Longhorns closer named Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
Longhorns closer named Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist Dylan Volantis rewarded for his stellar play
Following an impressive regular season, Dylan Volantis is earning national recognition for his play. The Longhorns star has been named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. During his first year as the closer, the Longhorns freshman was a human highlight reel while etching his name into the record books.
In 43.1 innings, Volantis posted a 1.66 ERA and struck out 64 batters. He also showed excellent control by only walking 11 batters and allowing three home runs. As he frustrated opponents on a nightly basis, the Westlake High School product was one of the Longhorns' most used arms.
Additionally, the talented lefty was one of the best in the country in high-pressure situations with 12 saves. 11 of those came in conference play, which was the most by a freshman in SEC history. He thrived with a 1.59 ERA in conference play while holding opponents to a .160 batting average.
What stood out about Volantis was his ability to dominate a lineup regardless of the opponent. His diverse pitch mix and ability to attack the zone made him a matchup nightmare. That is bad news for the rest of the conference, as Volantis is just getting started.
While his ultimate goal is to help the Longhorns win a championship, Volantis could not have asked for a better start to his college career. Just being a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes award is an impressive accomplishment. If he can continue to build on his play, it would not be a surprise to see him in the mix for the award next year.
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