Three Gators Earn All South Region Baseball Honors
Friday, June 14, 2002 | Baseball
Three Gator baseball players- Alex Hart, Pat Osborn and Mark Kiger- earned All South Region honors the American Baseball Coaches Association announced Thursday. Hart and Osborn were both named to the 14-member first team while Kiger garnered second team honors. The teams were voted upon by the 34-member South Region coaches.
First Team selections will automatically be nominated for the 2002 ABCA All America team which will be announced on Thursday, June 13 by the All America committee. Once tabulated, the committee will select the first, second and third All America teams as well as the Rawlings Player of the Year.
Junior Alex Hart (Marion, Pa.) had a breakout year as he finished with a 13-3 record and 3.24 earned run average. He also limited opponents to a .199 batting average and walked just 4.54 batters per nine innings (56 in 111.0 IP). The All-SEC First Team selection led the Gators with 111.0 innings pitched, struck out 81 batters and allowed just 81 hits on the year. Throughout the season, Hart was listed on everyone's national player of the year "Watch Lists." He was drafted in the fifth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the No. 133rd overall pick.
Junior third baseman Pat Osborn (Bakersfield, Calif.) led the Gators with a .414 batting average (104-251) and finished the 2002 campaign with 17 home runs and 76 RBI. He tied UF school record for hits in a season (104), home runs- game (3 vs. Ole Miss, 3/15), total bases-game (3 vs. Ole Miss, 3/15) and hits- game (5 vs. Winthrop, 2/17). A Third Team All America selection by Collegiate Baseball, First Team All-SEC pick and NCAA Regional and SEC All Tournament team selections, Osborn was picked in the second round (No. 72) of the MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians.
Senior shortstop Mark Kiger (La Jolla, Calif.) broke UF season records for runs scored (90) and tied the record for most hits (104). He concluded the year hitting .403 (104-258) with 11 home runs, 60 walks and 55 runs batted in. Kiger has now earned Second Team All America honors by both the NCBWA and Baseball Weekly. He also earned All-SEC Second Team and NCAA All-Regional honors. Kiger was drafted in the fifth round of the MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics (pick No. 158).
2002 ABCA ALL SOUTH REGION TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Starting Pitcher: ALEX HART, Jr., Florida
Starting Pitcher: Lane Mestepey, So., LSU
Starting Pitcher: Nick Bourgeois, Jr. Tulane
Starting Pitcher: Lance Cormier, Sr., Alabama
Relief Pitcher: Blake Taylor, Sr., South Carolina
Catcher: Jeremy Brown, Sr., Alabama
First Base: Yaron Peters, Sr., South Carolina
Second Base: Peter Stonard, So., Alabama
Third Base: PAT OSBORN, Jr. Florida
Shortstop: Drew Meyer, Jr., South Carolina
Outfield: Chaz Lytle, Jr., Georgia
Outfield: Bubba Lavender, Sr., Morehead State
SECOND TEAM
Starting Pitcher: Shae Douglas, Jr., Southern Miss
Starting Pitcher: Brad Purcell, Sr., Southeast Missouri State
Starting Pitcher: Joseph Blanton, Jr., Kentucky
Relief Pitcher: Joey Charron, So., Tulane
Relief Pitcher: Doug Vincent, Jr., Tennessee Tech
Catcher: Chris Hamblen, Jr., Cincinnati
First Base: James Jurries, Sr., Tulane
Second Base: Jake Allen, Jr., Tennessee Tech
Third Base: Kevin Matuszek, Jr., Morehead State
Shortstop: MARK KIGER, Sr., Florida
Outfield: Jeff Cook, Jr., Southern Miss
Outfield: Mark Jurich, So., Louisville
Outfield: Justin Sims, Jr., Middle Tennessee
UPDATED 2002 FLORIDA BASEBALL SEASON HONORS
NATIONAL HONORS
• National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All America
Second Team: Alex Hart, Mark Kiger
• Baseball Weekly All America
Second Team: Alex Hart, Mark Kiger
• Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger All America
Third Team: Alex Hart, Pat Osborn
• Brian Rose, Johnny Bench Award semifinalist (nation's top catcher, one of top-10)
• Pat McMahon, USA Baseball Coach of the Year
ALL REGION HONORS
• All South Region
First Team: Alex Hart, RHP; Pat Osborn, 3B; Second Team: Mark Kiger, SS
• NCAA Regional All Tournament Team
Ryan Shealy, Mark Kiger, Keith Ramsey, Aaron Sobieraj, Pat Osborn
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
• SEC All Tournament Team
Ben Harrison, Pat Osborn, Ryan Shealy
• All-SEC (coaches)
First Team: Alex Hart, Pat Osborn
Second Team: Ryan Shealy, Mark Kiger, Aaron Davidson, Aaron Sobieraj
• Alex Hart/Mark Kiger, Baseball America National Player of the Year "Watch List"
• Pat Osborn/Alex Hart, Baseball America "Top Surprises"
• Alex Hart, Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (week of Feb. 1, 2002)
• Keith Ramsey, Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (week of April 30, 2002)
• Ryan Shealy, SEC Player of the Week (for week of May 13)
• Alex Hart, SEC Player of the Week (week of May 6, 2002)
• Keith Ramsey, SEC Pitcher of the Week (week of March 25, 2002)
• Ryan Shealy, SEC Player of the Week (week of March 11, 2002)
• Pat Osborn, SEC Player of the Week (week of Feb. 11, 2002)
• Mark Kiger, SEC Player of the Week (week of April 15, 2002)
• Ryan Shealy, UF's nominee for SEC Good Works Team
• All-SEC Academic
Jay Belflower, Jeff Cardozo, Kevin Coleman, Alex Hart, David Klebonis, Tom Potter, Ryan Shealy, Matt Siegel, K.O. Wiegandt
--UF--
