Sophomore shortstop Nolan Fontana (Winter Garden, Fla.) was chosen as the initial Southeastern Conference Player of the Week for the 2011 season on Monday after going 9-for-12 (.750) in a series sweep of USF at McKethan Stadium over the weekend. It was the first time that Fontana received the Player of the Week accolade after being chosen Freshman of the Week twice last season and marked the first time that a Florida player had earned the honor since Cole Figueroa on May 19, 2008. The No. 1 Gators took all three games from the Bulls to begin the season 3-0 under Kevin O’Sullivan for the fourth year in a row.
Fontana had a stretch of seven-consecutive hits (last four at bats on Friday and first three on Saturday), one shy of the school record held by Kurt Keene (5/8-5/11/99), and he paced the Orange and Blue in batting average (.750), slugging percentage (.833), on-base percentage (.786), total bases (10) and runs scored (five).
In Friday’s season opener, he collected a career-high four hits and was 4-for-5 with two runs and a stolen base in the Gators’ 7-2 triumph. Fontana keyed Saturday’s series-clinching 4-1 victory by going 3-for-4 with a run and made the defensive play of the game. With UF clinging to a 2-1 lead in the seventh, the 2010 Division I Rawlings Gold Glove team member made a diving stop with the bases loaded and two down to save a pair of runs by flipping over to senior second baseman Josh Adams (Jacksonville, Fla.) for the inning-ending force out. Batting out of the leadoff spot, Fontana capped the series with a 2-for-3, two-run effort and was also hit twice in the 5-0 shutout.
LSU freshman right-hander Kurt McCune was tabbed as the SEC Pitcher of the Week, while Mississippi State’s Daryl Norris was the league’s Freshman of the Week.
