Florida’s star two-way player Jac Caglianone and closer Brandon Neely were named All-Americans by D1 Baseball on Monday afternoon.
D1Baseball placed Caglianone on its first team at the utility position while Neely earned mention as a second team relief pitcher. For both players, the announcement marked the second All-America recognition of the preseason, as Perfect Game honored Caglianone as a first teamer and Neely to its third team in early January.
Caglianone, the NCAA’s home run leader in 2023, launched 33 long balls a season ago, setting Florida’s program record in the process. The Tampa, Florida native slashed 323/.389/.738. while posting a team high 90 RBIs in 71 starts last season.
The southpaw also delivered a 7-4 record, 4.34 ERA, .190 batting average against and 87 strikeouts across 18 starts spanning 74 2/3 frames.
“I think we’ll probably look back in a few years from now and really, really enjoy what we’re watching,” Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan said on Caglianone’s historic season 2023 season.
Caglianone was a finalist for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award and will surely be a preseason front-runner for the award in 2024.
Neely spent his sophomore season with serving as the Gators’ closer, leading the SEC with 13 saves on 14 attempts, which also tied for six nationally. Neely made a team-high 34 appearances out of the bullpen while delivering a 3.58 ERA. The Seville, Florida native allowed just 46 hits in 55 1/3 innings while striking out 72 batters, translating to 11.7 strikeouts per nine. He also held hitters to a .223 batting average.
“He’s going to throw strikes. He fields his position and he holds runners. Quite frankly, mentally, he’s as tough a kid as we got. He’s selfless,” O’Sullivan said on why Neely is transitioning to closer. “I’m sure if you asked him he’d rather start, and I don’t blame him. For our team, right now, he’s the best option. When you kind of line up the importance of roles, the closer role — as you know from last year — when you can’t close out games it gets to be really frustrating.”
It remains to be seen whether Neely will stay at closer or go back to a starting role in 2024. Regardless, the 2023 Second Team All-American will play a vital role for the Gators this season.