The Florida Gators baseball team is expected to be led by LHP Hunter Barco and CF Jud Fabian. Not surprisingly, both players were named preseason All-Americans by Perfect Game on Wednesday.
Barco garnered second team honors while Fabian was selected to the third team.
Both players were named to the first team of the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper All-American selections last month.
Barco, the southpaw from Jacksonville, FL, finished 2021 10-3 with a 4.01 ERA. He struck out 94 in 83 innings pitched over 16 games. Barco was drafted by the New York Mets in the 24th round out of high school in 2019 before opting to attend Florida.
The five-tooled outfielder, Fabian shocked many when turning down the Boston Red Sox after being selected in the second round in last summer’s draft. Fabian early-enrolled at UF and still has two years of eligibility. As a (Covid) sophomore, Fabian slugged 20 HR and knocked in 46 runs. Despite walking 46 times, he also struck out at an alarming high rate, with 79 total in 59 games.
How Barco and Fabian play in 2022 will likely go a long way in deciding how the Gators go. If they play to All-American capabilities, Gators fans might want to start booking hotels for Omaha in June.