By James Bailey
Stephen Strasburg may be the clear-cut No. 1 prospect in next week’s draft, but the case for the Golden Spikes Award, given to college baseball’s player of the year, is getting a little less open-and-shut. The San Diego State junior went 13-1 with a 1.32 ERA and a phenomenal 195 strikeouts in 109 innings this spring. In most years that would blow away all comers.
Arizona State ace Mike Leake—whose season isn’t over as his team will host Clemson in super regional play this weekend—has made a convincing argument that he deserves consideration for the game’s highest honor as well. Leake matched Strasburg’s regional output of 15 strikeouts last weekend, in a 4-1 victory over Oral Roberts on Saturday. The junior went the distance, allowing just five hits and a walk. That put his record at 15-1 with a 1.23 ERA. His strikeout numbers, while not as mind-boggling as Strasburg’s are nothing to sneeze at. Leake has fanned 143 batters in 124.2 innings.
Here’s how the two pitchers stack up:
| W-L | ERA | G | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | AVG | |
| Leake | 15-1 | 1.23 | 16 | 124.2 | 71 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 143 | .169 |
| Strasburg | 13-1 | 1.32 | 15 | 109.0 | 65 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 195 | .172 |
Leake, who was named the Pac-10’s Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season, pitched in a tougher conference, though the league was down this year. Strasburg worked with the weight of 100 scouts watching and analyzing every warmup toss. If Arizona State advances to the College World Series and Leake keeps rolling like this, he just might win enough games to surpass one of the best college pitchers ever.
Leake and Strasburg were named as two of the five finalists for the Golden Spikes Award earlier this week. The other three are North Carolina first baseman Dustin Ackley, Alabama outfielder Kent Matthes, and Kansas State pitcher A.J. Morris. The winner will be announced on July 14.
