Six Gators Earn SEC Honors

HOOVER, Ala.—Two days after clinching the 2017 Southeastern Conference Championship, six Florida baseball players earned recognition from the conference for their performances this season.

Four players received All-SEC Second Team honors while two more players made the SEC All-Defensive Team.

The Gators earned the No. 1 overall seed for this week's SEC Tournament in Hoover and will open play on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. ET against either Auburn or Ole Miss.

Sophomore RHP Michael Byrne – Second-Team All-SEC (Relief Pitcher)

First All-SEC selection
Tied the school record with 13 saves on the year, 2nd most in the SEC
1.93 earned run average over 51.1 innings pitched
Team-high 27 appearances
56 strikeouts to just 10 walks

Junior RHP Alex Faedo – Second-Team All-SEC (Starting Pitcher)

First All-SEC selection
7-2 record on the season with 2.89 earned run average, 10th best in the SEC
Totaled 106 strikeouts, 2nd most in the SEC
Totaled 90.1 innings pitched, fourth-most in the conference

Junior C JJ Schwarz – Second-Team All-SEC (DH/Utility)

Second All-SEC selection after being named to the All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team in 2015
Finished the regular season with a .289 average and led the team with 9 home runs and 46 RBI
Hit .314 in 28 SEC games with 6 home runs and 30 RBI (5th in SEC in league games)
After hitting .200 through the first 20 games of the season, Schwarz hit .339 with 7 home runs and 37 RBI over his final 33 games

Sophomore RHP Brady Singer – Second-Team All-SEC (Starting Pitcher)

First All-SEC selection
Led the SEC with 97.2 innings pitched
Had a 2.67 earned run average, 7th best in the SEC
Totaled 89 strikeouts, 8th most in the conference

Junior SS Dalton Guthrie – SEC All-Defensive Team (SS)

Second year in a row on the SEC All-Defensive Team
Was named to the 2016 All-SEC Second Team and 2015 SEC All-Freshman Team
A defensive force in the middle of the infield; routinely made spectacular plays to take away base hits and save runs
Made just 3 errors in 28 SEC games at shortstop
Helped turn 25 double plays

Junior 2B Deacon Liput – SEC All-Defensive Team (2B)

Second time earned recognition from the league after earning 2016 SEC All-Freshman honors
Committed just one error in 54 games during the regular season, a .996 fielding percentage
Helped turn 32 of the Gators 46 double plays

2017 SEC BASEBALL AWARDS

Player of the Year: Brent Rooker, Mississippi State
Pitcher of the Year: Sean Hjelle, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year: Braden Shewmake, Texas A&M
Coach of the Year: Nick Mingione, Kentucky
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Zach Logue, Kentucky

First-Team All-SEC C: Grant Koch, Arkansas 1B: Brent Rooker, Mississippi State 2B: Braden Shewmake, Texas A&M 3B: Jordan Rodgers, Tennessee SS: Ryan Gridley, Mississippi State OF: Greg Deichmann, LSU OF: Tristan Pompey, Kentucky OF: Jeren Kendall, Vanderbilt DH/UT: Michael Curry, Georgia SP: Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt SP: Sean Hjelle, Kentucky SP: Alex Lange, LSU RP: Logan Salow, Kentucky	Second-Team All-SEC Team C: Troy Squires, Kentucky 1B: Evan White, Kentucky 2B: Riley Mahan, Kentucky 3B: Colby Bortles, Ole Miss SS: Kramer Robertson, LSU SS: Jax Biggers, Arkansas OF: Jonah Todd, Auburn OF: Jake Mangum, Mississippi State OF: Chandler Taylor, Alabama DH/UT: JJ Schwarz, Florida SP: Alex Faedo, Florida SP: Brady Singer, Florida RP: Michael Byrne, Florida
Freshman All-SEC Team C: Hunter Coleman, Texas A&M 1B: Andre Lipcius, Tennessee 2B: Braden Shewmake, Texas A&M 3B: Josh Smith, LSU SS: Cam Shepherd, Georgia OF: Carlos Cortes, South Carolina OF: Zach Watson, LSU OF: Dominic Fletcher, Arkansas DH/UT: Logan Foster, Texas A&M SP: Ryan Rolison, Ole Miss SP: Eric Walker, LSU RP: T.J. Sikkema, Missouri	SEC All-Defensive Team C: Michael Papierski, LSU 1B: Evan White, Kentucky 2B: Deacon Liput, Florida 3B: Josh Smith, LSU SS: Dalton Guthrie, Florida OF: Jeren Kendall, Vanderbilt OF: Jonah Todd, Auburn OF: Jake Mangum, Mississippi State P: Brigham Hill, Texas A&M * - Denotes a tie in voting. Ties are not broken.

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