Florida Baseball Recruiting Class Ranked No. 18
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 | Baseball
Collegiate Baseball newspaper's 26th annual rundown of NCAA Division I baseball recruiting classes was released this week, with Florida's 2008 recruiting class named the 18th-best in America. The Gators' 12 recruits include 10 freshmen and two junior college transfers. UF's ranking represents a nine-spot jump from last year's rating of 27th.
"We are very excited about our incoming class," said second-year head coach Kevin O'Sullivan. "We expect a lot of these student-athletes to step right in and compete for playing time immediately. We feel as though we have found the right mix of players who value their college education and have the physical abilities and mental toughness to help the Gators on the road back to Omaha. Both myself and our coaching staff, Craig Bell, Brad Weitzel and Don Norris, are eager for fall practices to begin this week."
Seven of the club's 12 recruits hail from the talent-laden Sunshine State and the group features six pitchers. The Gators return 19 letterwinners, including seven pitchers and six players who saw the majority of time at their position last season, and boast a total of 15 newcomers. In O'Sullivan's inaugural season, UF was 34-24 overall and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.
The Gators had five signees from June's draft who are now enrolled in school, as right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (Freehold, N.J.) was chosen in the 22nd round with the 682nd choice by the World Champion Boston Red Sox, infielder Jerico Weitzel (Ridgway, Pa.) was taken in the 27th round with the 816th pick by the Minnesota Twins, catcher Ben McMahan (Windermere, Fla.) was tabbed 920th overall in the 30th round by the New York Yankees, outfielder Tyler Thompson (Tequesta, Fla.) was chosen by the San Francisco Giants in the 42nd round with the 1,257th choice and left-handed hurler Nick Maronde (Lexington, Ky.) went 1,294th overall to the Oakland Athletics during the 43rd round.
Senior outfielder Avery Barnes (High Springs, Fla.), a second-team All-SEC selection last spring, spurned an offer from the Washington Nationals to return for his final campaign. Two-year starter Cole Figueroa, a sixth-round pick by the San Diego Padres, signed a professional contract and joined the Eugene (Ore.) Emeralds of the Northwest League. He batted .289 with 23 runs, 16 RBI and seven stolen bases in 32 games.
The Orange and Blue is scheduled to begin fall practice on Friday, Sept. 26, at McKethan Stadium. UF will open its '09 campaign on Fri., Feb. 20, when Louisville visits for the opener of a three-game weekend series.
Collegiate Baseball's 2008 Recruiting Results (as of Sept. 23, 2008)
| Rank | School | Recruits | Frosh | JC | Other Tran. |
| 1. | Arizona State | 20 | 15 | 5 | 0 |
| 2. | Oregon | 35 | 23 | 12 | 0 |
| 3. | Vanderbilt | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 4. | Arkansas | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| 5. | Georgia | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 6. | UCLA | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 7. | Miami (Fla.) | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| 8. | Florida State | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| 9. | Clemson | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| 10. | Fresno State | 23 | 17 | 6 | 0 |
| 11. | Texas | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 12. | Oregon State | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| 13. | South Carolina | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| 14. | Cal State Fullerton | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| 15. | Wichita State | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 16. | Southern Cal | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 17. | Rice | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 18. | FLORIDA | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| 19. | Kentucky | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 20. | LSU | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 21. | N.C. State | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 22. | UC Irvine | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| 23. | Southern Miss | 16 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
| 24. | Virginia | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 25. | Ole Miss | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| 26. | Stanford | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 27. | Texas A&M | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| 28. | Tennessee | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| 29. | San Diego State | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| 30. | TCU | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 31. | Oklahoma State | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| 32. | Oklahoma | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| 33. | Pepperdine | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 34. | Arizona | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 35. | Georgia Tech | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 36. | Louisville | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 37. | Hawaii | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| 38. | Notre Dame | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 39. | Long Beach State | 15 | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| 40T. | USF | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 40T | Cal State Northridge | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
Other Top Recruiting Classes: California, Wake Forest, Marshall, Georgia Southern, Gonzaga, Troy, Kansas, Auburn, Miami (Ohio), East Carolina, U.C. Santa Barbara, St. John's, Alabama, North Carolina, Liberty, Central Michigan, Iowa, San Diego, Washington, Missouri, James Madison, Jacksonville, Minnesota, Texas Tech., U.C. Riverside, Connecticut, Baylor, Mississippi St., Houston, Nevada, Northern Illinois, Santa Clara, Ball St., Manhattan, Siena, Virginia Military Institute, Villanova, San Francisco, Stetson, Maine, Cal Poly SLO, Florida International, Michigan, Tulane, Ohio St., Illinois, Memphis, New Orleans, Nebraska, Creighton, Oral Roberts, Nevada-Las Vegas, Richmond, Rutgers, Florida Atlantic, New Mexico, Lamar, Louisiana-Lafayette, N.C. Charlotte, South Alabama, College of Charleston, West Virginia, Dallas Baptist, The Citadel.
--UF--
