UF gets rematch with Gamecocks

The 66th College World Series couldn’t have a better storyline to open the weekend in Omaha, Neb.

It’s top-seeded Florida (47-18) going against two-time defending national champion South Carolina (45-17) at 9 p.m. Saturday on ESPN. The Gamecocks have won 21 straight NCAA tournament games. The teams played in the title series last year, with the Gamecocks winning the best-of-three matchup in two games.

The Gators won the weekend series 2-1 against South Carolina in Columbia on March 22-24. And then UF eliminated the Gamecocks 7-2 from the SEC tournament in Hoover, Ala., last month.

The game times and pairings for the first two days of the CWS will take place at the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.

The first game Friday is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. and features Stony Brook (52-13) against No. 2 national seed UCLA (47-14). Friday’s second game pits No. 3 national seed Florida State (48-15) against Arizona (43-17), and is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.

The doubleheader on Saturday features the winner of the Waco Super Regional (Arkansas/Baylor) vs. Eugene Super Regional (Kent State/Oregon) at 5 p.m., and the Gators squaring off against the Gamecocks at 9 p.m.

The losers of Friday’s two games will play one another at 5 p.m. Sunday, while Friday’s winners face off at 9 p.m. Sunday. The losers of Saturday’s games will play each other at 5 p.m. Monday, while Saturday’s winners meet Monday at 9 p.m.

The winners of the two brackets will play best-of-three championship finals, with the first game set for 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 24. The second game is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Monday, June 25, while the third and deciding game (if necessary) is slated for 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 26.

Omaha Bound! Gators Defeat N.C. State in Extras to Advance to Third Straight College World Series

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Omaha, here they come -- again.

Daniel Pigott popped a solo homer in top of the 10th inning, then Josh Tobias added an insurance RBI single, and the top-seeded Gators closed out North Carolina State with a 9-8 win Sunday night and sweep of their NCAA Super Regional to advance to the College World Series for the third straight year.

A crowd of 4,568 -- many of whom left, but returned after a two-hour, 23-minute rain delay -- cheered wildly as sophomore reliever Keenan Kish, UF’s seventh pitcher of the day, struck out Chris Diaz on three straight pitches, the last one looking, to end the game.

The score was tied after NC State, the home team, rallied for a run to make it 7-7 in the bottom of the ninth. Pigott led off the top of the 10th with his homer, just his third of the year, to give the Gators (47-18) a one-run lead. Singles by Casey Turgeon and Tobias pushed the margin to 9-7 heading into the Wolfpack (43-20) bottom half of the 10th.

Karsten Whitson walked the leadoff batter, bringing Coach Kevin O’Sullivan from the dugout and Bobby Poyner from the bullpen. Poyner hit Tarran Senay, putting the tying run at first and winning run at the plate. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners over.

Enter Kish, who gave up a sacrifice fly that made the score 9-8, but got Diaz, who homered earlier in the game, on three straight pitches to set off the celebration.

UF will be making its eight all-time CWS appearances.

No. 1 Florida Downs No. 11 NC State, 7-1, In Super Regional Opener

Junior Hudson Randall (Atlanta, Ga.) threw seven shutout innings and junior Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) drove in three runs and had a two-run homer as No. 1 Florida (46-18) downed No. 11 NC State (43-19), 7-1, in the opening game of the best-of-three NCAA Gainesville Super Regional on Saturday afternoon at McKethan Stadium.

The contest was delayed twice for a total of two hours and 51 minutes before it was completed. Game two will be on Sunday at 1 p.m. and be shown nationally on ESPNU, with the Gators needing one more victory to punch the program’s third-consecutive ticket to the NCAA College World Series.

“I thought we played very well,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “The four-run third inning was obviously big for us; it gave us a really good lead. Hudson was outstanding on the mound, again. It seems like every time he goes to the mound, he gives us a quality start. He dialed in today and he was very good. He scattered six hits, but didn’t walk anybody. He did a great job of getting lead-off hitters out to start innings.”

“Mike [Zunino] had a great day at the plate. He battled with two strikes and got the RBI with runners on second and third with one out, and obviously the two-run homer was great as well. I look forward to tomorrow. We know that tomorrow is a totally different game than it was today. We can’t carry any runs into tomorrow. We know NC State is throwing arguably, their ace tomorrow, and we have to come out and be ready to play. We’re one win away, and we’ll see what happens.”

Randall (9-2) scattered six singles over seven strong innings, with four strikeouts and zero walks. The righty has now permitted two runs or less in 11 of his 15 starts this year, including his last five outings, and also picked up his school-record fifth win in NCAA Tourney action. Following the extended weather delay that began at 4:20 p.m., Zunino cranked a two-run homer over the left-field bleachers in the bottom of the seventh and the teams later endured another 48-minute break before wrapping up the game. The Gators had a four-run third inning to seize control of the contest, while senior Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) was 2-for-3 with a three runs and senior Daniel Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) tallied two RBI.

Junior first baseman Vickash Ramjit (Miami, Fla.) made a spectacular play to rob NCSU freshman Brett Austin of a leadoff single to begin the third inning. Ramjit made a diving stop, nearly rolled into the first-base umpire and threw from his back to Randall covering the bag for the out. The right-hander caught junior Matt Bergquist looking on strikes and had freshman Trea Turner ground out to complete the stanza.

In the home part of the frame, the Gators plated four runs on four singles and a Wolfpack throwing error to take a 4-0 lead. Freshman Josh Tobias (Greensboro, N.C.) singled up the middle with one down off junior Ethan Ogburn (5-4) and junior Nolan Fontana (Winter Garden, Fla.) sliced a base-hit through the right side with Tobias on the move for runners on the corners. Tucker then made it three-straight singles for the Orange and Blue with a base-knock into right center that brought across Tobias. A passed ball by Austin enabled Fontana and Tucker to advance and a throwing error by junior shortstop Chris Diaz on a grounder by Zunino enabled the Gators to build a 3-0 advantage. With Zunino in scoring position and two down, Pigott stroked an RBI single into center field to score his teammate with the fourth run.

NC State put two runners aboard in the fourth, as junior Danny Canela (2-for-3) had a one-out single into center field and junior Tarran Senay delivered a two-out single. However, Tucker tracked down a fly ball by senior Andrew Ciencin that was in the gap between right and center to retire the side.    

Freshman Jake Fincher (2-for-4) started the fifth with a single up the middle and Randall responded by having Austin fly out to left field. The righty struck out Bergquist, with Fincher stealing second base on the pitch, and then had Turner ground out to keep the Wolfpack scoreless.

The Gators added another run in the fifth on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Pigott for a 5-0 margin. Tucker led off with his second hit, a single into right field, and collected his fifth theft of the campaign. Zunino blooped a single into center field just beyond the reach of Fincher, leaving the Gators with runners on first and third with none out. Junior Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) drew a walk to load the bases and Pigott lofted a fly ball to the warning track in right field to score Zunino for a five-run lead. Sophomore D.J. Thomas replaced Ogburn (4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 ER) and induced an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play from freshman Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor, Fla.).

Randall retired eight-consecutive NC State hitters before yielding back-to-back two-out singles in the seventh to Fincher and Austin. Randall had tomorrow’s starting pitcher, freshman pinch hitter Carlos Rodon, ground out to close the frame and finish his outing.

Tucker earned a free pass to start UF’s seventh and freshman Dillon Frye took over for Thomas (1.2 IP, 1 H). With Zunino at the plate, the game went into a rain delay at 4:20 p.m. Play resumed at 6:23 p.m. and Zunino jacked a 3-2 pitch to deep left field for his SEC-leading 19th homer to match his output from last year and tie the school’s single-season record again for homers along with David Ross (1998) and Tony Socarras (2000). Zunino has now homered in his last three games (two against Georgia Tech and today).

Senior Greg Larson (Longwood, Fla.) replaced Randall out of the rain delay and registered the first two outs before walking Canela in a driving rainstorm, prompting another delay at 6:38 p.m. Action resumed at 7:26 p.m. and redshirt senior Ryan Mathews singled to left field and went to second on a fielding error by freshman left fielder Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.)., with Canela moving to third. Freshman Bobby Poyner (Wellington, Fla.) came in for Larson (0.2 IP, 1 H) and caught Senay looking on strikes to strand the runners.

Poyner (0.2 IP) had Ciencin fly out to center field to open the ninth and sophomore Keenan Kish (Worcester, Pa.) surrendered  a two-out double down the right-field line to Austin (2-for-4) before yielding a pinch-hit RBI single by senior John Gianis that finalized the 7-1 margin. The Gators held a 10-9 advantage in hits.

Bryan Shelton Named Men's Tennis Coach at Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- When Athletic Director Jeremy Foley went looking for a new Florida men’s tennis coach, the search began with a recommendation from his women’s coach. 

Roland Thornqvist, who last month won a second straight NCAA title, put together a short list of candidates for Foley, but he really only had one name in mind.

“And he’s the best in the country,” Thornqvist said. “On the men’s or women’s side.” 

The endorsement was for Bryan Shelton, a former touring pro who took over a ramblin’ wreck of a reclamation project at Georgia Tech and guided the Yellow Jackets women to a national championship -- the only NCAA title, in any sport, in school history. 

Thus began a whirlwind courtship that concluded Thursday when Shelton was hired to succeed Andy Jackson and charged with the task of taking a UF men’s program that has reached the NCAA semifinals just twice in 80 years (failing to advance past the Round of 16 in eight of the previous 10 seasons) and moving the Gators to the next level. 

Shelton, 46, is beaming with enthusiasm for the challenge before him. 

“I think that Florida and Florida tennis speaks for itself,” he said. “In my mind, this is the best job in the country.”

It had to be for Shelton to leave Georgia Tech, his alma mater, for which he signed the No. 1 incoming freshman class in the nation, according to tennis publications. 

As a player for the Yellow Jackets, he was a four-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection during the 1980s, winning league titles in both singles and doubles, eventually being inducted into the school's sports Hall of Fame. After seven years on the pro circuit -- and career earnings of more than $1.2 million -- he retired and turned to coaching in 1997. 

In ’99, Shelton returned to Atlanta to take charge of Tech women’s program that had never even qualified for the NCAAs and was the dregs of the ACC. Eight years later, the Yellow Jackets stunned the collegiate tennis scene by winning the women’s crown in a sport dominated by Stanford and destination schools the likes of Texas, Georgia, USC, UCLA and, of course, Florida, fresh off a sixth title less than three weeks ago. 

“I’m talking about resources. I’m talking about academics. I’m talking about the opportunity to grow and develop a program to the highest level; the opportunity to win championships and be successful year in and year out,” Shelton said. “This place is a gold mine.” 

And UF officials believe they’ve found the right person to pan for and unearth the potential gem of a men’s tennis program. 

“I don’t tell coaches how many games or championships they have to win, but men’s tennis needs to be in the hunt every single year,” Foley said. “Does that mean the Final Four every year? No. But when the season starts, you need to be one of the teams that has a chance to get there.” 

That will be Shelton’s charge and Thornqvist knows first-hand what his longtime friend does not only as a recruiter but as a coach and tactician. He’s witnessed Shelton’s uncanny ability to work, motivate and adapt his players during matches. 

“He’s the one guy, honestly, who can cut you up when a match is in progress; just a master technician when the ball is in play,” Thornqvist said. “There are a lot of good coaches who do good jobs maintaining their teams each week and have their players do the things to make them better -- and then there’s Bryan. He sees things, sees trends, and coaches his players through those adjustments. They trust him.” 

Trusting a great women’s coach to his men’s program was no problem for Foley. 

“Just calling it like it is, when you’re out there looking for a men’s tennis coach you’re not looking at women’s coaches, so Roland was a huge factor in even getting Bryan to the table,” Foley said. “Once he was at the table, he finished. He recruited us. His interview was spectacular. He’s got a plan, I love his plan. I love his background, which includes coaching a lot of good men. I don’t worry about that at all.” 

After retiring from the pro circuit, Shelton worked two years as a national coach for the USTA, where Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish were among his pupils. He later became the personal coach for Malivai Washington, a 1996 men’s singles finalist at Wimbledon. 

“I coach all different styles of play,” Shelton said. “I’ve got players who are counter-punchers. I’ve got players who are serve-and-volleyers. I’ve got players that are aggressive baseliners. The same things I’d be doing with a counter-puncher that’s a female are the same things I’d be doing with a counter-puncher that’s a male. We’re trying to develop an all-court game, working on developing the same tools and same type of mindset, and putting those into a game plan.” 

Woven into those plans and mindsets will be sky-high expectations; and without much tradition to draw from when it comes to recruiting. Last month, UF wrapped up a 16-10 season by losing to Ohio State 4-1 in the NCAA Round of 16. 

Jackson announced his resignation shortly after. 

Thornqvist knows Shelton well enough. Expectations will not intimidate the new UF coach, who figures to have back a solid nucleus from the 2012 roster, including No. 1 singles player Bob van Overbeek. 

“He completely understands. Florida is about performance. You not only have to have great student-athletes, you have to have great student-athletes that win matches,” Thornqvist said. “He will thrive in this environment, not because of any external pressures, but because of his inner drive and confidence. This is not a place for underdogs. Believe me, Bryan understands that.” 

And he can’t wait to dive in. 

“Absolutely,” Shelton said. “I think we can do some amazing things at Florida ... starting today.” 

Florida Men's Track & Field Claims Program's First NCAA Outdoor Title

DES MOINES, Iowa --The Florida men’s track & field team captured the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Saturday at Drake University. The men scored 50 points to edge LSU (48 points) and Texas A&M (40 points) for the men’s team title. This is the first NCAA Outdoor Championship in Florida athletics history and the third NCAA Championship for the Florida Gators this year (men’s indoor track & field & women’s tennis).

The Gators are the first team since the Arkansas Razorbacks (2003) to win both the indoor and outdoor NCAA titles. The Razorbacks won both in 2005 as well but the outdoor title was vacated.

The men’s 4x400-meter relay, composed of Dedric Dukes (Miami, Fla.) and Hugh Graham, Jr. (Miami, Fla.) Leonardo Seymore (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.), clinched the NCAA Championship for the Florida men, earning the first individual 4x400-meter relay title in Florida history and securing the first NCAA Outdoor Championship for the Gators on the men’s or women’s side. They finished in a time of 3:00.02 to seal the victory for the Orange and Blue. McQuay calmly sat in second with 200 meters to go on the anchor leg and seized control of the race as the Gators ran a world-leading time in victory.

Sophomore Eddie Lovett (West Palm Beach, Fla.) gave the Gators bonus points in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, finishing fifth in 13.82 and scoring four much-needed points for the Orange and Blue in his first NCAA Outdoor Championships final. Lovett got out strong and stayed neck-and-neck with LSU’s Barrett Nugent, the defending NCAA champion. Nugent crossed the finish line in fourth and Lovett stayed right by his side, finishing just .02 behind the SEC Outdoor Champion.

Emily Bastel Named Women's Golf Coach at Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The national search for a new Florida women’s golf coach ended in an office down the hall at the Mark Bostick Clubhouse.

 

Emily Bastel, barely 10 months removed from arriving as a UF assistant, was promoted to head coach Friday and will replace Jan Dowling, who resigned last month citing personal reasons.

 

“I knew there would be lots of qualified candidates, but I really was just looking for a shot,” Bastel said Friday. “Over the last year, being on campus and around the players and getting a feel for what it was like to be around Gator athletics, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.”

 

Bastel’s resume` came across Athletic Director Jeremy Foley’s desk along with a slew of other -- some quite impressive -- from across the country. Given that Bastel, 31, had a hand in helping Dowling lead the Gators to a fourth-place finish in the 2012 Southeastern Conference standings and 12th in the NCAA Championships last month, Foley felt it only right to grant Bastel an audience.

 

He’s glad he did.

 

“I was just blown away,” Foley said. “We had a diamond in our midst and didn’t even know it.”

 

The search committee felt the same way after its meeting with Bastel.

 

“When she left the room, we all sort of looked at each other and said, you know, ‘Wow.’ It was that impressive,” said senior associate athletic director Mike Spiegler, who oversees women’s golf. “She may be on the quiet side, but she’s confident and has an idea about the direction we’re headed and will continue to go.”

 

That would be up, of course, which was where Dowling definitely had the Gators moving. The program Dowling took over in 2009 was coming off a 10th-place finish in the SEC and did not qualify for the NCAAs.

 

Three seasons later, the Gators were in the thick of things.

 

“Jan and I shared a lot of the same vision, but there will definitely be some of my own touches on the program,” Bastel said. “We differed in the way we viewed the game of golf. She was a little more analytical, where I’m more of a feel player. I’m sure those type of things will work their way into how I run practices and how I coach the players. My personal philosophy of being a good coach centers on a lot of great communication and relationship with the players.”

 

Bastel must have had that. Spiegler said every member of the UF team called, texted or emailed to lobby on Bastel’s behalf.

 

“I’m so happy and so relieved,” senior Isabelle Lendl said from her home in Goshen, Conn. “Emily has been around golf her whole life and knows the ins and outs of the game. She’s a balanced, experienced person, and I think that makes a big difference.”

 

Bastel was born in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, to a family that had owned and operated a golf course since the 1930s. She grew up in and around the game, with her father doubling as a golf pro and course superintendent.

 

“Sometimes my lessons would consist of him jumping off the mower, watching me for five minutes, then going back to work. That left me to figure some things out for myself,” said the three-time Ohio state amateur champion. “Looking back, that’s how you become a better player; by knowing your game, knowing your swing, those type of things. Instruction is great, but there’s a certain something that has to come from inside.”

 

Bastel found that certain something, eventually taking her skills to Michigan State, where she won a Big Ten individual championship in 2000 -- four times she was named all-conference -- and leading the Spartans to the team title in 2002.

 

That same year, Bastel was chose for the Curtis Cup team, which is the female version of the Ryder Cup for amateurs. She played on the LPGA Tour for three seasons (2005-08) and was the Future Tour’s leading money winner in 2007. Twice she placed in the top-10 on LPGA Tour events, once carding a career-low round of 66 in the McDonald’s Championship.

 

Sandwiched around her touring was one year as an assistant at MSU and another as an assistant at Duke before Dowling came calling last summer. Foley obviously met her then, but not to the extent of their sit-down session earlier this week.

 

“I listened to her talk and I was overwhelmed by her maturity, her self-confidence -- a quiet confidence -- and her resume is spectacular in terms of what she’s done in her golf career as a player,” Foley said. “I talked to her coach at Michigan State who absolutely praised her work ethic. She’ll have to be able to work and recruit here and she’ll do it with a great personality and smile.”

 

One of the catch phrases in golf is “grinder.” Bastel said that word describes her (pardon the pun) to a tee.

 

“I was always like, find a way to get it done,” Bastel said. “No matter if you’re hitting it left, right or straight, no matter where the ball is going, just find a way to score.”

 

That’s sort of how she got the job. She found a way to get an interview.

 

Now, she must find a way to keep the Gators on their upswing.

 

Time to grind.

 

“I have a special place in my heart for that type of player,” Bastel said. “I want the ones that have the potential to be great and want to work hard to make it happen.”

 

Like she just did.

UF extends Butler's contract through 2017

Already the winningest coach through her first five years in program history, Florida women's basketball coach Amanda Butler had her contract extended through the 2016-17 season, athletics director Jeremy Foley announced Wednesday.

"I like the direction our program is headed," Foley said. "We know Amanda will be our coach for a long time. We're excited about the future of the Gator women's basketball program."

The only coach to lead the Gators to a postseason berth in each of her inaugural five years, Butler guided the 2012 squad to the NCAA Tournament where Florida fell to eventual NCAA champion Baylor and capped the season with the program's 12th 20-win season and the third under Butler.

Through her first five seasons at her alma mater where Butler has compiled a 98-67 record, two Gators have earned All-America honors under her tutelage, while three have been voted First Team All-Southeastern Conference and three have earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. The Gators have compiled 16 total SEC Academic Honor Roll accolades during Butler's tenure, with eight Gators having earned a spot on the SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll.

"It's always great to be a Florida Gator," Butler said. "To have the confidence that Jeremy has in my staff and me feels fantastic. It makes us even more excited about the future of the program and where it's headed. We're at the best university in the country under the best leadership in the country and to have their vote of confidence means everything."

 

Times announced for Florida-N.C. State Super Regional series

Florida’s best-of-three Super Regional series vs. N.C. State will begin on Saturday, the school announced late Monday. The top-seeded Gators will play host to the No. 16 Wolfpack at McKethan Stadium with a berth in the College World Series on the line.

First pitch is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday and the game will air on ESPNU. Sunday’s game is set for 1 p.m., also on ESPNU. And game three, if necessary, will be Monday at 1 p.m. and air on ESPN2.

The Gators (45-18) advanced by sweeping the regional over the weekend, beating Bethune-Cookman 4-0 and topping Georgia Tech by scores of 6-2 and 15-3.

N.C. State (43-18) clinched the Raleigh Regional late Monday night with a 9-7 comeback win over Vanderbilt. The Wolfpack won its opening game over Sacred Heart before losing to the Commodores in game two. It beat UNC-Wilmington and Vanderbilt on Sunday to force a deciding game on Monday.

Florida will be the home team on Saturday and visiting team on Sunday. If the series extends to Monday, a coin flip would determine which team is home.

UF's Brian Johnson Selected In First Round Of The MLB Draft By The Boston Red Sox

University of Florida junior left-hander/designated hitter Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) was selected in the first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday night by the Boston Red Sox with the 31st choice. He joins teammate Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.), taken third overall by the Seattle Mariners, as part of the first Gator duo to be picked in the first round since Robby Thompson (San Francisco Giants) and Rich Rice (Baltimore Orioles) went off the board together in 1983.

A second-team All-American by Louisville Slugger and one of the five players in the running for the 2012 John Olerud Award presented to the nation’s top two-way standout, Johnson has been chosen first-team All-SEC for the past two seasons. On the season, he is 8-4 with a 3.56 earned run average on the mound and has 68 strikeouts in 86 innings, to go along with a .310 clip, 40 RBI, 22 runs, 12 doubles and five homers. The southpaw tossed his first career complete game to oust fourth-ranked South Carolina from the SEC Tourney on May 25 and matched his career high with four hits in the semifinal round the following day against Vanderbilt. In his most recent outing, Johnson limited the high-powered Georgia Tech offense to one run on three hits over five innings on Sunday night as the Gators cruised to a 15-3 victory over the Jackets to punch their fourth-straight ticket to Super Regionals.   

In 2011, Johnson was a semifinalist for both the John Olerud Award and the Dick Howser Trophy and was chosen to the Watch List for the Golden Spikes Award. The dual threat was 8-3 with a 3.62 ERA in 79.2 innings. He appeared in 16 games, with 15 starts, registered 72 strikeouts and permitted 15 walks and had a .307 average with 29 RBI, 26 runs, 21 walks, 11 doubles and five homers. He started in all 10 SEC series and was 4-3 with a 4.67 ERA in 54 innings, notching 43 strikeouts. Johnson hit .330 in league play with 12 runs, 12 RBI, 10 walks and five doubles.

During his rookie season in 2010, Johnson was chosen as a Freshman All-American by Baseball America, Louisville Slugger, NCBWA and Yahoo! Sports and he made the SEC’s All-Freshman Team as both a starting pitcher and at designated hitter. Over 16 appearances on the mound, including 14 starts, the left-hander was 6-4 with a 4.03 ERA and totaled 51 strikeouts in 73.2 innings. He was the Gators’ designated hitter in 27 games and batted .405 (34-for-84) with 21 RBI, 13 runs, nine walks, five doubles, four homers and two grand slams. The southpaw was 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA in nine league starts and batted .362 (17-for-47) in 16 SEC contests.. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on April 5 and again on May 3 and led the Orange and Blue with a .500 (14-for-28) postseason average and hit .474 (9-for-19) with seven RBI in five NCAA Tourney games. Johnson was tabbed as the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Gainesville Regional after going 5-for-8 (.625) at the plate and twirling seven shutout innings in the championship game. He Went 3-for-5 with a leadoff homer in the third inning against Florida Atlantic and limited the Owls to six hits in seven shutout innings.

UF's Mike Zunino Taken In First Round Of The MLB Draft By Seattle Mariners

University of Florida junior catcher Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) was selected in the first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday night by the Seattle Mariners. Chosen third overall, Zunino is the first Gator taken in the opening round since Matt LaPorta was picked seventh by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007. Since the Draft's inception in 1965, this marks the 13th time in school history that a UF player has been a first-round choice and Zunino becomes the highest player chosen in school history.

Earlier today, Zunino was named one of the three finalists for the 2012 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com. A first-team Louisville Slugger All-American who is also a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award, he leads the Gators in total bases (154), RBI (60), doubles (27), homers (18), sacrifice flies (9) and slugging percentage (.667). A two-time first-team All-SEC recipient and two-time member of the league’s All-Defensive Team who is hitting .316, Zunino has registered a .994 fielding percentage, with three errors in 474 chances, and has thrown out almost a third of the runners who have attempted to steal on him.

Over the weekend, Zunino was voted to the NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team for the third-consecutive season after belting homers in consecutive games against No. 24 Georgia Tech as the top-ranked Gators (45-18) advanced to Super Regionals for the fourth-straight campaign.

In 2011, he became just the second Gator to be voted the SEC Player of the Year, as LaPorta had been recognized in 2005 and 2007. One of the three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award, Zunino was chosen as a first-team All-American by the ABCA, Baseball America and Perfect Game, earned second-team honors from Louisville Slugger and was a third-team choice by the NCBWA. He was also first-team All-SEC and a member of the SEC All-Defensive Team.

He hit a team-best .371 and led the SEC in total bases (178), hits (98), runs (75), doubles (23, tied with teammate Preston Tucker) and homers (19) in helping the Gators finish as the national runner-up following their second-consecutive trip to the NCAA College World Series for the first time in school history. Zunino also paced UF’s offense in slugging percentage (.674), on-base percentage (.442), multiple-hit games (29) and multi-RBI games (19, tied with Tucker) and had career-highs in RBI (67) and walks (32). The catcher batted .422 in SEC play, with 36 runs, 33 RBI, 14 doubles and eight homers.

As a rookie in 2010, Zunino was chosen to Baseball America’s Freshman All-America Team and was a member of the SEC’s All-Freshman Team. He started 51 games behind the plate and one as the designated hitter and hit .267 with 41 RBI, 31 runs, nine homers and seven doubles in 55 games played as the Gators made their first CWS appearance since 2005. He was 8-for-11 on the basepaths, caught 14-of-38 runners attempting to steal and had three pickoffs.