HOOVER, Ala. -- Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi was named Friday as one of 21 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, which is given annually to the nation's top amateur baseball player.
Benintendi, Arkansas' first SEC player of the year, finished the regular season with a .415 batting average and 17 home runs, both tops in the SEC.
Benintendi is one of four SEC players on the Golden Spikes list, joining LSU shortstop Alex Bregman and the Vanderbilt duo of shortstop Dansby Swanson and pitcher Carson Fulmer.
A sophomore from Cincinnati, Benintendi is draft eligible because his 21st birthday comes within 45 days of the major league amateur draft. Bentintendi went 1 for 14 in the SEC Tournament to drop his season average to .391.
The Golden Spikes Award winner will be named June 23.
A Phil pill
Vanderbilt left-hander Philip Pfeifer's complete-game four-hitter in the Commodore's 16-1, seven-inning rout of Alabama on Friday was a sweet prescription for Coach Tim Corbin.
"He gave us something that, I don't know if you dream it up, but a seven-inning game and a complete game," Corbin said. "It's certainly what the doctor ordered in terms of trying to win this tournament. A very effective day for us offensively and a very well-pitched game by Phil."
Double time
Vanderbilt had eight doubles in its 16-1 rout of Alabama.
The Commodores hit the eight-double mark in the sixth inning before the game was halted after seven innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
The eight doubles tied the tournament record held by LSU in a victory over Tennessee in 1997.
Vanderbilt's 16 runs matched a season high, as did its 19 hits, and its 15-run margin was the fourth-largest in an SEC Tournament game. The Commodores also own the record for largest margin with a 21-0 victory over Ole Miss in 1980.
Puk movement
Florida starter A.J. Puk made a major improvement Friday over his 2014 performance against Arkansas.
The 6-7 left-hander lasted two innings in a 9-3 loss to the Razorbacks in Gainesville, Fla., last March 16, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks and striking out 2 as Arkansas salvaged the final game of that series after losing 1-0 and 2-1.
Puk threw a three-hit complete game in Florida's 10-0 victory Friday.
Streaking
Arkansas shortstop Michael Bernal extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his hard-hit single to open the Razorbacks' third inning against Florida.
Bernal moved up on Tucker Pennell's sacrifice but was caught in a rundown on Joe Serrano's ground ball and tagged out.
Serrano the Razorbacks' left fielder, had his streak of reaching base safely end at 25 games with an 0- for-3 showing against the Gators.
Keaton OK?
Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said he expected Keaton McKinney, who had a flare-up of a lingering hip issue in his Wednesday start against Florida, to be ready for his spot in the rotation at next week's NCAA regional.
"I'm not concerned yet," Van Horn said. "We're working on him. It's been going on for a while, it just hadn't popped up in a game. So, I mean, you're always concerned about it, but he's still got a week to get ready. So I think he'll be OK."
Stone hinge?
Coach Dave Van Horn suggested Jacob Stone's showing in the final two innings against LSU late Thursday could turn into a pivot point for the side-arming right-hander.
"I thought that was the best he's thrown maybe all year," Van Horn said.
Stone struck out three batters and allowed two hits and no runs while throwing 44 pitches and lowering his ERA to 4.09.
"That could be big because he's got some experience," Van Horn said regarding Stone's potential for postseason use. "He can hold runners. He got out some good hitters."
We did that
LSU Coach Paul Mainieri suggested Arkansas' sloppy defense in Thursday's 10-5 loss was partly due to the Tigers.
"I think Arkansas' errors were the result of the pressure that we put on them," Mainieri said. "I thought our team's speed and bat-handling ability was a big factor early in the game. ... They made some mistakes, and I thought we took advantage of them."
Extra bases
• All nine Vanderbilt starters had at least one hit and scored at least one run in its 16-1 victory over Alabama.
• Vanderbilt's 15-run winning margin was the largest at the SEC Tournament since LSU ripped Georgia 16-0 in a 2009 semifinal.
• Arkansas is 2-3 against Florida in SEC Tournament games and 28-27 against the Gators in the all-time series.
• LSU's 10-5 victory late Thursday gave the Tigers a 64-30 edge in the series against Arkansas.
Sports on 05/23/2015