Stratton Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist; Fan Voting Begins

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State junior and 2012 SEC Pitcher of the Year Chris Stratton is a step closer to becoming the second Diamond Dog to win the prestigious Golden Spikes Award.

Tuesday the right-hander from Tupelo, Miss., was named one of 30 semifinalists for the award that former MSU and Major League great Will Clark won in 1985.

This year fans will have a voice in the selection of the 35^th Golden Spikes Award winner through online balloting at www.GoldenSpikesAward.com. The player that leads in the online fan voting will receive a vote that will be added to the final tally compiled by a national selection panel of more than 215 voters. Voting by fans closes at 4 p.m. CDT Friday, June 1.

The list of Golden Spikes Award candidates will be narrowed to three finalists on June 5, with the winner announced July 6 in a nationally-televised awards presentation on MLB.com.

Stratton registered his SEC-leading 11^th win and, in an SEC Tournament-clinching 3-0 win over Vanderbilt, his first career save during State's remarkable 5-1 run through the 10-team field of last week's SEC Tournament at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala. Stratton ranks fourth nationally with 11 wins, fifth with 123 strikeouts and leads the SEC with a 2.21 earned run average.

The Bulldog ace is among six semifinalists from the Southeastern Conference. Earlier this year Stratton received the C Spire/Ferriss Trophy, given annually to the top collegiate player in Mississippi.

Stratton and his MSU teammates begin the program's 33^rd NCAA postseason journey this weekend, joining UAB, Samford and No. 3 national seed Florida State in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional at FSU's Dick Howser Stadium.