Harrison Bader Named SEC Player of the Week for the First Time
Monday, February 16, 2015 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Junior outfielder Harrison Bader was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday for the first time in his career after hitting .583 and driving in 11 runs as the Gators took all three games against Rhode Island to begin the 2015 season. He was also chosen as one of Louisville Slugger's National Players of the Week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Bader's Highlights
*Batted a team-best .583 (7-for-12) with 11 RBI, five runs, three homers and two doubles as Florida swept its opening series for the first time since 2011
*Had multiple hits and multiple RBI in all three games of the weekend, to go along with a 1.500 slugging percentage and a couple of outfield assists
*Went 2-for-4 with three RBI on Opening Night, with a two-out RBI single in the first inning and a two-run homer in the fifth inning
*Belted a pair of three-run homers on Saturday for a career-high six RBI and became the first Gator with two homers in a game since Zack Powers (2/17/13 against Duke)
*Bader finished game two 3-for-4 and scored a career-high four runs, the first UF player to do so since Mike Zunino (5/21/11 against Kentucky)
*His total of 10 total bases on Saturday was the most by a Gator since Tyler Thompson had 14 against Florida Atlantic on June 6, 2010
*Opened the scoring in the finale with an RBI double in the first inning and chipped in with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning as part of a 2-for-4 effort
*In 103 career games entering the season, Bader had three home runs – a total he matched in the first two games of the year
The No. 5 Gators (3-0) start a busy five-game week by hosting Florida A&M (1-2) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game can be heard through GatorZone.com and on the Gator IMG Sports Network with Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell. It will also be carried on SEC Network+ through participating TV providers only through WatchESPN. Live stats for each game will be available on GatorZone.com and fans can also follow updates of each game on @GatorZoneBB, the official Twitter account of the Gator baseball team.
Single-Game Tickets, 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.
