Trio of Gators Collect All-American Honors from the NCBWA
Wednesday, June 10, 2015 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Junior left fielder Harrison Bader, freshman catcher/designated hitter JJ Schwarz and senior third baseman Josh Tobias were named All-Americans by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Wednesday. All three Gators were chosen to the organization's third team. Schwarz and Tobias were also tabbed first-team All-South Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) on Wednesday.
Bader is hitting .292 and is second on the Gators in RBI (61), homers (15) and doubles (14). He is among the national leaders in outfield assists with 10 and boasts a perfect fielding percentage. The outfielder has a .304 clip in five NCAA Tournament outings and was 3-for-9 (.333) with four RBI, three runs and a homer during the sweep of the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional last weekend. Bader was a third-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals at No. 100 in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft.
Schwarz enters the College World Series hitting .332, with team-highs in RBI (71), home runs (18), doubles (16) and slugging percentage (.651). He was named the NCBWA's Freshman Hitter of the Year and as Louisville Slugger's Co-Freshman Player of the Year, was a second-team All-SEC selection and was a member of the league's All-Freshman Team.
During the Gators' postseason, Schwarz is hitting .564 (22-for-39), with 17 RBI, 15 runs, five doubles and four homers. He has been selected the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Tournament and as the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Gainesville Regional. During UF's run to the SEC Tourney title in Hoover, Ala., he hit .526 (10-for-19), with six RBI, five runs and three doubles.
Enjoying his best season with the Orange and Blue, Tobias has paced the squad in batting average both overall (.373) and in league contests (.357). He has committed just one error all year on the hot corner in 131 chances, has scored 56 runs, totaled 41 RBI, chipped in with 24 extra-base hits (14 doubles, five homers, five triples) and is 11-for-13 on the basepaths.
Tobias (pictured right) was the second-team All-SEC pick at third base. On Tuesday, he was selected in the 10th round by the Philadelphia Phillies at No. 294.
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