Indiana University Athletics
Hanley Added to Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List
2/6/2026 3:05:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For the third-straight season, the Indiana baseball team will begin the year with a player on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. Sophomore first baseman Jake Hanley, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was named to the 2026 edition of the preseason watch list ahead of the start of next week's college baseball campaign.
Hanley turned himself into one of the premier first basemen in the country last season for the Hoosiers. He manned the position in all 56 games in 2025 while hitting .333 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs. On top of his offensive success, Hanley was a defensive stalwart under the guidance of head coach Jeff Mercer. He was a finalist for the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove award after committing zero errors last season.
Four Big Ten players, including Hanley, were named to the 2026 Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List. He was joined by UCLA's Roch Cholowsky and Mulivai Levu and Oregon's Maddox Molony. Hanley is the seventh different IU player to feature on the preseason watch list – since it was tracked in 2008. Former All-American outfielder Devin Taylor appeared on the list in both 2024 and 2025 and was a semifinalist for the award last season.
The Golden Spikes award committee will update its watch list at the midseason point in April. Semifinalists will be announced in May before a handful of finalists are announced before the College World Series in Omaha. The winner will be unveiled on June 29th. Arkansas' Wehiwa Aloy won the award in 2025 before being selected 31st overall in the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.
IU's 2026 campaign will begin in Chapel Hill next Friday (Feb. 13) with a three-game set against No. 11 North Carolina. The Tar Heels feature two players on the watch list including Friday ace Jason DeCaro. Hanley and his fellow group of sophomores will anchor the Hoosiers' lineup with eyes on a return to the NCAA Tournament.
Hanley turned himself into one of the premier first basemen in the country last season for the Hoosiers. He manned the position in all 56 games in 2025 while hitting .333 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs. On top of his offensive success, Hanley was a defensive stalwart under the guidance of head coach Jeff Mercer. He was a finalist for the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove award after committing zero errors last season.
Four Big Ten players, including Hanley, were named to the 2026 Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List. He was joined by UCLA's Roch Cholowsky and Mulivai Levu and Oregon's Maddox Molony. Hanley is the seventh different IU player to feature on the preseason watch list – since it was tracked in 2008. Former All-American outfielder Devin Taylor appeared on the list in both 2024 and 2025 and was a semifinalist for the award last season.
The Golden Spikes award committee will update its watch list at the midseason point in April. Semifinalists will be announced in May before a handful of finalists are announced before the College World Series in Omaha. The winner will be unveiled on June 29th. Arkansas' Wehiwa Aloy won the award in 2025 before being selected 31st overall in the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.
IU's 2026 campaign will begin in Chapel Hill next Friday (Feb. 13) with a three-game set against No. 11 North Carolina. The Tar Heels feature two players on the watch list including Friday ace Jason DeCaro. Hanley and his fellow group of sophomores will anchor the Hoosiers' lineup with eyes on a return to the NCAA Tournament.
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