Ole Miss’ Dunhurst, Gonzalez Named to Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List

Cary, NC — (wire reports) USA Baseball announced the 55 players named to the 2022 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, with a pair of Rebels making the cut in Hayden Dunhurst and Jacob Gonzalez.

It is the second consecutive season that multiple Rebels have made the prestigious watch list after pitching duo Doug Nikhazy and Gunnar Hoglund were tabbed to the 2021 edition. Ole Miss is one of eight teams with multiple honorees in 2022.

Tapped as a Preseason All-American by D1Baseball, Dunhurst became the second Rebel ever to win an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award. A native of Carriere, Mississippi, the Rebel backstop was named a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award after starting 65 games, 59 behind the plate. In addition to a second team all-conference nod, Dunhurst also received All-Newcomer and All-Defensive Team recognition from the SEC.

Dunhurst batted .280 for the season, racking up 11 doubles, a pair of triples and seven home runs, posting 43 RBIs with 40 runs scored. One of the most feared arms behind the dish in the country, The junior threw out six runners on the year, registering a .996 fielding percentage with just three errors.

On the shortlist for the nation’s premier shortstop, Gonzalez adds this honor to a host of preseason All-American nods reeled in this season. The sophomore became the second player in Ole Miss history to be named an All-American as a freshman, earning the distinction from both the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and D1Baseball, Gonzalez led the Rebels in batting average (.355), runs scored (73) and hits (93) in 2021.

The California native started at shortstop in every game for the Rebels, setting single-season freshman school records in games played (67), runs scored, RBI (55), total bases (147), and walks (38). Ranking fifth and sixth in the nation, respectively, in runs scored and hits, Gonzalez was college baseball’s leader in both categories among true freshmen.

Dunhurst, Gonzalez and the Rebels will make their long awaited return to Swayze Field this weekend, opening up the 2022 season with a three-game series against Charleston Southern Friday through Sunday. All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network +.

Evelyn Van Pelt

Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.