The University of Mississippi Athletics
Cael Baker Wins Golden Spikes Award Performance of the Week
2/18/2020 | Baseball
Junior First Baseman Adds to Accolades After Earning SEC Player of the Week on Monday
DURHAM, N.C. – One day after earning Southeastern Conference Co-Player of the Week honors, Cael Baker added another notch on his résumé, winning the Golden Spikes Award Performance of the Week.
Baker was named one of four finalists on Monday, and Rebel Nation came through as the junior slugger drew roughly 40 percent of the Twitter fan vote to join Brady Feigl (2018) and Thomas Dillard (2019) as the third Rebel to win the weekly honor in the past three seasons.
Baker went 5-for-12 (.417) over the weekend with a double, two home runs, five RBI and an even 1.000 slugging percentage to lead Ole Miss to a series win over No. 1 Louisville.
The junior out of Gahanna, Ohio, burst onto the scene with a two-home run game in the second contest of the weekend, going 4-for-4 with two homers, a double and four RBI. He became the first Rebel since Cody Overbeck in 2008 to have a multi-homer outing within the first two games of the season. He's also the only player since at least 1997 to have a multi-homer game within his first two games of wearing a Rebel uniform.
He wasn't quite as prolific on Sunday, going 1-for-4 with an RBI, but that one RBI proved to be the difference in the game and the series. Baker singled home Justin Bench to cap off a four-run seventh inning and give Ole Miss a 7-4 lead. The Rebels went on to hang on for a 7-6 win to capture the series victory.
Baker is no stranger to success at the plate or the accolades that come with it. He won the junior college triple crown at Wabash Valley College last year, batting .506/.596/1.051 with 101 RBI, 25 home runs and 80 runs scored. For his efforts he was named the NJCAA Player of the Year.
Baker and the Rebels will return to action Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT against Alcorn State.
For all Ole Miss Baseball news and information, visit the official athletics site OleMissSports.com. For more social media updates, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Baseball and on Instagram at olemissbsb.
Baker was named one of four finalists on Monday, and Rebel Nation came through as the junior slugger drew roughly 40 percent of the Twitter fan vote to join Brady Feigl (2018) and Thomas Dillard (2019) as the third Rebel to win the weekly honor in the past three seasons.
Baker went 5-for-12 (.417) over the weekend with a double, two home runs, five RBI and an even 1.000 slugging percentage to lead Ole Miss to a series win over No. 1 Louisville.
The junior out of Gahanna, Ohio, burst onto the scene with a two-home run game in the second contest of the weekend, going 4-for-4 with two homers, a double and four RBI. He became the first Rebel since Cody Overbeck in 2008 to have a multi-homer outing within the first two games of the season. He's also the only player since at least 1997 to have a multi-homer game within his first two games of wearing a Rebel uniform.
He wasn't quite as prolific on Sunday, going 1-for-4 with an RBI, but that one RBI proved to be the difference in the game and the series. Baker singled home Justin Bench to cap off a four-run seventh inning and give Ole Miss a 7-4 lead. The Rebels went on to hang on for a 7-6 win to capture the series victory.
Baker is no stranger to success at the plate or the accolades that come with it. He won the junior college triple crown at Wabash Valley College last year, batting .506/.596/1.051 with 101 RBI, 25 home runs and 80 runs scored. For his efforts he was named the NJCAA Player of the Year.
Baker and the Rebels will return to action Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT against Alcorn State.
For all Ole Miss Baseball news and information, visit the official athletics site OleMissSports.com. For more social media updates, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Baseball and on Instagram at olemissbsb.
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