Gator Baseball Program Adds Trio Of Newcomers
Monday, January 9, 2006 | Baseball
Head Coach Pat McMahon and the University of Florida baseball team received a boost to their squad for the upcoming season with the announcement that junior infielder David Cash (Odessa Fla.), sophomore right-handed pitcher Andy Gale (Durham, N.H.) and sophomore outfielder Cody Wheeler (Coral Springs, Fla.) will each be a member of the 2006 Gators. The three student-athletes arrived on campus for the spring semester and began classes at UF on Monday morning.
Cash competed last season for head coach Jeff Johnson at Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Fla., where he received second-team All-Panhandle Conference recognition. He batted .354 with 50 runs and 48 runs batted in and also added 15 doubles, 12 stolen bases, five home runs and three triples. Previously, Cash earned SEC All-Freshman team honors at the University of South Carolina in 2004. In helping the Gamecocks to a 53-17 overall record, the SEC Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA College World Series, Cash hit .217 (10-for-46) with five RBI and four walks.
While attending Northside Christian School and playing for head coach Daryl Don, Cash batted .462 during his senior season with 31 RBI and six home runs, collecting second-team all-state and second-team All-Suncoast accolades. Soon after, he was chosen in the 21st round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft with the 614th pick by the Baltimore Orioles. His parents are David and Pamela Cash. His father is a professional baseball coach with the Orioles who played 1,422 major league games, mostly at second base, over 12 seasons (1969-80) with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres.
Gale arrives in Gainesville following a transfer from the University of North Carolina, where he emerged as one of the Tar Heels' top midweek starters in 2005. The righty appeared in 11 games and made eight starts, posting a 3-1 record and a 3.38 earned run average in 42.2 innings. He fanned 38 batters and walked just 15, holding opponents to a .250 average. Gale's best effort was a complete-game shutout and a career-high 10 strikeouts against Davidson on April 12. The Tar Heels were 41-19-1 overall and later advanced to the NCAA Gainesville Regional.
Taken in the 43rd round of the Major League Baseball Draft in 2004 by the Montreal Expos with the 1,282nd pick, Gale was a four-year standout pitcher at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H., for head coach Bill Dennehy. His parents are Richard and Susan Gale. His brother Chris pitched at Virginia from 2001-04 and his father played seven seasons in the majors with the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox.
Wheeler played in 33 games for Duke University last season, making 27 starts in the outfield. He hit .257 (26-for-101) and ranked fifth on the squad with eight doubles. The Coral Springs, Fla., native drove in 11 runs and belted two homers as the Blue Devils finished 14-39 in the ACC.
Previously, Wheeler was a four-year starting infielder and outfielder at American Heritage Plantation and Coral Springs High School. He completed his prep career by participating in the Broward County 6A-5A-4A All-Star Game, where he was named as the Most Valuable Player. Wheeler was chosen as the 6A-5A-4A “Player of the Year” by Broward County Umpires Association as a junior, when he batted .500 with 43 RBI and nine homers, while sporting a slugging percentage of .998 and an on-base percentage of .982. He was a first-team all-state choice by the Florida State Sportswriters Association and was picked first-team All-Broward County by both the Miami Herald and Sun-Sentinel. His parents are Gary and Pamela Wheeler.
The Gators will begin 4-on-1 individual workouts this week in preparation for their season opener on Feb. 10 versus Cincinnati at McKethan Stadium. Ranked third in Baseball America's Preseason Top 25, Florida was 48-23 last season en route to the Southeastern Conference championship and a runner-up finish at the NCAA College World Series.
2006 Florida Baseball Roster Additions
| No. | Player | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | B/T | Hometown/High School/Previous School |
| 32 | David Cash | INF | 6-2 | 190 | S/R | Odessa, Fla./Northside Christian School/ Univ. of South Carolina/Chipola J.C. |
| 54 | Andy Gale | RHP | 6-6 | 225 | R/R | Durham, N.C./Phillips Exeter Academy/ Univ. of North Carolina |
| 34 | Cody Wheeler | OF | 6-1 | 235 | L/R | Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs/Duke Univ. |
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