Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan earned the 2011 College Coach of the Year award from Baseball America last week for leading the Gators to a school record 53 wins and a trip to the College World Series final.
The Gators lost only 19 games last season, two of which were in the final round of the College World Series where they lost the national championship to South Carolina. The Gators’ trip to the CWS was their second consecutive and seventh overall.
The Gators also won the Southeastern Conference Tournament in May for the sixth time in school history and the first in 20 seasons.
Florida also boasted 11 players in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft in June, which marked a school record. In all, O’Sullivan has coached 30 MLB draftees in his four years as Gators head coach.
Three Gators sign Pro-Deals
Of those 11 draftees, Josh Adams, Matt Campbell and Nick Maronde all signed contracts with their respective MLB teams last week.
Adams, the senior second baseman from Jacksonville, will be heading to New York to play for the Jamestown Jammers, the Florida Marlins’ Class A affiliate.
In his last season with Florida, he put his name atop the Gators’ all-time list with 253 games played and started all but one. He is also the all-time leader in sacrifice bunts, double plays turned, and is tied with Mark Ellis for at-bats.
Campbell, the senior righty from Tampa, will be staying in Florida and playing with the Phillies’ Rookie Gulf Coast League team. In 15 innings of work last season, Campell notched 13 strikeouts.
Lastly, Maronde will be heading to Utah to play for the Orem Owlz of the Pioneer League. He was the highest Gator drafted this year when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim chose him in the third round. The lefty led the Gators with 36 appearances on the mound last season and posted a 2.09 ERA.
Whitson Named Freshman Pitcher of the Year
Righty Karsten Whitson was named the National Freshman Pitcher of the Year by Perfect Game on Thursday, while also being named to the organization’s Freshman All-American team.
The accolades were just another in a great freshman campaign for Whitson, who was also named to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team, and All-Americans from Baseball America, Louisville Slugger and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Whitson posted an 8-1 record on the year with a 2.40 ERA in 97 innings. His 92 strikeouts led all Florida pitchers last season.