Buddy Reed was one of five Gators recognized by Baseball America.
Five Gators Earn Preseason A-A Honors From Baseball America
Monday, February 1, 2016 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida junior first baseman Peter Alonso, junior left-hander A.J. Puk, junior outfielder Buddy Reed, sophomore catcher JJ Schwarz and junior right-hander Logan Shore were named to the 2016 Preseason All-America Team announced by Baseball America on Monday. Puk, Reed and Shore made the first team, Alonso was chosen to the second unit and Schwarz earned a spot on the third squad.
2016 Baseball America Preseason College All-Americans
As a sophomore, Puk made 17 appearances, 14 of which were starts, and was 9-4 with a 3.81 earned run average. With a team-leading 104 strikeouts in 78 innings, the southpaw from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, became the first Gator to reach the century mark in punch-outs since Bryan Augenstein totaled 105 in 2007. He ranked fifth in the SEC in strikeouts and held opposing hitters to a .210 batting average, fourth-lowest in the league. Puk enjoyed a tremendous postseason, compiling a 1.54 ERA in four starts, with a 2-1 record and 30 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.
Reed started 69 of the Gators' 70 contests in center field and responded with career highs across the board in batting average (.305), hits (86), runs (51), RBI (47), stolen bases (18), doubles (14), triples (5) and homers (4). His 13-game hitting streak from March 4-27 was the longest by a UF player last year and he ranked third on the club in batting average behind All-Americans Josh Tobias (.355) and Schwarz (.332). The Finksburg, Md., native chipped in with 24 multiple-hit games and 11 multiple-RBI games and became the first Gator to be named to the SEC's All-Defensive Team since shortstop Nolan Fontana and catcher Mike Zunino collected the honor in 2012. Reed joined Matt den Dekker (2008-10) as the only outfielders in school history to receive the honor. He hit .319 in SEC play, with 19 runs, 17 RBI and nine walks and delivered team highs in stolen bases (6) and triples (4).
Shore, the Gators' Friday night starter, was 11-6 over a team-leading 19 starts, with 84 strikeouts, 24 walks and a 2.72 ERA in a team-high 112.1 innings. The righty started three of the club's four shutouts on the campaign and was responsible for two of the squad's three complete games after going the distance against Alabama (March 27) and Mississippi State (April 17). Shore's total of 11 wins was the most by a Florida pitcher since Hudson Randall was 11-3 in 2011. The Coon Rapids, Minn., native was a perfect 5-0 during the postseason and compiled a 2.43 ERA, registering 24 strikeouts and permitting five walks in 29.2 innings. Shore's total of four career NCAA Tournament victories is one shy of the school record held by Randall (2010-12) and he claimed both of his outings at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha last June against Miami (FL) and Virginia.
After missing the Gators' first 30 games of the season while recovering from a broken foot, Alonso started 39 games at first base and hit .301 with 33 runs, 32 RBI, 10 doubles, five homers and a pair of triples. He committed just one error and registered a .997 fielding percentage, turned in 13 multiple-hit games and nine multiple-RBI efforts and reached base in UF's final 20 games. The Tampa native 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). He 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 and drove in a team-high seven runs for the Gators in Omaha. Alonso batted .400 (4-for-10) during the sweep of Florida State in the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional, was 3-for-5 with a career-high three runs in Game 2 and 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.
In addition to being named the Louisville Slugger Co-2015 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. He 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). Among the national leaders, Schwarz was third in RBI and finished fourth in homers and the slugger from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., tied for second on the club with 24 multiple-hit games and was the runner-up with 16 multiple-RBI games. He 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 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 in the College World Series.
Last season, Florida went 52-18 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 also swept through the Gainesville Regionals and Super Regionals held at McKethan Stadium. Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's club was tabbed as the No. 1 team in all of the preseason polls, while the incoming class has been ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball, the program's seventh consecutive time in the top-eight classes in the country.
Season tickets for the 2016 Gator Baseball season are on sale and can be purchased online through FloridaGators.com or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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2016 Baseball America Preseason College All-Americans
As a sophomore, Puk made 17 appearances, 14 of which were starts, and was 9-4 with a 3.81 earned run average. With a team-leading 104 strikeouts in 78 innings, the southpaw from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, became the first Gator to reach the century mark in punch-outs since Bryan Augenstein totaled 105 in 2007. He ranked fifth in the SEC in strikeouts and held opposing hitters to a .210 batting average, fourth-lowest in the league. Puk enjoyed a tremendous postseason, compiling a 1.54 ERA in four starts, with a 2-1 record and 30 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.
Reed started 69 of the Gators' 70 contests in center field and responded with career highs across the board in batting average (.305), hits (86), runs (51), RBI (47), stolen bases (18), doubles (14), triples (5) and homers (4). His 13-game hitting streak from March 4-27 was the longest by a UF player last year and he ranked third on the club in batting average behind All-Americans Josh Tobias (.355) and Schwarz (.332). The Finksburg, Md., native chipped in with 24 multiple-hit games and 11 multiple-RBI games and became the first Gator to be named to the SEC's All-Defensive Team since shortstop Nolan Fontana and catcher Mike Zunino collected the honor in 2012. Reed joined Matt den Dekker (2008-10) as the only outfielders in school history to receive the honor. He hit .319 in SEC play, with 19 runs, 17 RBI and nine walks and delivered team highs in stolen bases (6) and triples (4).
Shore, the Gators' Friday night starter, was 11-6 over a team-leading 19 starts, with 84 strikeouts, 24 walks and a 2.72 ERA in a team-high 112.1 innings. The righty started three of the club's four shutouts on the campaign and was responsible for two of the squad's three complete games after going the distance against Alabama (March 27) and Mississippi State (April 17). Shore's total of 11 wins was the most by a Florida pitcher since Hudson Randall was 11-3 in 2011. The Coon Rapids, Minn., native was a perfect 5-0 during the postseason and compiled a 2.43 ERA, registering 24 strikeouts and permitting five walks in 29.2 innings. Shore's total of four career NCAA Tournament victories is one shy of the school record held by Randall (2010-12) and he claimed both of his outings at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha last June against Miami (FL) and Virginia.
After missing the Gators' first 30 games of the season while recovering from a broken foot, Alonso started 39 games at first base and hit .301 with 33 runs, 32 RBI, 10 doubles, five homers and a pair of triples. He committed just one error and registered a .997 fielding percentage, turned in 13 multiple-hit games and nine multiple-RBI efforts and reached base in UF's final 20 games. The Tampa native 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). He 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 and drove in a team-high seven runs for the Gators in Omaha. Alonso batted .400 (4-for-10) during the sweep of Florida State in the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional, was 3-for-5 with a career-high three runs in Game 2 and 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.
In addition to being named the Louisville Slugger Co-2015 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. He 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). Among the national leaders, Schwarz was third in RBI and finished fourth in homers and the slugger from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., tied for second on the club with 24 multiple-hit games and was the runner-up with 16 multiple-RBI games. He 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 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 in the College World Series.
Last season, Florida went 52-18 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 also swept through the Gainesville Regionals and Super Regionals held at McKethan Stadium. Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's club was tabbed as the No. 1 team in all of the preseason polls, while the incoming class has been ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball, the program's seventh consecutive time in the top-eight classes in the country.
Season tickets for the 2016 Gator Baseball season are on sale and can be purchased online through FloridaGators.com or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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