Daniel Jackson of Georgia has won the 2026 Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player in the United States.
Jackson became the first catcher in NCAA Division I history to hit 25 home runs and steal 25 bases in one season. He led the Southeastern Conference with a .379 batting average, 32 home runs and 87 runs batted in, securing the league's triple crown.
The junior also paced Division I with 88 runs scored and 212 total bases while succeeding on 26 of 28 stolen-base attempts. Georgia finished with a school-record 53 wins and reached the College World Series for the first time since 2008.
"Last year, I just felt like that was the worst version of myself," Jackson said. "Even before we got the season started, I wrote down a couple of goals on a whiteboard and one of them was 30/30."
Currently ranked No. 39 on MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 200, Jackson is projected as a likely first-round selection in the 2026 MLB Draft scheduled for July 11-12.