegiate baseball players across the country. The updated version includes 23 new players who have played themselves into consideration, while 13 names have been removed from the original 50-man list.

Through 45 games, Cox leads Arkansas and is second in the Southeastern Conference with his .443 batting average. The Louisville, Ky., native leads the SEC with 82 hits and shares the top spot with teammate Collin Kuhn with 54 runs scored. Cox has hit safely in 43 of Arkansas’ 45 games this season with 29 multi-hit performances. He opened the season with a 24-game hitting streak. In SEC games, Cox is hitting .449 with a .533 on-base percentage.

Eibner paces the Razorbacks’ power output with an SEC-high 16 home runs. He has seven home runs in his last 11 ballgames. The Houston, Texas, native is third in the SEC with teammate Andy Wilkins with 55 RBI. Eibner is hitting .325 this season and is fourth in the conference with a .688 slugging percentage. In 21 SEC games, he has nine home runs and 31 RBI, including a two-homer effort at LSU and five-RBI performance at Mississippi State.

Arkansas is one of seven teams with two representatives on the Golden Spikes Award Watch List. Texas leads all school with five players named, while Florida State, Georgia Tech and SEC-rival LSU are tied for second with three names each.

To ensure student-athletes can play themselves into consideration through May, the list will continue to update until June 1 when the 30 semifinalists are announced. When the semifinalists are announced, fans will be able to vote for their favorite at GoldenSpikesAward.com. The five finalists will then be announced June 8 with fan voting continuing that same day.

Sponsored by Major League Baseball, the 33rd annual Golden Spikes Award, given to the top amateur baseball player in the country, will be presented Tuesday, July 13, at the 2010 MLB All-Star FanFest in Anaheim, Calif.