Florida Baseball Recruiting Class Ranked No. 1 By Collegiate Baseball
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 | Baseball
TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Florida landed the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, according to Collegiate Baseball's annual evaluation of NCAA Division I baseball classes released on Tuesday.
UF's ranking for ninth-year head coach Kevin O'Sullivan marks its seventh-consecutive time in the top 8 on the publication's list, after being No. 1 in 2009, No. 5 in 2010, No. 8 in 2011, No. 7 in 2012, No. 1 in 2013 and No. 3 in 2014. All three of UF's recruiting titles since Collegiate Baseball began ranking the classes in 1983 have come under O'Sullivan.
Of the 13 new recruits which were brought in this fall by the Gators, six were drafted by professional baseball last June — the third-highest number of drafted players ever landed in a Florida recruiting class (eight before the 2014 season and seven prior to the 2015 campaign). The group includes 12 freshmen and a junior college transfer.
The Gators had six signees from June's Draft who are now enrolled in school, as right-hander Brady Singer was chosen in the second round with the 56th choice by the Toronto Blue Jays, infielder Jonathan India was taken in the 26th round with the 781st pick by the Milwaukee Brewers, outfielder Daniel Reyes was tabbed No. 1,1161 overall in the 39th round by the Boston Red Sox, infielder Deacon Liput was chosen by the New York Yankees in the 39th round with the 1,173rd choice, left-hander Hunter Bowling was taken in the 39th round by the San Francisco Giants at No. 1,176 and right-hander Jackson Kowar was chosen by the Detroit Tigers with the 1,210th pick in the 40th round.
Florida also continued a trend where a school from the Southeastern Conference has won the recruiting title in 12 of the last 13 years.
The rankings are based on players who enroll at school each fall. Athletes who initially signed letters of intent with a school but then signed a pro contract after being drafted do not count in the overall evaluation.
Florida went 52-18 last season, reached the College World Series for the fourth time in the past six years and ranked third in the final polls after becoming the only program in the country to earn a top-eight national seed for NCAA play for the sixth time in seven years. The Gators claimed the Southeastern Conference Tournament and swept through the Gainesville Regionals and Super Regionals held at McKethan Stadium.
UF is scheduled to begin fall practice on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at McKethan Stadium and will open its 2016 season on Feb. 19 in Gainesville versus Florida Gulf Coast.
For all of the latest information on Florida baseball, log on to GatorZone or follow the team's Twitter account @GatorsBB. For season-ticket information, visit the Gator Ticket Office.
Collegiate Baseball's 2015 Recruiting Results
| Rank | School |
| 1. | FLORIDA |
| 2. | South Carolina |
| 3. | Mississippi State |
| 4. | Georgia Tech |
| 5. | Vanderbilt |
| 6. | UCLA |
| 7. | LSU |
| 8. | Oregon |
| 9. | USF |
| 10. | Auburn |
| 11. | Virginia |
| 12. | Oregon State |
| 13. | UL-Lafayette |
| 14. | Texas |
| 15. | Rice |
| 16. | North Carolina |
| 17. | Stanford |
| 18. | TCU |
| 19. | Arizona |
| 20. | Oklahoma |
| 21. | Louisville |
| 22. | Arizona State |
| 23. | Ole Miss |
| 24. | Cal State Fullerton |
| 25. | Oklahoma State |
| 26. | Iowa |
| 27. | Maryland |
| 28. | Florida State |
| 29. | Miami (FL) |
| 30. | Texas A&M |
| 31. | Clemson |
| 32. | Dallas Baptist |
| 33. | Indiana |
| 34. | Southern California |
| 35. | Missouri State |
| 36. | UC Santa Barbara |
| 37. | New Mexico State |
| 38. | Alabama |
| 39. | Illinois |
| 40. | Kentucky |
Other Top Recruiting Classes: Texas Tech, Notre Dame, Washington State, Michigan, Wichita State, Washington, Houston, Missouri, UC Riverside, Tulane, Georgia State, California, Tennessee, FIU, San Diego, UC Irvine, North Florida, Minnesota, San Diego State, East Carolina, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Florida Gulf Coast, Fresno State, UCF, New Mexico, Florida Atlantic, Coastal Carolina, Duke, Grand Canyon, Kennesaw State, Georgia, Kent State, Purdue, Bowling Green, Cal Poly, Arkansas, Long Beach State, South Alabama, Stetson, Texas State, NC State, Liberty, Stony Brook, Nevada, McNeese State, Indiana State, Western Michigan, UNC Charlotte, Seton Hall, Nebraska, Southern Miss, Memphis, Northwestern State, Kansas, Kansas State, Ohio State, Pepperdine, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston College, West Virginia, Wake Forest, Ball State, Central Michigan, Sacramento State, Indiana State, Eastern Illinois, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Hawaii, Old Dominion, Lipscomb, Creighton, St. John's
