Gator Country

Florida senior Kelsey Bruder was honored by the SEC after batting .769 in the past week. / Gator Country file photo by Tim Casey

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — University of Florida left fielder Kelsey Bruder (Corona, Calif.) was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week Tuesday, her first honor of the season, UF’s sixth weekly award. The accolade for Bruder comes a day after UF’s series sweep of Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. Bruder has aided the No. 2/3 Gators to a 30-1, 7-0 SEC record, including five conference wins in the past week of play. Florida defeated Mississippi State in a mid-week doubleheader March 16, and followed with 8-0 (6), 18-3 (5) and 11-3 (7) victories over Ole Miss this past weekend on the road.

In the past week, the Gators out-scored their opponents, 63-7, hit eight homers, drew 38 walks and were led by Bruder’s .769 batting clip, .850 on-base percentage and 1.538 slugging percentage.

Bruder was perfect in three of Florida’s last five games, including a career-best 4-for-4 with six RBI and four runs in the second game of the doubleheader with MSU. For the second time this season, Bruder was just shy of a cycle, missing only a triple in the second match up with the Bulldogs. The senior is currently riding a six-game hit streak, ranks second on the team in multi-RBI games this season, with 12, and also owns nine multi-hit games. Bruder is currently leading the Gators in conference play thus far with a .600 batting clip, three stolen bases, 12 runs, 15 RBI, five doubles and three homers through UF’s first seven league games.

Through the first 31 games of the season, Florida has held its opponents to 32 runs, an average of 1.03 per game, while putting up 284 itself. The Orange and Blue have been patient at the plate, drawing 172 walks, and have connected on 57 home runs.

Florida will host SEC Eastern Division rival Georgia for a three-day, three-game series beginning Friday, March 25, at 5 p.m. (ET). Gator fans can follow by watching live on GatorVision.tv, Gametracker or listening in on the radio to 105 The Game locally. Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. match-up will air live on television on Fox Sports-Florida.

2011 UF SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS

2/14/11: Stephanie Brombacher, SEC Pitcher of the Week
2/21/11: Stephanie Brombacher, SEC Pitcher of the Week
2/28/11: Hannah Rogers, SEC Pitcher of the Week
3/21/11: Kelsey Bruder, SEC Player of the Week

2011 UF NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS

2/22/11: Stephanie Brombacher, NFCA National Player of the Week
3/1/11: Michelle Moultrie, USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week

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