Dominguez, Marks Named Golden Spikes Semifinalists
May 26, 2009 | Baseball
May 26, 2009
DURHAM, N.C. - University of Louisville junior third baseman Chris Dominguez and junior left-handed starting pitcher Justin Marks are among the 30 semifinalists for the 2009 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, presented annually to the nation's premier amateur baseball player.
Louisville was among five schools (Arizona State, Indiana San Diego State, and North Carolina) with two players named as semifinalists for the prestigious award. The list of 30 players will be trimmed to five finalists on June 2, while this year's Golden Spikes Award winner will be unveiled on July 14.
Dominguez, the 2009 BIG EAST Player of the Year and a native of Miami, is the Cardinals' leader in home runs with 23, RBI with 79 and stolen bases with 18 on 24 attempts and is third on the team in hitting at .359. Last week, he earned his second straight BIG EAST Player of the Year honor to become the first player to win the award in consecutive seasons since Notre Dame's Steve Stanley won in 2001 and 2002. Dominguez shared the honor with Cincinnati's Josh Harrison in 2008.
Marks, the 2009 BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, is 10-2 overall with a 3.50 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 92.2 innings. In less than three full seasons, the Owensboro, Ky., native is Louisville's career leader in wins (28), strikeouts (292) and ERA (2.84). The 10 wins in 2009 is a career high for Marks and equals the most single season wins in school history.
Dominguez and Marks have led the 12th-ranked Cardinals (44-15) to their third straight NCAA Regional appearance after winning their second straight BIG EAST Tournament title last week. Prior to winning the tournament title, Louisville clinched its first ever BIG EAST regular season championship and the program's first 40-win regular season.
Up next, the No.1-seeded Cardinals will host No. 4 seed Indiana on Friday at 7 p.m. ET at Jim Patterson Stadium in the first round of the NCAA Regional. The Louisville Regional will open with No. 2 seed Middle Tennessee against No. 3 seed Vanderbilt at 3 p.m. ET on Friday.
The Louisville Regional will feature five of the 30 Golden Spikes Semifinalists, including four in the Louisville-Indiana game. Joining the Cards' Dominguez and Marks on the field this weekend will be Indiana pitcher Eric Arnett and catcher Josh Phegley, while the fifth finalist is Middle Tennessee outfielder/right-handed pitcher Bryce Brentz.
