SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The awards and recognition keep coming in for left-hander John Michael Bertrand as he was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, USA Baseball announced on Tuesday.
It is the second straight season the Irish have had a member on the midseason watch list as Niko Kavadas was selected in 2021. Bertrand is the fourth Irish player all-time to make the watch list as Eric Jagielo and Dan Slania both made the list during the 2013 season.
Bertrand leads the Irish pitching staff in a number of categories this season including innings pitched (44.2), wins (4), strikeouts (51) and ERA among qualified pitchers (1.81). Bertrand ranks second in the ACC in ERA and innings pitched and fifth in strikeouts.
He was named ACC Pitcher of the Week following his start in the 2-0 win in 12 innings over No. 5 Florida State Friday night. He tossed a season-high 7.2 innings and set a career high with 12 strikeouts. He allowed just four hits in the outing and did not allow a run to score. It was the most strikeouts in a single game by an Irish pitcher since 2019. It was also the first time in Florida State program history that the Seminoles were shut out in an extra inning game. The start propelled the Irish to the road sweep over the fifth-ranked Seminoles, the first time in program history the Irish have swept a Top-5 team on the road.
On Tuesday, May 24, USA Baseball will announce the semifinalists for the 2022 Golden Spikes Award. The list of semifinalists will then be sent to a voting body consisting of baseball media members, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 150 voters. As part of this selection process, all voters will be asked to choose three players from the list of semifinalists. On June 8, USA Baseball will announce the finalists, and voting for the winner will begin that same day.
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