COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball sophomore RHP Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) has been named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List as announced Wednesday (April 20) by USA Baseball. This is the second consecutive season that Houck has landed on the list after being one of just four freshmen to earn the distinction last year. He is the first Mizzou player to land on the Golden Spikes Watch List as both a freshman and sophomore. The Golden Spikes Award is given to the nation’s top amateur player.

Houck has been sensational this year for head coach Tim Jamieson. He has twice earned SEC Pitcher of the Week and took home Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honors following a dominating start against Vanderbilt in which he allowed two hits over 9.0 shutout innings while striking out a career-high 14. He also earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors after a complete game shutout of Auburn in which he allowed just four hits with 10 strikeouts. In all, Houck is 4-3 on the year with a 3.22 ERA and is limiting batters to just .187 hitting while striking out 70 in 64.1 innings. He has surrendered just 43 hits n 64.1 innings. In SEC play, batters are hitting just .188 against Houck with just 24 hits in 36.1 innings and he has struck out 38.

Houck has been tabbed as the No. 1 prospect for the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft by several national scouting services. He has also been selected to pitch for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team for the second consecutive season after earning USA Baseball’s Top International Performance Award for pitching four perfect innings in a combined no-hitter vs. Cuba last summer.

Houck and the Tigers play at No. 12 South Carolina for a three-game series this weekend.

— Mizzou Athletics —