Gator Baseball Names 2008 Award Recipients
Thursday, September 25, 2008 | Baseball
The Gator Dugout Club, supporters of the University of Florida baseball program, recently announced its award winners from the 2008 season following voting from its membership. First baseman Brandon McArthur (Seffner, Fla.) took home two of the four awards after the ballots were counted, with outfielder Avery Barnes (High Springs, Fla.) and catcher Teddy Foster (Jacksonville, Fla.) collecting the other prizes.
"We are grateful for everything the Gator Dugout Club does for our program," said second-year head coach Kevin O'Sullivan. "I am looking forward to seeing the club members at their October meeting and having them at McKethan Stadium throughout the season."
McArthur collected the Mr. Gator Baseball Award, symbolic of the player who most personifies the spirit of Gator Baseball, and the Steve Georgiadis Award, presented to the Gator baseball player who has most overcome adversity. The Georgiadis Award is given in memory of former Gator pitcher Steve Georgiadis, who passed away on March 17, 1990.
The Gators' starting first baseman, McArthur set career highs last year in batting average (.337), runs batted in (44), doubles (12), triples (four) and stolen bases (three). He spearheaded UF's offense to a third-place finish in the Southeastern Conference with a team-high .362 clip and tied for second on the squad with 23 RBI. In the series opener against No. 13 Vanderbilt to close the regular season, McArthur snapped a 6-6 tie with a two-run homer in the eighth inning that provided the winning margin and sent the Orange and Blue on its way to a three-game sweep of the Commodores.
After being injured on opening night of '07 and missing the remainder of that year with a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on April 2. McArthur sat out nine games, put off surgery and then returned to the lineup. Following the injury, he batted a remarkable .367 (29-for-79) and drove in 20 runs. McArthur had previously taken a medical redshirt for the 2004 season.
Barnes earned the Dave Fuller Award, presented annually to the year's most timely hitter. Fuller guided Florida's program from 1948-75 and compiled an overall mark of 557-354-6 (.610) over his 28 seasons at the helm. Taken by the Washington Nationals in the 40th round of the 2008 Major League Draft with the 1,201st overall pick, Barnes elected to remain in school for his senior campaign.
A second-team All-SEC selection last spring, he led UF in a variety of offensive categories, including batting average (.360), on-base percentage (.434), hits (81), runs (65), stolen bases (26-for-29), triples (four) and sacrifice hits (four). Barnes ranked second on the club with 23 multiple-hit games, tied for third with 29 walks and was fourth with 11 doubles. He paced the Gator offense during series against South Carolina (.615), Kentucky (.563) and Tennessee (.500) and had a walk-off single to defeat Brown on March 8.
Foster was the recipient of the P.A. Lee Memorial Award, presented to the Gator baseball player who best exemplifies P.A. Lee's positive and enthusiastic attitude. Lee was an assistant coach at UF from 1962-72. A fan favorite, Foster saw time in 33 games, with 14 starts (13 at catcher, 1 at designated hitter). He batted .264 with eight runs, eight walks and three RBI and was a perfect 4-for-4 on the basepaths. Foster also made one of the defensive plays of the year by blocking the tying run from scoring in the eighth inning to preserve the 3-2 victory over North Florida on April 9. He caught a bullet from right fielder Jonathan Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and held on as the runner slid into home.
-UF-
