Daniel Jackson, a junior catcher for the University of Georgia, has been selected as a semifinalist for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award, placing him among the nation’s top collegiate baseball players.
Jackson has been a cornerstone of a Georgia team that sits at 41‑11 overall and has captured the SEC regular‑season title. He is among the nation’s leaders with 25 home runs, 166 total bases, 74 runs batted in and 71 runs scored, while batting .384 and stealing 24 bases.
A Historic Season in Athens
His production extends into conference play, where he is hitting .373 with nine homers and 30 RBI. He has started every game this season, appearing in 42 games behind the plate and 10 as a designated hitter.
Jackson is chasing a milestone that has never been reached by a catcher in NCAA Division I history: 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in a single season. Only one player has ever posted a 30‑30 season, and this year only two Division I athletes — Jackson and Farleigh Dickinson sophomore Hunter Ray — have reached the 20‑home‑run and 20‑stolen‑base plateau.
The Bulldogs have become a regular presence on the Golden Spikes stage, marking the third consecutive year that a Georgia player has been a semifinalist. In 2024, Charlie Condon became the program’s first award winner, and last season Robbie Burnett also earned semifinalist honors.
Fan voting will begin today on GoldenSpikesAward.com, with finalists to be announced on June 10 and the award presented on June 29 on MLB Network. The Bulldogs close the regular season with a top‑five showdown against Auburn, a three‑game series opening at 8 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.