Three Gators Earn Preseason All-American Honors From Perfect Game
Friday, January 9, 2015 | Baseball
University of Florida junior shortstop Richie Martin, sophomore left-hander/first baseman A.J. Puk and sophomore right-hander Logan Shore were named to the 2015 Preseason All-America Team announced by Perfect Game on Friday. Puk made the first team at the utility spot, Martin earned a berth on the second team and Shore was chosen to the third squad. The players were selected based on a balance of past performance, 2015 expectations and their prospective talent relative to the MLB Draft.
Over 20 appearances on the mound, including seven starts last spring, Puk was 5-2 with a 3.19 earned run average and totaled 46 strikeouts in 42.1 innings. The southpaw limited opponents to a .210 batting average and picked up one save. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native also saw time as the Gators' designated hitter and at first base and batted .222 (14-for-63) with eight walks, six RBI, four runs and three doubles.
Martin started all 63 games at shortstop for the SEC Champions and was on the Watch List for the Brooks Wallace Award. He batted .265 with team highs in at bats (249), stolen bases (18) and runs scored (49) and enjoyed career highs in doubles (11), triples (2) and homers (1). Martin had a tremendous 2014 season with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League over the summer, ranking second in the league with a single-season club record .364 batting average and placing first in both hits (59) and runs (36). He was ranked as the No. 8 prospect on the Cape by Baseball America, was a third-team Summer Collegiate All-American by Perfect Game and made the CCBL All-League Team.
Chosen as the 2014 National Freshman of the Year by Perfect Game and as the SEC Freshman of the Year, Shore was a third-team All-American by Louisville Slugger and earned Freshman All-American recognition from Baseball America, Louisville Slugger, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Perfect Game. A first-team All-SEC starting pitcher, joining the league's Pitcher of the Year, LSU's Aaron Nola, he was 7-4 with a team-low 2.16 ERA. He totaled a team-leading 68 strikeouts in 95.2 innings and 15 of his 16 appearances were starts. In addition, the righty worked at least five innings in each start. The Coon Rapids, Minn., native turned in a sterling 7-1 mark in 10 SEC games, with a 2.08 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 65 innings.
Florida will open its season with a three-game series against Rhode Island beginning on Friday, Feb. 13. Season tickets and the Complete Game Mini-Plans can be purchased online through GatorZone or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For all of the latest information on Florida baseball, log on to GatorZone or follow the team's Twitter account @GatorZoneBB.
