Feb. 15, 2008

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - USA Baseball has released its initial "watch list" for the prestigious Golden Spikes Award, awarded annually to the top player in college baseball, and Purdue's Josh Lindblom is listed among the nation's top 75 players targeted for the honor.

Lindblom, a junior right-handed pitcher, is the Boilermaker closer in 2008, a role he moved into during the 2007 season and at which he excelled. In eight appearances out of the Purdue bullpen last season, Lindblom struck out 10 batters in 11.0 innings while allowing only five hits. The hard-throwing product of Harrison High School in West Lafayette posted a 0.00 ERA out of the pen while yileding only six hits.

Lindblom joins Michigan's Zach Putnam as the only representatives from the Big Ten Conference on the watch list. The Southeastern Conference leads all conferences with 15 names on the watch list, while the ACC and Pac-10 each have 10 and the Big 12 eight nominees. Although only two Big Ten names are present on the watch list, the list is considered "rolling" - meaning athletes who play themselves into consideration by USA Baseball can be added.

The 2008 Golden Spikes Award, sponsored by Major League Baseball, marks the 31st installment of the award. The watch list will be cut to 50 names on May 20. Five finalists will be selected on June 3, and the Golden Spikes Award winner will be announced on June 16 at an award show via live telecast from New York.

Past Golden Spikes Award recipients include David Price (Vanderbilt, 2007), Jered Weaver (Long Beach State, 2004), Khalil Greene (Clemson, 2002) and Mark Prior (Southern Cal, 2001). Michigan's Jim Abbott is the lone award recipient hailing from a Big Ten school, winning the award in 1987. Arizona State's Bob Horner won the inaugural award in 1978.

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