OMAHA, Neb. – University of Florida sophomore left-hander A.J. Puk, sophomore center fielder Buddy Reed, freshman catcher/designated hitter JJ Schwarz and sophomore right-hander Logan Shore have accepted invitations to join the 2015 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and will be a part of the 24-player squad that will embark on a two-month tour comprised of at least 17 games in June and July.
The Gators (50-16) captured their opening-round contest at the NCAA College World Series with a 15-3 victory over Miami on Saturday night and will meet Virginia (40-22) in a winner's bracket game on Monday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
“We are very proud that Logan, A.J., JJ and Buddy were selected to play on Team USA,” head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. “It is a tremendous honor for them to represent our country and will be an experience of a lifetime for them.”
Puk (9-3, 3.96) will be making the start against the Cavaliers and has registered a team-high 99 strikeouts in 72.2 innings, while holding opponents to a .211 batting average. Over his last six starts, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native is 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA and has totaled 54 strikeouts in 34.1 innings.
Chosen to the SEC's All-Defensive Team, Reed is tied for the top spot on the Gators with five triples, is second on the squad with 18 stolen bases in 26 attempts and ranks third on the club with a .316 batting average. He is also among the team leaders in runs scored (48), RBI (44), doubles (14) and walks (26). Reed boasts a .354 postseason average and is hitting .308 during the NCAA Tournament.
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Freshman Hitter of the Year, the Louisville Slugger Co-Freshman of the Year and an All-American by four different organizations, Schwarz has burst on to the scene with a .335 clip and team-highs in RBI (73), homers (18) and slugging percentage (.649). Over Florida's 11 postseason contests, the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native is hitting .558 (24-for-43), with 19 RBI, 17 runs, five doubles and four round-trippers and was named the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Tournament and as the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Gainesville Regional. During the Gators' 6-0 start to the NCAA Tournament, Schwarz is 14-for-24 (.583) with a 1.167 slugging percentage, 13 RBI. 12 runs and four dingers.
Shore collected his team-best 10th win of the campaign versus the Hurricanes, becoming the first Gator pitcher to reach double-digits in victories since Hudson Randall was 11-3 in 2011. The righty from Coon Rapids, Minn., has 80 strikeouts in 106 innings this season and has claimed all three of his starts in NCAA play, compiling a 1.15 ERA and notching 13 strikeouts in 15.2 innings during victories over Florida A&M, Florida State and Miami.
The Collegiate National Team will assemble on June 18, with the Gator quartet joining the squad following the NCAA College World Series. St. John's head coach Ed Blankmeyer has been selected to manage the squad, which plays its first international contest against the Holly Springs Salamanders of the Coastal Plain League on June 20 at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. The summer concludes with a five-game series against Cuba before the Americas Baseball Festival.
Up Next
Florida will take on Virginia (40-22) on Monday in a winner's bracket game at TD Ameritrade Park at 8 p.m. The game can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network with Jeff Cardozo and Mick Hubert, will be carried on ESPN2 with Kyle Peterson, Karl Ravech and Jessica Mendoza and will be available through WatchESPN.
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