University of Florida third baseman Zack Powers (Seffner, Fla.) was chosen as the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week for the first time on Monday after going 4-for-10 (.400) over the Gators’ four contests last week. All four of his hits were doubles and he scored twice.
Over the weekend, Powers went 3-for-6 (.500) in top-ranked Florida’s first-ever sweep of No. 24 Miami (Fla.) in Gainesville. He had his first career multiple-hit effort in the finale, when he was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Powers opened the scoring on Sunday with his first career RBI, a second-inning double that plated sophomore Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.), with the Orange and Blue going on to post a 5-3 win over the Hurricanes. The rookie also doubled and laid down his first career sacrifice bunt on Saturday, 1-0 thriller that UF captured on a pinch-hit, run-scoring single in the eighth inning by senior Bryson Smith (Watkinsville, Ga.). In 10 games played, including six starts on the hot corner, Powers is hitting .250 (5-for-20).
Arkansas senior outfielder Kyle Robinson was tabbed as the SEC Player of the Week, while Vanderbilt junior right-hander Sonny Gray was the league’s Pitcher of the Week. The No. 1 Gators (10-1) return to action on Tuesday at 7 p.m. to face Georgia Southern (7-5) at McKethan Stadium. Junior southpaw Nick Maronde (Lexington, Ky.) (0-0, 3.86) will oppose Eagle sophomore right-hander Chris Beck (1-0, 2.12).
