Wilkerson on ballot for College Baseball Hall of Fame; he would be first Gator voted in
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 | Baseball, Scott Carter
Former Gators All-American Brad Wilkerson is up for an honor that has never been bestowed upon a UF player.
Wilkerson is one of 69 candidates on the ballot for induction into the College Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2012. The voting is underway and the 2012 Class will be announced later this month.
During his UF career from 1996-98, Wilkerson was the first three-time All-American in school history and finished his career by being named the 1998 Collegiate Player of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Wilkerson finished his career as UF's all-time leader in batting average (.381), home runs (55), RBIs (214), runs (239), walks (224), slugging percentage (.714) and on-base percentage (.531). Current Gators outfielder Preston Tucker, who has 212 career RBIs, is closing in on one of Wilkerson's school records.
A first-round pick of the Expos in 1998, Wilkerson later played eight seasons in the majors from 2001-08, finishing second in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2001.
Wilkerson was inducted into the UF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
Other prominent players on this year's ballot include former big leaguers Mark McGwire, Frank Viola, Kevin McReynolds and Tom Paciorek.
(Photo: CollegeBaseballHall.org)
