Since the formation of the SEC in 1933 no player has hit 30 home runs in consecutive seasons. With a long drive in the Florida Gators‘ second game of the Stillwater Regional, Jac Cagliaone re-wrote history. The homer was Caglianones’ 30th of the season, following up his then-record 33-home run 2023 season, making him the first player in the storied history of SEC baseball to accomplish the feat.
Caglianone is enjoying a magnificent campaign both in the batter’s box and on the mound. Caglianone has slashed .410/.525/.851 with 30 home runs, 67 runs scored, and 60 RBI – all of which lead the Gators. The two-way standout ranks third nationally in home runs (second in SEC), fifth in slugging (second in SEC), eighth in batting average (second in SEC) and 11th in on-base percentage (third in SEC). On top of that, the Tampa, Fla. native has draws 20 more walks (41) than strikeouts (21), ranking as the 59th-most-difficult hitter to strikeout in the nation with 9.9 at bats per strikeout and wielding a miniscule 8.2% punchout rate.
Caglianone delivered three extraordinary feats over the course of the regular season. After homering in an NCAA-record nine-straight games from April 6-19, Caglianone followed the act with an equally brilliant one by going 66 consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout from April 7-27. The slugger then proceeded to post a 30-game hitting streak from March 23 through May 12 to tie the all-time program mark.
On the mound, Caglianone wields 5-1 record, 4.35 ERA and 9.9 strikeouts per nine. In addition to pacing the Orange & Blue in ERA, he leads in innings pitched (62.), games started (13) and batting average against (.217), the latter of which ranks eighth in the SEC. Caglianone has also allowed the fifth-fewest hits (49) and second-fewest homers (four) among qualified SEC hurlers.
Jac Caglianone named a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
A year after being named a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award — given to the most impressive amateur baseball player in the country — Caglianone is back on the list with a chance to take home the award.
The 2024 Golden Spikes Award timeline is as follows:
• May 20: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, and fan voting begins
• June 3: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends
• June 5: Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, and fan voting begins
• June 21: Golden Spikes Award finalists fan voting ends
• June 22: Golden Spikes Award winner announced
Fan voting will again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2024. Baseball fans can vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, beginning today with the naming of the semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 5, and fan voting will once again open at GoldenSpikesAward.com before closing on June 21.
A complete list of the 25-player 2024 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists is
as follows:
Name; Position; School; Conference
Jamie Arnold; LHP; Florida State; ACC
Travis Bazzana; INF; Oregon State; Pac-12
Brooks Bryan; C; Troy; Sun Belt
Blake Burke; 1B; Tennessee; SEC
Chase Burns; RHP; Wake Forest; ACC
Drew Burress; OF; Georgia Tech; ACC
Jac Caglianone; LHP/1B; Florida; SEC
Charlie Condon; 1B/OF; Georgia; SEC
Lawson Harrill; OF; Campbell; CAA
Luke Holman; RHP; LSU; SEC
Vance Honeycutt; OF; UNC; ACC
Walker Janek; C; Sam Houston; C-USA
Ryan Johnson; RHP; Dallas Baptist; C-USA
Dakota Jordan; OF; Mississippi State; SEC
Josh Kuroda-Grauer; INF; Rutgers; Big Ten
Nick Kurtz; 1B; Wake Forest; ACC
Jace LaViolette; OF; Texas A&M; SEC
Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman; RHP; ECU; AAC
Braden Montgomery; OF/RHP; Texas A&M; SEC
Christian Moore; INF; Tennessee; SEC
Hagen Smith; LHP; Arkansas; SEC
James Tibbs III; OF/1B; Florida State; ACC
Payton Tolle; LHP/INF; TCU; Big 12
Blake Wright; INF; Clemson; ACC
Trey Yesavage; RHP; ECU; AAC
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