Head
coach Kevin O'Sullivan's incoming class for the University of Florida
baseball team was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Baseball America on Thursday.
The group had previously been chosen No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball in September.
This marks the second time during O’Sullivan’s tenure that Baseball America has
given the Gators the nod as the top class, also accomplishing the feat in 2009.
Baseball
America's Aaron Fitt wrote: “Over the last half-decade, Florida has
out-recruited just about everybody, helping the Gators elevate their program to
new heights. This is coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s sixth consecutive top-25 class at
Florida, and his fourth top-10 class in that span. Florida’s trips to Omaha
have helped make the Gators a recruiting juggernaut, and so has their ability
to develop top-tier talent.”
“In
2010, we had five guys that have gotten to the big leagues: (Paco) Rodriguez,
(Kevin) Chapman, (Nick) Maronde, (Mike) Zunino and (Matt) den Dekker,”
O’Sullivan told the publication. “The more success you’ve had with players, that
helps you with the next class coming in. Players want to win a national
championship, but they also want to know they’ll have a chance to develop and
get to the big leagues.”
Of the 17 new recruits
which were brought in this fall by the Gators, eight were drafted by
professional baseball last June — the highest number of drafted players ever
landed in a Florida recruiting class. The group includes 15 freshmen and two
junior college transfers.
The
Gators had eight signees from June's Draft who are now enrolled in school, as
right-hander Brett Morales (Tampa, Fla.) was chosen in the 24th round
with the 735th choice by the Cincinnati Reds, right-hander Logan Shore
(Coon Rapids, Minn.) was taken in the 29th round with the 860th pick by the
Minnesota Twins, right-hander Dane Dunning (Fleming Island, Fla.) was
tabbed 1,015th overall in the 34th round by the Toronto Blue Jays,
left-hander/first baseman A.J. Puk (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) was chosen by
the Detroit Tigers in the 35th round with the 1,056th choice, outfielder Buddy
Reed (Finksburg, Md.) was taken in the 35th round by the Texas Rangers at
number 1,060, left-hander Scott Moss (Deltona, Fla.) was chosen
by the Colorado Rockies with the 1,129th pick in the 38th round, infielder John
Sternagel (Rockledge, Fla.) was picked in the 39h round by the Kansas City
Royals at No. 1,164 and right-hander Shaun Anderson (Coral Springs,
Fla.) went 1,216th overall to the Washington Nationals during the 40th round.
Last
season, the Gators advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth year in a row,
matching the longest run in school history. Florida is scheduled to begin fall
practice on Saturday, Oct. 12, at McKethan Stadium and will open its 2014
campaign on Feb. 14 in Gainesville.
Season
tickets for the 2014 Gator Baseball season are on sale and can be purchased
online at www.GatorZone.com/tickets or by calling the
Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday.
For
all of the latest information on Florida baseball, log on to http://www.gatorzone.com/baseball/
or follow the team’s Twitter account @GatorZoneBB at www.twitter.com/GatorZoneBB.
Baseball America's Recruiting Rankings
|
Rank
|
School
|
|
1.
|
FLORIDA
|
|
2.
|
Texas
|
|
3.
|
South
Carolina
|
|
4.
|
Oklahoma
State
|
|
5.
|
Oregon
State
|
|
6.
|
Miami
(FL)
|
|
7.
|
Oregon
|
|
8.
|
Ole
Miss
|
|
9.
|
Mississippi
State
|
|
10.
|
Oklahoma
|
|
11.
|
Nebraska
|
|
12.
|
Cal
State Fullerton
|
