May 21, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest junior Allan Dykstra has been selected as a semifinalist for the 2008 Golden Spikes Award, as announced on Tuesday by USA Baseball. The award, to be presented July 16, is given annually to the premier amateur baseball player in the country.

Dykstra is one of 50 Golden Spikes semifinalists representing 40 schools across the country. He is one of eight players from the ACC and one of just five players who is a two-time semifinalist for the award. Dykstra, Preston Guilmet (Arizona), Brian Matusz (San Diego), Justin Smoak (South Carolina) and Brett Wallace (Arizona State) were 2007 semifinalists and are repeat selections in 2008.

The list of 50 will be trimmed to five finalists on July 3, and the 2008 winner will be announced on July 16 on an award show via live telecast from New York at MLB Advanced Media studios.

Entering the 2008 ACC Tournament, Dykstra is hitting .322 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs. The San Diego native leads the Demon Deacons in RBIs, runs, home runs, slugging and on-base percentage. Dykstra, who has reached base safely in all but four games this season, ranks among the ACC leaders in home runs, on-base percentage and walks.

Dykstra has walked a Wake Forest-record 61 times this season, a total which also ranks second in the country. He has also set the school's career record for walks and HBPs and is tied for fourth all-time in career homers.

Dykstra is a two-time All-ACC selection and earned ACC Rookie of Year honors in 2006.

In the 2008 preseason, Dykstra was named to the watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, and he was selected as a preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball and by Baseball America.