LOS ANGELES – UCLA juniors Chase Strumpf and Michael Toglia have both been named to the 2019 Golden Spikes Award Watch List, it was announced by USA Baseball on Thursday afternoon.

The Bruin duo make up part of the 55-player preseason watch list, as USA Baseball begins the process identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2019 season. The 42nd Golden Spikes Award will be presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation on June 14. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain a rolling list of players, allowing athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the season.

Only Arkansas (three) has more players included on the list than UCLA.

Strumpf and Toglia become the 10th and 11th Bruins to be named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List since 2008. Trevor Bauer, currently with the Cleveland Indians, won the award at UCLA in 2011. Other Bruin watch list members include current MLB players Brandon Crawford, Gerrit Cole, and Adam Plutko. 

Amateur baseball fans will be able to vote for their favorite players at GoldenSpikesAward.com again in 2019, starting on May 15 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. The list of semifinalists will also be sent to a voting body consisting of baseball media members, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and 40 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.

USA Baseball will announce the finalists on May 29 and fan voting will open at GoldenSpikesAward.com concurrently and will remain open through June 10.

The winner of the 42nd Golden Spikes Award will be named on Friday, June 14.

Strumpf is coming off an All-American sophomore season, as he slashed .363/.475/.633 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs in 58 games in 2018. Not just an offensive threat, he committed just two errors in the field last year en route to a .992 fielding percentage. In the build-up to the season, Strumpf was a unanimous Preseason First Team All-American selection, one of only four players nationwide to do so.

Toglia meanwhile slashed .336/.449/.588 in a team-high 59 games for the Bruins last year, leading the team in RBIs (58), doubles (24), and walks (48) while earning All-Pac-12 status. Over the summer, he was voted Team MVP of the Cape's Cotuit Kettleers and was named the No. 15 prospect league-wide. Earlier this offseason, he was named a Preseason All-American by three different outlets.

UCLA officially opens the 2019 season at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Feb. 15 by hosting St. John's. Single-game and season tickets for the upcoming campaign are now available, and can be purchased by calling 310-UCLA-WIN or clicking here.

In addition, tickets for the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic are now on sale. Don't miss a doubleheader of premier baseball, featuring top collegiate programs in UCLA, USC, Michigan, and Oklahoma State, at the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Mar. 10. For tickets, click here.