Brad Wilkerson To Be Inducted Into UF Athletics Hall of Fame
Thursday, October 15, 2009 | Baseball
Former Gator baseball standout Brad Wilkerson is among the eight former letterwinners who will be inducted at the University of Florida Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet on April 9, 2010 in the Holloway Touchdown Terrace. The F Club and Gator Boosters, Inc. announced the 2010 class of inductees on Thursday.
Each year, the F Club Committee selects members to the Hall of Fame. Inductees are divided into three different categories: Gator Greats, Distinguished Letterwinners and Honorary Letterwinners. This year's induction class includes Gator Greats Brian Gay (men's golf), Leah Kirklin Anderson (women's track & field), Jenny Manz Theis (volleyball), Jason Odom (football), Fred Taylor (football) and Wilkerson (baseball) and Distinguished Letterwinners Laurie Burns (women's golf) and William Freeman (men's track & field).
Gator Greats are letterwinners who have brought recognition and prominence to the University and to themselves through athletic accomplishments as an undergraduate. Distinguished Letterwinners are letterwinners who have made major contributions to the University's athletic program through personal time, effort, interest and many years of continued service. They may have also distinguished themselves as exceptional in their chosen field of endeavor.
Wilkerson was the first three-time All-American in school history and was named the 1998 Collegiate Player of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He captured the Smith Award given to the National Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year as selected by CoSIDA and was a finalist for the 1998 Golden Spikes Award. Over his career, Wilkerson was instrumental in leading the Gators to three-consecutive Southeastern Conference Eastern Division titles (1996-98), two SEC regular-season championships (1996, 1998) and a pair of NCAA College World Series appearances (1996, 1998).
Upon completing his collegiate career, the slugger held UF's career records in batting average (.381), home runs (55), RBI (214), runs (239), walks (224), slugging percentage (.714) and on-base percentage (.531). Wilkerson broke seven individual season batting records and either tied or re-set seven other individual performance marks. He became the eighth player in SEC history to hit 50 or more home runs and his mark for round-trippers was later eclipsed by Matt LaPorta during the 2007 season. Wilkerson reached base safely in 141 consecutive games at one point in his career and reached base in 190 of 195 career games. In addition, he was the first player in NCAA history to hit 20 home runs, win 10 games and steal 20 bases in the same season when he accomplished the feat as a junior.
A first-team All-America selection in 1998 by Baseball America, Baseball Weekly, Collegiate Baseball, The Sporting News and the NCBWA, Wilkerson also collected All-South Region and All-SEC recognition three-straight years. He was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the 1996 East Regional held in Gainesville and later earned All-Tournament honors at the College World Series that season. Named to NCAA Regional All-Tournament squads in 1996 and 1998, Wilkerson was picked for the 1997 SEC All-Tournament Team as well.
The Owensboro, Ky., native was chosen as the 33rd pick in the first round of the 1998 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Montreal Expos. Before reaching the Major Leagues, he was a member of USA baseball team in the Sydney Olympics that shocked Cuba, 4-0, in one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history to claim the gold medal.
Wilkerson appeared in 47 games with the Expos in 2001, recording his first career hit off of Greg Maddux. He was named the National League Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News in 2002, when he batted .266 with 92 runs, 59 RBI and 20 homers in 152 games. He hit for the cycle twice (vs. Pittsburgh on June 24, 2003 while with the Expos and vs. Philadelphia on April 6, 2005 in the Nationals' second game after moving from Montreal) and belted three home runs in one game for the Texas Rangers during the 2007 campaign. Over an eight-year Major League career, Wilkerson played for the Expos (2001-04), Washington Nationals (2005), Texas Rangers (2006-07), Seattle Mariners (2008) and Toronto Blue Jays (2008).
Overall Season Statistics at Florida
| YEAR | AVG. | GP-GS | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB-ATT |
| 1996 | .407 | 67-66 | 241 | 71 | 98 | 22 | 3 | 9 | 68 | 76 | 34 | 14-19 |
| 1997 | .386 | 64-64 | 236 | 82 | 91 | 15 | 3 | 23 | 76 | 63 | 35 | 11-15 |
| 1998 | .347 | 64-64 | 222 | 86 | 77 | 13 | 3 | 23 | 70 | 85 | 29 | 21-26 |
| CAREER | .381 | 195-194 | 699 | 239 | 266 | 50 | 9 | 55 | 214 | 224 | 98 | 46-60 |
| YEAR | ERA | W | L | APP | GS | CG | SHO | CBO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| 1996 | 2.97 | 5 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 63.2 | 59 | 25 | 21 | 28 | 67 |
| 1997 | 4.56 | 11 | 4 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 79.0 | 73 | 48 | 40 | 34 | 89 |
| 1998 | 4.98 | 10 | 5 | 19 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 123.0 | 134 | 85 | 68 | 69 | 136 |
| CAREER | 4.37 | 26 | 11 | 75 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 265.2 | 266 | 158 | 129 | 131 | 292 |
Gators during Wilkinson's career
| Year | Overall | SEC | NCAA Tourney |
| 1996 | 50-18 | 20-10 – 1st in East | East Regional Champion |
| SEC Champions | Advanced to College World Series | ||
| 1997 | 40-24 | 17-13 – Tied 1st in East | 2-2 at Atlantic Regional |
| 1998 | 46-18 | 21-8 – 1st in East | South I Regional Champion |
| SEC Champions | Advanced to College World Series |
Wilkerson on UF's Career Charts (entering 2010 season)
| Batting Average | .381 | First |
| Runs Batted In | 214 | First |
| Slugging Percentage | .714 | First |
| Walks | 224 | First |
| On-Base Percentage | .531 | First |
| Home Runs | 55 | Second |
| Total Bases | 487 | Second |
| Runs Scored | 239 | Second |
| Hits | 266 | Fourth |
| Wins | 26 | Third |
| Saves | 10 | Tied for Eighth |
| Strikeouts | 292 | Fifth |
| Doubles | 50 | Sixth |
| Triples | 9 | Tied for Seventh |
-UF-
