Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson wins 2026 Golden Spikes Award as nation's best amateur baseball player

Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson was named the Golden Spikes Award winner as the best amateur baseball player in the country for the 2026 season. The announcement was made Monday evening on MLB Network.

The junior earned 2026 SEC Player of the Year honors after leading the conference in Triple Crown categories, with a .396 batting average, 31 home runs and 86 RBI.

Overall, Jackson finished with a triple-slash line of .379/.473/.803. With 26 stolen bases, he became the third player in NCAA Division I history — and first catcher — to register 30-plus homers and at least 25 stolen bases.

The Bulldogs went 53-14 overall and 23-7 in the SEC, winning the Athens Regional and Super Regional to advance to the College World Series. In Omaha, Georgia was eliminated by eventual national champion Oklahoma.

UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky was viewed as a favorite for the top player honor starting during the preseason. One of three finalists, the junior hit .320/.452/.636, leading the Bruins to a 52-8 record and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA baseball tournament. He's also a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft on July 11.

The other finalist for the award was Arizona State outfielder Landon Hairston, who hit 28 homers for the Sun Devils and led the nation with an .860 slugging percentage.

Jackson becomes the sixth consecutive SEC player and second Georgia player in three years to win the Golden Spikes Award, joining 2024 winner Charlie Condon.

Last year, Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy won the Golden Spikes Award after recording a .350/.434/.653 slash line with 21 homers and 68 RBI for the 50-15 Razorbacks. The team finished second in the SEC with a 20-10 record before losing in the College World Series to national champion LSU.

Aloy was a first-round pick (No. 31 overall) by the Baltimore Orioles last year. Jackson is expected to be a first-round selection this year. (MLB.com ranks him No. 39 among draft prospects.)

Prior to Aloy and Condon, LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, Texas infielder Ivan Melendez (though the Longhorns were in the Big 12 in 2022) and Arkansas pitcher Kevin Kopps earned the honors as the nation's top college baseball player.

Past winners of the Golden Spikes Award, established in 1978, include current major leaguers Bryce Harper, Adley Rutschman, Andrew Vaughn, Andrew Benintendi and Kris Bryant. Other notable names to win the award are Stephen Strasburg, Buster Posey, David Price, Tim Lincecum and Jason Varitek.