Three Gators Earn All-American Honors from Perfect Game
Tuesday, June 30, 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 Perfect Game on Tuesday. Bader and Schwarz were chosen to the organization's second team, while Tobias was a third-team pick.
Bader batted .297 and was second on the Gators in total bases (145), RBI (66), walks (33), homers (17) and slugging percentage (.566). He tied for first on the club with 16 doubles, boasted a perfect fielding percentage and was among the national leaders with 10 outfield assists. The Bronxville, N.Y., native was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy this season, was chosen to the NCAA College World Series All-Tournament Team and was a member of the NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team.
Schwarz had previously achieved All-American status from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), Baseball America, D1Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Freshman All-American recognition by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA, in addition to being named the Louisville Slugger Co-2015 Freshman Player of the Year and the NCBWA Freshman Hitter of the Year.
Schwarz delivered a .332 batting average and he led the Gators in RBI (73), homers (18), doubles (16), sacrifice flies (6) and slugging percentage (.629). He started all 70 games as Florida went 52-18 overall and tied for third at the 2015 NCAA College World Series. The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native was 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. He was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Tournament and the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Gainesville Regional. During the SEC Tournament, he hit .526 (10-for-19), with six RBI, five runs and three doubles, as Florida won its seventh SEC Tournament in program history.
Named an All-American by the ABCA, Baseball America, D1Baseball and the NCBWA, Tobias paced the Orange and Blue in batting average both overall (.355) and in league contests (.357). 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.
The Greensboro, N.C., native finished with a .301 career average in 213 games, 179 of which were starts. Remarkably, he raised his average all four years at Florida (.252 in 2012, .260 in 2013, .305 in 2014 and .355 in 2015) and wound up with 122 runs, 82 RBI, 28 doubles, 22 stolen bases, 11 homers and eight triples.
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