Gator Baseball Names 2011 Award Recipients
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 | Baseball
The Gator Dugout Club, supporters of the University of Florida baseball program, presented its award winners from the 2011 season on Monday night at the organization's annual “Meet the Team” event following voting from its membership. Second baseman Josh Adams (Jacksonville, Fla.), left-hander/first baseman Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.), right-hander Hudson Randall (Atlanta, Ga.) and catcher Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) each emerged victorious after the ballots were counted.
"We are grateful for everything that the Gator Dugout Club does for our program," said fifth-year head coach Kevin O'Sullivan. "I look forward to seeing them at McKethan Stadium throughout the season."
Adams collected the Mr. Gator Baseball Award, symbolic of the player who most personifies the spirit of Gator Baseball. In his final campaign, he became just the fourth UF baseball player in school history to achieve All-SEC status in three different seasons, as he previously garnered first-team accolades in 2008 and 2009 before becoming a second-team recipient last season. Adams is now a member of an elite group that includes Mike Stanley (82-84-85), Marc Valdes (91-92-93) and Brad Wilkerson (96-97-98) after batting .351 with 21 RBI, 15 runs and eight extra-base hits (five doubles, three homers) in league action.
The Jacksonville native closed a stellar career in style by earning second-team All-South recognition for the second time in his career after making the squad as a freshman in 2008. During his senior season, Adams hit .323 with 43 RBI, 34 runs, 11 doubles and six homers and finished his tenure in Gainesville as the school's all-time leader in games played (253) and games started (252). Boasting a career average of .305, he departed with his name found throughout the school's career charts, as he is first in both double plays turned (152) and sacrifice bunts (27), tied for first in at bats with Mark Ellis (1996-99) (941), second in hits (287), third in assists (644), fifth in runs batted in (188) and total bases (437), tied for fifth in doubles (51) and is ninth in walks (122). Adams was chosen by the Florida Marlins in the 13th round with the 403rd selection in last June's Major League Baseball Draft and was assigned to the Jamestown (N.Y.) Jammers of the New York-Penn League, the organization's Class A short-season affiliate.
Johnson received 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. After being injured during the SEC Tournament, Johnson was sidelined for both the Regional and Super Regional rounds before working his way back into the lineup during the NCAA College World Series. He was also a semifinalist for the 2011 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. A first-team All-SEC selection, Johnson compiled an 8-3 record with a 3.62 earned run average in 15 starts on the mound spanning 79.2 innings. The left-hander was third on the Orange and Blue with 72 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .253 batting average. Johnson hit .307 with 29 RBI, 26 runs and 18 extra-base hits (11 doubles, five homers and two triples).
Randall 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. Chosen as an Honorable Mention All-American by College Baseball Insider and as a quarterfinalist for the Pitcher of the Year Award last year, Randall earned second-team All-South Region and second-team All-SEC recognition. The righty turned in an 11-3 record and ranked fifth in the SEC with a 2.17 ERA. Randall tied Karsten Whitson for the team lead with 19 starts, the most by a Gator pitcher since 2005. He had 73 strikeouts and 13 walks in a team-high 124.1 innings, held opponents to a .227 batting average and started four of Florida's school-record 11 shutouts. Over 10 SEC starts, Randall turned in a 6-3 record with a 3.00 ERA and tossed complete games against South Carolina and Tennessee. He was 3-0 with a 1.49 ERA in five postseason starts, including 2-0 with a 1.91 ERA in four NCAA Tournament games in which he had 24 strikeouts and issued five walks. He is the Gators' all-time NCAA Tournament leader in innings pitched (45.0, tied with Tommy Boss) and strikeouts (40). Randall was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team after firing eight innings of shutout ball versus Alabama and was a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Week recipient.
Zunino 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. The 2011 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, Zunino led the Gators and was among the league leaders in batting average (.371), total bases (178), hits (98), runs (75), doubles (23), homers (19), slugging percentage (.674) and on-base percentage (.442). He registered a .995 fielding percentage, with three errors in 570 chances, was a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award and a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. Zunino collected All-American honors last season from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) (first team), Baseball America (first team), Perfect Game (first team), Louisville Slugger (second team) and the NCBWA (third team).
The Gators will begin their 2012 campaign on Friday, Feb. 17, at McKethan Stadium versus Cal State Fullerton. Last season, Florida finished with a school-record 53 wins and was the runner-up at the NCAA College World Series for the second time with an overall record of 53-19. In a campaign filled with highlights, O'Sullivan's club shared the SEC Championship with South Carolina and Vanderbilt, captured its first SEC Tournament title since 1991, swept the NCAA Gainesville Regional and claimed the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional on its way to Omaha for second-straight season and the seventh time in the program's history. UF returns 18 letterwinners, including seven position starters and nine pitchers, and welcomes its fourth-consecutive top-10 recruiting class.
Single-game tickets for the 2012 Gator Baseball season are now on sale. Both single-game and season tickets can be purchased online at www.GatorZone.com/tickets or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Single-Game Ticket Prices are as follows:
| $10 – Reserved Box |
| $8 – Reserved Chairback |
| $6 – Reserved Bleacher |
| $4 – General Admission |
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