Gator Baseball Names 2015 Award Recipients
Friday, October 9, 2015 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gator Dugout Club, supporters of the University of Florida baseball program, announced its award winners from the 2015 season on Friday following voting from its membership. First baseman Peter Alonso, catcher/designated hitter JJ Schwarz and third baseman Josh Tobias each emerged victorious after the ballots were counted.
Alonso will receive 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. Alonso missed the Gators' first 30 games of the season while recovering from a broken foot. He started 39 games at first base and hit .301 with 33 runs, 32 RBI, 10 doubles, five homers and a pair of triples. The Tampa native committed just one error on the campaign and registered a .997 fielding percentage. He turned in 13 multiple-hit games and nine multiple-RBI efforts and reached base in UF's final 20 games. Alonso had a .282 average in 21 SEC contests, with 16 RBI, 15 runs, seven doubles and three homers. He ranked second on the Orange and Blue with a .340 (18-for-53) clip in 15 postseason outings, with 17 runs, 15 RBI, eight walks and seven extra-base hits (three doubles, two triples and two homers). Alonso hit the two longest homers in TD Ameritrade Park history during the NCAA College World Series – a 429-foot blast against Virginia on June 20 and a 421-foot shot versus Miami on June 17. He drove in a team-high seven runs for the Gators in Omaha and was 5-for-18 (.278) after batting .400 (4-for-10) during the sweep of Florida State in the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional. Alonso was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team after going 6-for-13 (.462) with five RBI, five runs and five walks as Florida brought home the title.
Schwarz 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. In addition to being named the Louisville Slugger Co-Freshman Player of the Year and as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Freshman Hitter of the Year, Schwarz attained All-American status from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), Baseball America, D1Baseball, the NCBWA and Perfect Game. He also earned Freshman All-American recognition from Baseball America, D1Baseball, Collegiate Baseball, Louisville Slugger and the NCBWA. Schwarz had 41 starts at designated hitter and 29 behind the plate, delivered a .332 batting average and led the Orange and Blue in RBI (73), homers (18), doubles (16), sacrifice flies (6) and slugging percentage (.629). The Palm Beach Gardens native was third in the country in RBI, finished fourth in homers, tied for second on the club with 24 multiple-hit games and was the runner-up with 16 multiple-RBI games. He was also named second-team All-SEC and to the league's All-Freshman Team. During the Gators' postseason, Schwarz hit a team-best .491 (28-for-57), with 23 runs, 19 RBI, five doubles and four homers in 15 games. He batted .474 (18-for-38) with 18 runs, 13 RBI, four homers and a pair of doubles in 10 NCAA Tournament contests and was 6-for-18 (.333) with eight runs and two RBI during the College World Series.
Tobias will be 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. Tobias was voted the winner of the Mr. Gator Baseball Award, symbolic of the player who most personifies the spirit of Gator Baseball. Named an All-American by the ABCA, Baseball America, D1Baseball, the NCBWA and Perfect Game, Tobias paced the Orange and Blue in batting average both overall (.355) and in league contests (.357) and had a team-high 25 multiple-hit games. The Greensboro, N.C., native reached base in his final 32 games, the most by a Gator last season. He committed just one error all year on the hot corner in 141 chances, scored 60 runs, totaled 46 RBI, chipped in with 24 extra-base hits (14 doubles, five homers, five triples) and was 11-for-13 on the basepaths. Tobias was the second-team All-SEC pick at third base and had a .321 batting average in the Gators' 15 postseason outings. He was chosen to the SEC Community Service Team for the second straight year and was a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award before being chosen in the 10th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Gators will open their fall practice sessions next Tuesday, Oct. 13, at McKethan Stadium. The entire squad will have workouts, including scrimmages, between Oct. 13 and Nov. 22. For all of the latest information on Florida baseball, log on to GatorZone or follow the team's Twitter account @GatorsBB.
