Purnell named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week

By
Ethan Hughes
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UF pitcher Blake Purnell has been named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, the conference announced on Monday.

Purnell appeared in all four of the Gators’ games last week and gave up one run in seven innings. He surrendered just five hits and didn’t walk anybody.

He pitched the final 3 1/3 innings to pick up the save against No. 2 Arkansas on Friday night and then tossed 1 2/3 perfect frames in the finale on Saturday to earn the win.

For the season, Purnell boasts a 3-2 record and a 1.19 ERA across 19 appearances and 30 1/3 innings. He’s recorded three saves, and opponents are hitting just .207 against him.

This is the first SEC weekly honor of Purnell’s career and the fourth for a Gator this season.

Ethan Hughes
Ethan Hughes
Ethan was born in Gainesville and has lived in the Starke, Florida, area his entire life. He played basketball for five years and knew he wanted to be a sportswriter when he was in middle school. He’s attended countless Gators athletic events since his early childhood, with baseball being his favorite sport to attend. He’s a proud 2019 graduate of the University of Florida and a 2017 graduate of Santa Fe College. He interned with the University Athletic Association’s communications department for 1 ½ years as a student and also wrote for InsideTheGators.com for two years before joining Gator Country in 2021. He is a long-suffering fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars. You can follow him on Twitter @ethanhughes97.