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Florida head coach Tim Walton isn’t done adding to next year’s roster, just yet. The Gators announced a big addition to the 2024 squad Thursday as Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Erickson signed with Florida.
So excited to continue my softball career at the University of Florida! It’s swamp szn!! GO GATORS 🧡💙🐊 pic.twitter.com/OHA9yU71y1
“[Erickson] is a competitor that has achieved success at every level because of her work ethic and knowledge of the game. We can’t wait to have Jocelyn join us this fall and be a part of her journey to becoming the best version of herself on the field and in the classroom,” said Walton.
Erickson played several positions on the diamond and saw action in 57 games as a freshman with the national champion Sooners in 2023. The Phoenix, AZ native hit .337 with 32 RBI and 25 runs scored.
Her high school accolades are aplenty as she was named the 2022 Gatorade Softball Player of the Year in Arizona and was a first team All-American on MaxPreps and Extra Innings Softball.
Jackson, a product of Gainesville’s Buchholz High, is a 6’4, 250 lb prospect who can play anywhere along the defensive line. In his last two years at the high school level, he’s recorded 19.5 sacks for the Bobcats.
Jackson is rated the nation’s No. 463 overall prospect per the 247Sports composite and the No. 67 DL in the nation. Florida co-defensive coordinator Sean Spence was his primary recruiter to UF while inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman played a role, as well.
Jackson chose the Gators over Miami, Arkansas, and Kentucky among others. Jackson officially visited Florida in June and took trips to those three schools in subsequent official visits.
For Florida, Jackson is the nineteenth member of the recruiting class with more expected over the next few weeks. The Gators are currently ranked No. 3 in the recruiting rankings for 20
In the seventeenth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, Florida infielder Colby Halter became the sixth Gator selected as the Oakland Athletics called his name. Halter was the No. 496 overall pick. The A’s selected a Gator for the first time since 2018 when they took JJ Schwarz in the eighth round.
— MLB Draft Tracker (@MLBDraftTracker) July 11, 2023
In 2023, Halter hit .247 with three home runs, four triples, nine doubles while driving in thirty RBI over 59 contests. While spending the entire year manning third base, Halter made just seven errors, a .948 fielding percentage.
Halter spent the summer of ’22 in Cape Cod where he hit .307 with seven homers and 19 RBI in 39 games. He also stole 12 bases with Falmouth.
Halter will have the option to return to Florida for one more year to improve his draft position, but that is a decision for another day at this point.
The Jacksonville, FL native becomes the 220th draft pick in program history and the 105th since head coach Kevin O’Sullivan took over in 2008.
A pair of Gators heard their name called on day two of the 2023 MLB Draft Monday. Shortstop Josh Rivera was selected with the No. 81 overall pick by the Chicago Cubs. LHP Philip Abner was selected just a short time later by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth round.
With the 81st pick, the @Cubs select @GatorsBB shortstop Josh Rivera, No. 87 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.
For Rivera, this was the second time he’s been drafted as he was selected by San Diego in the 22nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft.
Rivera had a massive fourth season in the orange and blue as he finally put it all together. He earned a second team All-American nod by D1Baseball after hitting .348 with 19 home runs and 72 RBI. He also walked 46 times against just 35 strikeouts. Rivera also recorded 18 stolen bases to lead the Gators.
— MLB Draft Tracker (@MLBDraftTracker) July 10, 2023
Abner, a draft-eligible sophomore, was selected No. 175 overall following a breakout season that saw him become an important part of the Florida bullpen.
Abner finished 2023 with a 3-0 record and a 3.16 ERA over 31.1 innings of work. He recorded 51 strikeouts to just 19 walks in his 25 appearances in 2023.
Abner’s big year came after a successful stint in the Cape Cod League last summer. On the Cape, Abner maintained a 1.93 ERA over eight appearances (28 innings).
Florida has now seen 219 players drafted in program history, including 104 since Kevin O’Sullivan took over in 2008.
The final day of the MLB Draft begins Tuesday at 2:00 PM ET. Rounds eleven to twenty will aired live on MLB.com for free.
SEATTLE – For the second year in a row, Julio Rodríguez knocked Pete Alonso out of Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby. Rodríguez, the hometown favorite, had T-Mobile Park buzzing after belting 41 homers in the first round, which was the most ever in a single round.
Alonso, a two-time derby champ, had an uphill battle facing off against Seattle’s own. He hit 21 home runs, with his longest being 457 feet.
Mike Friedlein, one of Alonso’s former travel ball coaches, was set to pitch to Alonso in the derby, but woke up Monday morning with a forearm issue and couldn’t pitch. Alonso used the Met’s assistant coach and batting practice thrower, Aaron Myers, in place of Friedlein. With no prior derby simulations between Myers and Alonso, the duo seemed out of sync for most of the round.
Florida head coach Billy Napier received more positive buzz on the recruiting trail Monday when 4-star OT Fletcher Westphal announced his commitment via social media.
— Fletcher Westphal (@FletcherWestph1) July 10, 2023
Westphal is a 6’8, 335 lb prospect out of Tuscarora High in Leesburg, VA.
Westphal chose the Gators over Arkansas, Clemson, Georgia, and more. He was primarily recruited to Florida by offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton.
Westphal ranks as the No. 296 player in the 247 composite rankings and No. 24 OT in the 2024 recruiting cycle.
The Gators now have eighteen players committed in the 2024 recruiting class including four offensive linemen. The class ranks No. 3 nationally.
The Florida baseball program added to its big night as a third player was selected on the 2023 MLB Draft’s first day. RHP Brandon Sproat was drafted No. 56 overall by the New York Mets Sunday night.
With the 56th pick, the @Mets select @GatorsBB right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat, No. 54 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.
The Mets have long had an eye on the hard-throwing pitcher as they selected Sproat in 2022 (No. 90 overall). He was also selected No. 205 overall by Texas in . Sproat bet on himself and it, obviously, paid off.
In 2023, Sproat finished 8-3 with a 4.66 ERA in 19 starts. In 106.1 innings of work, he struck out 134 batters. He also threw two complete games, one of which was a shutout. Sproat was named to the All-SEC second team for his effort.
In his collegiate career he compiled a 19-8 record with a 4.27 ERA, all at the University of Florida.
Sproat becomes the 102nd draft pick in the Kevin O’Sullivan era at Florida.
The MLB Draft continues Monday with rounds three to ten starting at 2:00 PM.
A pair of Florida Gators had their name called during the first round of the MLB Draft Sunday evening. OF Wyatt Langford was selected No. 4 overall by the Texas Rangers while RHP Hurston Waldrep was taken by the Atlanta Braves with the No. 24 overall selection.
The University of Florida has now produced 217 draft picks, with 101 of those since head coach Kevin O’Sullivan took over in 2008. The Gators’ skipper has seen thirteen of his players selected in the first round since his arrival in Gainesville.
Langford, a junior from Trenton, FL, completed his collegiate career with a .373 batting average to go along with 21 home runs and 57 RBI and an OPS of 1.282 in 2023 and led his team to the College World Series Finals last month. Langford also stole nine based in ten attempts.
In 2022, Langford burst onto the scene by crushing 26 homers and accumulating 63 RBI. He did so while maintaining a .356 batting average and leading off for much of the year.
As a freshman, Langford made four plate appearances after arriving to UF primarily as a catcher. Florida Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan often gushes over the way Langford changed his body and became a true outfielder.
With the 24th pick, the @Braves select @GatorsBB right-handed pitcher Hurston Waldrep, No. 19 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list.
Waldrep, a junior, transferred to Florida following a (third team) All-American season at Southern Miss in 2022.
In 2023, the Thomasville, GA native finished the season 10-3 with a 4.16 ERA across 19 starts with the Gators. In 101.2 innings of work he struck out 156 batters.
Waldrep has a menacing split-change that forced a swing and miss rate of 63% in 2023. His fastball runs 93-96 but can reach as high as 99.
Rounds three to ten of the MLB Draft will commence Monday at 2:00 PM. RHP Brandon Sproat and SS Josh Rivera are candidates to be selected in the second to tenth round range.
Adding yet another jewel to her crown of many achievements as a Florida Gator, superstar Trinity Thomas has been named the SEC Female Athlete of the Year!
Congratulations to the 2022-23 @SEC Roy F. Kramer Athletes of the Year!
Her win marks a league-best 15 Athlete of the Year honors for Gator athletes. She’s the first gymnast to win the award since Bridget Sloan in 2016, and they are two of just 10 gymnasts to win the honor since it was split by gender in 1984. Thomas was the only gymnast nominated this year – track & field had the most female nominees at five total, while tennis and golf had the most male nominees at three apiece.
Thomas has racked up quite the list of accolades over her career. She was awarded her second Honda Cup just a few weeks ago, honoring her as the nation’s top collegiate gymnast, and there’s also the matter of the seemingly endless list of records she now holds for the Gator Gymnastics program. She recently announced that she will be staying on at Florida as a student coach for “another bonus year,” in her words, as she completes a second Masters program.
When asked about the award, Thomas was as humble as ever. “Being named the SEC Female Athlete of the Year is such an honor. The SEC is the powerhouse conference of athletics so to even be amongst the names is absolutely unbelievable. I just want to thank my teammates, my coaches, my family, everyone who has supported me in the Gator Nation. I’m so thankful for everyone that’s been along this journey.”
Head coach Jenny Rowland had high praise for her as usual, though: “Throughout her career, she put everything – both in and out of the gym – that she could for her team. The SEC Female Athlete of the Year is truly a well-earned and well-deserved honor for Trinity. Her Gator family couldn’t be more proud of her.”
“You can count me in, guys,” Alonso told the broadcast team during the telecast. Earlier in the day, it was revealed that Alonso was named an All-Star for the third time in his career.
In 2019, Alonso became just the second rookie to win the Home Run Derby (Aaron Judge, 2017). He also won in 2021 but stumbled and lost in the second round to Seattle slugger Julio Rodriguez last year.
The former Gators first baseman has hit 25 homers and driven in 58 runs in 76 games with the Mets this season. He is just 29 homers from 200 in his career and 62 RBI from reaching 500 for his MLB career.
Alonso was drafted by the Mets in the second round of the MLB Draft out of the University of Florida.
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