DURHAM, N.C. - Senior Luke Gillingham (Coronado, Calif.) was one of 60 players announced by USA Baseball as members of the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list on Wednesday. Named to the original watch list prior to the season in February, a strong start to 2016 has bolstered Gillingham's resume and kept him securely on the list. The USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award is given at the end of the season to the top amateur baseball player in the country.

Sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, 2016 marks the 39th year of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, which will be presented June 30 in Los Angeles. The watch list will continue to be a "rolling" list until June 1 -- when the semifinalists for the award are announced -- ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award.

Gillingham is one of just 18 players, who have carried over their success from earning honors on the preseason watch list to the midseason watch list as 42 new players were added to the watch list since its initial release on February 16. The Southeastern Conference led all conferences in watch-list players, placing 14 on the midseason update, while 13 players represent the Atlantic Coast Conference. In total, 21 different NCAA conferences had at least one athlete on the list, including one from the Division III ranks.

Louisville, Vanderbilt and Virginia led the way with three athletes on the midseason watch list. Clemson, Florida, Miami, South Carolina and TCU each posted a pair of representatives on the list.

Gillingham and Brendan McKay (So., IF/P, Louisville) were placed on the midseason watch list for the second consecutive year and were named semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award in 2015. Will Craig (Jr., IF, Wake Forest) was also named to the midseason watch list for the second year in a row.

Jake Fishman (Jr., P/DH, Union College) and Blake Rutherford (HS-Sr., OF, Chaminade College Preparatory) represent the only non-NCAA Division I athletes on the midseason watch list.

Gillingham is the lone representative from the Patriot League to earn a spot on this exclusive list.

This spring, Gillingham has again shown himself as one of the nation's premier pitchers. One year after earning Second-Team All-American status from Louisville Slugger and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Gillingham is putting together another strong campaign. Through nine starts, the California native has posted a 6-2 record with a 1.62 ERA and 0.88 WHIP over 61.0 innings pitched for the 29-11-1 Midshipmen. Gillingham's WHIP and wins total both rank amongst the top-25 nationally at 18th and 24th, respectively. His ERA is 35th-lowest in the nation.

What has really set Gillingham apart for his fellow hurlers this season is his durability and bulldog mentality. In 66 percent (6-of-9) of his starts this season, the southpaw has ended the contest with the baseball in hand after a complete game. Three of those occasions have been with zeros showing on the scoreboard for his opponent, as Gillingham had spun a shutout. Both his complete game and shutout numbers are tops in the nation.

Gillingham rounds off his resume with an impressive strikeout total of 64. He ranks 41st overall in the NCAA Division I.

All-time, Gillingham is one of the most decorated and highly ranked pitchers in Navy's program record book. In order: his 279 strikeouts are third all-time, his 41 career starts are third all-time, his 20 career wins are eighth all-time and 2.24 career ERA is 10th all-time, though lowest amongst pitchers post-1988.

On Wednesday, June 1, USA Baseball will announce the semifinalists for the 2016 Golden Spikes Award. The list of semifinalists will be sent to a voting body consisting of past USA Baseball National Team coaches and press officers, members of the media that follow amateur baseball closely, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 38 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.

Amateur baseball fans across the country will be able to vote for their favorite semifinalists at GoldenSpikesAward.com from June 1-8. On Monday, June 13, USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award, and fan voting will once again commence that same day. Fan voting for the finalists will end on Saturday, June 25.

The 2016 Golden Spikes Award winner will be named on Thursday, June 30, at a presentation in Los Angeles.

Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi took home the prestigious award in 2015, joining a group of recent winners that includes A.J. Reed (2014), Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Trevor Bauer (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Buster Posey (2008).

GoldenSpikesAward.com, created in 2008 and powered by MLB Advanced Media, is the online home of the award. The web site features content devoted exclusively to the Golden Spikes Award, including news, a weekly player spotlight, voting history and past winner photo galleries.

The anticipated timeline for the 2016 Golden Spikes Award announcements is as follows:

• Wednesday, June 1: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, voting begins
• Wednesday, June 8: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalist voting ends
• Monday, June 13: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, voting begins
• Saturday, June 25: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists voting ends
• Thursday, June 30: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation

The 60-player USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List ...
Peter Alonso, Jr., IF, Florida
Brandon Bailey, Jr., P, Gonzaga
Luken Baker, Fr., IF/P, TCU
Elliott Barzilli, Jr., IF, TCU
Seth Beer, Fr., OF, Clemson
Dustin Beggs, Sr., P, Kentucky
Grant Bennett, Sr., P, Troy
Ryan Boldt, Jr., OF, Nebraska
Geoffrey Bramblett, Jr., P, Alabama
J.B. Bukauskas, So., P, North Carolina
Jake Burger, So., IF, Missouri State
Corbin Burnes, Jr., P, Saint Mary's
C.J. Chatham, Jr., IF, Florida Atlantic
Zack Collins, Jr., C, Miami
Will Craig, Jr., IF, Wake Forest
Brett Cumberland, So., C, California
Chris DeVito, Jr., IF, New Mexico
Nick Feight, So., C, UNCW
Jameson Fisher, RS-Jr., IF, Southeastern Louisiana
Jake Fishman, Jr., UT, Union College
Bryan Garcia, Jr., P, Miami
Luke Gillingham, Sr., P, Navy
Anfernee Grier, Jr., OF, Auburn
Thomas Hackimer, Sr., P, St. John's
Darick Hall, Jr., IF/P, Dallas Baptist
Adam Haseley, So., P/OF, Virginia
Kevin Hill, R-Sr., P, South Alabama
Keston Hiura, Fr.,IF/ OF, UC Irvine
Tanner Houck, So., P, Missouri
Dakota Hudson, Jr., P, Mississippi State
Danny Hudzina, Sr., IF, Western Kentucky
Logan Ice, Jr., C, Oregon State
Griffin Jax, Jr., P, Air Force
Connor Jones, Jr., P, Virginia
Jeren Kendall, So., OF, Vanderbilt
Evan Kruczynski, Jr., P, ECU
Eric Lauer, Jr., P, Kent State
Brandon Lawson, Jr., P, South Florida
Kyle Lewis, Jr., OF, Mercer
Joey Lucchesi, Sr., P, SE Missouri State
Darren McCaughan, So., P, Long Beach St.
Brendan McKay, So., IF/P, Louisville
Sheldon Neuse, Jr., IF/P, Oklahoma
Stephen Nogosek, Jr., P, Oregon
Chris Okey, Jr., C, Clemson
Heath Quinn, Jr., OF, Samford
Corey Ray, Jr., OF, Louisville
Bryan Reynolds, Jr., OF, Vanderbilt
Blake Rutherford, HS-Sr., OF, Chaminade Prep
Clarke Schmidt, So., P, South Carolina
Ryan Scott, Sr., OF, Arkansas Little Rock
Nick Senzel, Jr., IF, Tennessee
Colton Shaver, So.,C/ IF, BYU
Logan Shore, Jr., P, Florida
Nick Solak, Jr., IF, Louisville
Jacob Stevens, Fr., P, Boston College
Matt Thaiss, Jr., C, Virginia
Braden Webb, Fr., P, South Carolina
Boomer White, Jr., IF, Texas A&M
Kyle Wright, So., P, Vanderbilt

About Golden Spikes Award
Since 1978, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. Following the first-ever presentation of the Award to Bob Horner of Arizona State, the Golden Spikes Award has been presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2015 Golden Spikes Award winner was Andrew Benintendi of the University of Arkansas. Past winners of this prestigious award include current Major League Baseball players such as Kris Bryant ('13), Mike Zunino ('12), Trevor Bauer ('11), Bryce Harper ('10), Stephen Strasburg ('09), Buster Posey ('08), David Price ('07), Tim Lincecum ('06), Alex Gordon ('05), Jered Weaver ('04), Rickie Weeks ('03) and Mark Kotsay ('95). Former Major League stars that have captured the award include Pat Burrell ('98), Robin Ventura ('88), Jim Abbott ('87), Will Clark ('85), Dave Magadan ('83), Terry Francona ('80), Tim Wallach ('79), and Horner ('78). For more information, please visit GoldenSpikesAward.com. Fans can follow the Golden Spikes Award on Twitter @USAGoldenSpikes.

About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, Premier12 and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women's National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. The organization is responsible for the continued proliferation and health of the sport, and leads a number of amateur initiatives including PLAYBALL and Pitch Smart. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit the organization's official websites: USABaseball.com, PLAYBALL.org, PitchSmart.org, GoldenSpikesAward.com and USABaseballShop.com.