Hitting the spotlight in this week's 2023 Meet the Gators installment is the duo of Sammy Mummau and Landon Russell.
Starting with Russell, the infielder/outfielder from Gulf Coast State College is set to wear No. 15 for the Gators. The Phenix City, Ala. native comes to Florida with one year of collegiate experience under his belt, having racked up 181 plate appearances over 47 games for the Gulf Coast Commodores last season.
During his lone year at Gulf Coast, Russell slashed .305/.414/.497 with three triples, six homers, 39 RBI, 42 runs scored and an impressive 18 stolen bases. Although he will only play in the field for the Gators, Russell does have experience on the mound, having made 13 appearances with a .245 opponent average and 29 strikeouts in 2023. Following his freshman season at Gulf Coast, Russell played in 41 games for the Burlington Sock Puppets of the Appalachian League where he batted .231/.331/.346 with two homers, three triples, six doubles, 33 runs, 16 RBI and 18 steals.
As three-year letterwinner at Russell County High School in Seale, Ala., Russell ranked as the No. 1 shortstop and No. 3 player in the state per Perfect Game. In his junior campaign, he was named the MaxPreps Player of the Year after posting a .298/.384/.440 slash line with 10 doubles, 17 RBI, 19 runs scored and nine stolen bases to go along with a 1.81 ERA in 44 innings.
Russell competed for numerous other squads during his high school days, earning 16 different all-tournament team honors at PG events including a World Wood Bat Association Championship with the Ohio Warhawks in 2022. He also held status as a three-time PG Preseason All-Region recipient featuring two first team nods.
Flipping to Mummau, the versatile and athletic middle-infielder hails from Palm Harbor, Fla. As part of the Gators' incoming 2023 class, Mummau ranked as the No. 10 middle-infield recruit out of Florida on top of being the No. 43 player in the state and No. 312 recruit nationally. He will be found sporting No. 5 on his back, a jersey number that follows him from his time at Dunedin High School.
At Dunedin, Mummau capped off his prep career with a remarkable season. His senior year, he posted a .383/.482/.606 batting line across 114 plate appearances. Mummau totaled two homers, three triples, nine doubles, 27 runs, 20 RBI and nine stolen bases. Defensively, he fielded at a respectable .928 clip over 69 chances. The right-handed hitting Mummau appeared in all 28 games of Dunedin's regular season.
Prior to his run at Dunedin, Mummau played his junior year at Palm Harbor University High School. Across 93 plate appearances spread across 25 contests, he slashed .364/.548/.590 with one home run, two triples, eight doubles, 19 runs, 14 RBI and 15 steals. Mummau also delivered a 2.10 ERA in 13 1/3 frames his junior season.
Baseball prowess runs in the Mummau family. Sammy's father, Rob, spent eight seasons in the Minor Leagues playing for the Toronto Blue Jays. He continues to make use of his experience as a scout for the Seattle Mariners.
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