MLB's No. 39 Draft prospect Daniel Jackson of Georgia wins 2026 Golden Spikes Award

For the second time in three years, a Georgia player has parlayed a historic season into the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the top amateur player in the United States.

Daniel Jackson became the first catcher in NCAA Division I history to total 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in the same season. He's the second Golden Spikes Award honoree in Georgia history, following Charlie Condon, the 2024 recipient after hitting 37 homers, the most for any D-I player since the NCAA instituted bat restrictions in 2011.

Playing in college baseball's toughest league, Jackson became just the third player ever to win the Southeastern Conference triple crown by batting .379 with 32 homers and a school-record 87 RBI. Mississippi State produced the other two SEC triple crown hitters in Rafael Palmeiro (1984) and Brent Rooker (2017). Jackson also topped D-I with 88 runs and 212 total bases while swiping 26 bases in 28 attempts.

Though Jackson hit just .240 with 14 homers as a Bulldogs sophomore after transferring from Wofford, he said he believed he was capable of performing at the high level he did this spring.

"Last year, I just felt like that was the worst version of myself," Jackson said. "Even before we got the season started, I wrote down a couple of goals on a whiteboard and one of them was 30/30. It seemed like a crazy goal but I fell just four stolen bases short of it. I'm happy with my season. I feel like I did all I could."

As impressive as his personal achievements were, Jackson said he took more pride in what his team accomplished. Georgia tied an SEC record with a 23-7 mark in conference play before sweeping the league tournament, then won five straight NCAA tourney games to reach the College World Series for the first time since 2008. His 10th-inning homer against Mississippi State sent the Bulldogs to Omaha, where they placed third and finished the year with a school-record 53 victories.

"It was massive," Jackson said. "I really wish we could have brought a national championship back to Athens. I feel like we had the team to do it. But it was important for the people and all the Georgia fans to see that we're a winning program. We need to be back in Omaha and try and get there as much as possible."

Currently ranked No. 39 on MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 200, Jackson will move even higher when the list is expanded and updated later this week. He's projected to be the third catcher drafted, behind Georgia Tech's Vahn Lackey and Arkansas' Ryder Helfrick, and could become the eighth first-rounder selected from Georgia.