Thursday, June 9, 2016

UF Baseball: Sully's Guys, Where Are They Now? '11 - '13

Picking up from where I left off, here are the Gator baseball players who were drafted between the years of 2011 and 2014 during the midyears of the Kevin O'Sullivan era.

2011

Nick Maronde (104th Overall in the 3rd Round)


From Lexington, Kentucky, Nick Maronde pitched at the University of Florida for three seasons. Starting 12 games as a freshman, he was given a bullpen role for his final two years in Gainesville.

Appearing in 79 games throughout his collegiate career, Maronde had a career ERA of 3.98 with a 5-2 record, four saves, 131 innings pitched, 151 strikeouts, and 51 walks.

After his junior season, Maronde entered the 2011 MLB Draft and was selected 104th overall by the Los Angeles Angels in the third round.

Since then, Maronde has seen action in 33 professional games while fluctuating between the minor leagues and the MLB. In three sporadic MLB seasons, Maronde has posted a career 7.00 ERA, thrown 18 innings, struck out 18, and walked 19.

Anthony DeSclafani (199th Overall in the 6th Round)


Like Maronde, Anthony DeSclafani was an imported product as he was from Freehold, New Jersey. Transitioning from a starter to a reliever during his three seasons at Florida, DeSclafani appeared in a total of 68 games. In that time, he held a 5.38 ERA with a 13-9 record, three saves, 149 innings pitched, 115 strikeouts, and 30 walks.

Declaring for the 2012 MLB Draft after his junior season, DeSclafani was taken 199th overall in the sixth round by the Toronto Blue Jays. He would not play a single game in the "6" as he was traded to the Miami Marlins during the club's latest fire sale.

Working his way through the minors, DeSclafani made his MLB debut for the Fish in 2014. He threw 13 games for the club before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Mat Latos (which was a horrible trade) in the 2015 offseason.

DeSclafani would throw 33 games for the Reds in 2015, but has not thrown a game in 2016 due to an oblique strain. He is currently rehabbing in AAA with the Louisville Bats.

In what so far has been a crazy MLB career for the 26-year old, DeSclafani has appeared in 44 big league games and registered an ERA of 4.38, a record of 11-15, 218 innings pitched, 177 strikeouts, and 60 walks.

Alex Panteliodis (282nd Overall in the 9th Round)















Hailing from Alonso High School in Tampa, Florida, Alex Panteliodis was a solid left-handed starter for Sully. In 57 career games, Panteliodis posted a 3.81 ERA while going 23-10. His sophomore year, he went 11-3!

Individual seasons aside, Panteliodis finished his three-year UF career with one save, 227 innings pitched, one complete game, 172 strikeouts, and 48 walks.

When the draft rolled around, Panteliodis did indeed hear his name called as the New York Mets selected him 282nd overall in the ninth round.

Unfortunatley, Panteliodis's pro-career did not pan out as nicely as college did. Making is as far as AA ball, he chose to retire from baseball in 2014. He finished his three-year minor league career with 57 appearances, a career ERA of 4.35, a 17-20 record, 300 innings pitched, 189 strikeouts, and 80 walks.

Tommy Toledo (341st Overall in the 11th Round)
















A teammate of Alex Panteliodis at Alonso High School, Tommy Toledo shifted from starter to reliever during his three years at UF. Appearing in 55 games, he had a career ERA of 4.28, a 13-9 record, one save, 124 innings pitched, 89 strikeouts, and 50 walks.

Toledo was scooped up by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round of the 2011 MLB Draft and, like Panteliodis, saw limited success in the minor leagues. Ascending as far as AA, Toledo decided to call it quits in 2014.

In 130 appearances in the span of a four-year minor league career, Toledo maintained a 3.46 career ERA, posted an 18-14 record, saved 30 games, pitched 216 innings, struck out 189 batters, and issued 86 free passes.

Josh Adams (403rd Overall in the 13th Round)


From Jacksonville, Florida, Josh Adams anchored third base for the Gators. A three-time All-SEC standout during his four-year career in Gainesville, Adams slashed .305/.384/.464 with 287 hits, 31 home runs, 188 RBI's, 177 runs scored, and 23 stolen bases.

After graduating, Adams would get an opportunity to play professional ball as the Florida Marlins (such a nice ring to it) drafted him in the 13th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Adams made is as far as High-A ball before hanging up the spikes just this past year in 2015.

In six post-collegiate baseball seasons, Adams finished his playing career with a slash line of .195/.254/.291 with 271 hits, 24 home runs, 165 RBI's, 121 runs scored, and five stolen bases.

This story has a happy ending though! Adams currently serves as a manager on the Florida Gators baseball team.

Ben McMahan (701st Overall in the 23rd Round)













From Windmere, Florida, Ben McMahan served primarily as an outfielder for the Florida Gators. Spending three years in Gainesville, McMahan slashed .253/.293/.358 with 41 hits, four home runs, 16 RBI's, 27 runs scored, and seven stolen bases.

McMahan decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2011 MLB Draft. His decision paid off as the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the 23rd round. McMahan would equate his collegiate career as he spent just three seasons in the minor leagues before retiring in 2013.

He finished his minor league career with a slash line of .281/.322/.469 with 226 hits, 27 home runs, 123 RBI's, 118 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases.

Though he played more games, it can be argued that McMahan fared better in the minors than he actually did in college!

Matt Campbell (751st Overall in the 24th Round)














(No. 29 on the right who is about to fist bump Nick Maronde)

Matt Campbell is an interesting story. A Tampa native, he walked onto the Gator baseball team as a pitcher in 2010. Seeing action in just 23 games between both his junior and senior seasons, Campbell had an inflated ERA of 7.00 with one save, 27 innings pitched, 21 strikeouts, and five walks. Not bad for a walk-on!

Campbell earned two SEC Academic Honor Roll honors, but it was as a member of Florida's club baseball team that he really filled his trophy case. With the club team, Campbell was a:

  • 2009 South Atlantic South Conference Champion
  • First-team NCBA All-American
  • NCBA National Pitcher of the Week

Despite getting drafted in the 43rd round as a junior, Campbell opted to stay at Florida and improve his draft stock. His strategy panned out as he was selected in the 24th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.

As one would expect from a walk-on, however, Campbell did not last long in the minors. After two seasons, he called it a career in 2012. He finished with 38 appearances, a 3.74 ERA, a 4-3 record, four saves, 65 innings pitched, 37 strikeouts, and 29 walks.

Bryson Smith (1045th Overall in the 34th Round)


A Georgia-native, Bryson Smith transferred to the University of Florida from Division II Augusta State after the 2008 season. Due to eligibility rules, Smith had to sit out all of the 2009 season before finally donning the Orange and Blue uniform for the 2010 campaign.

In two seasons as a Gator, Smith slashed .292/.386/.401 with 84 hits, five home runs, 44 RBI's, 57 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases.

Rounding out Sully's 2011 draft class, Smith was taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the 34th round. As of right now, Smith is still chasing the dream. In six minor league seasons, he has slashed .284/.352/.398 with 311 hits, 20 home runs, 145 RBI's, 145 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases.

Smith's diligence and hark work have nearly paid off. He has progressed all the way through the Reds' minor league system and now plays for their AAA affiliate the Louisville Bats. Smith is a Reds' injury or two away from a potential MLB call up!

2012

Mike Zunino (3rd Overall in the 1st Round) 

From Cape Coral, Florida, Mike Zunino may be one of the greatest catchers in Florida Gator history! Spending three seasons in Gainesville, Zunino slashed .327/.393/.620 with 224 hits, 47 home runs, 175 RBI's, 159 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases.

In addition to his outrageous stats, Zunino also filled his trophy case with various individual awards and honors like:

  • 2012 Dick Howser Trophy
  • 2012 Golden Spikes Award
  • 2012 Johnny Bench Award
  • 2012 Baseball America’s College Player of the Year 
  • 2012 Consensus First-team All-American
  • 2011 SEC Player of the Year
  • 2012 & 2011 First-team ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region Team
  • 2012 & 2011 First-team All-SEC
  • 2012 & 2011 SEC All-Defensive Team
  • 2010 First-team SEC All-Freshman Team
  • 2010 Baseball America Freshman All-American

With such a decorated college career, Mike Zunino continued to imprint his name in Gator lore when the Seattle Mariners took him with the third overall pick in the 2012 Draft. With Zunino's selection, he became the highest Gator ever chosen in the MLB Draft!

After cruising through the minor leagues, Zunino has seen substantial playing time with 295 MLB games under his belt. Although this may seem like a decent number of games in just three seasons, his collegiate success has not translated to the major league level.

Zunino slashed a career .193/.252/.353 on the big stage with 185 hits, 38 home runs, 102 RBI's, 101 runs scored, and one stolen base. For the Mariners, this just wasn't good enough.

In 2016, he started the season with Seattle's AAA affiliate the Tacoma Rainiers and has been playing fairly well through 51 games. I expect Zunino to be back in the big leagues real soon. Whether he can last there long-term is not for me to say.

Brian Johnson (31st Overall in the 1st Round)

From Lakeland, Florida, Brian Johnson imposed his will on hitters as a 6'3 lefty at the University of Florida. Starting 46 of the 49 collegiate games that he pitched in, Johnson posted a career ERA of 3.85 with a 22-12 record, 243 innings pitched, 196 strikeouts, and 47 walks.

Interestingly enough, Johnson was a rare dual-threat as he could also swing the bat pretty well. As a hitter, Johnson slashed .324/.383/.492 with 155 hits, 15 home runs, 91 RBI's, 63 runs scored, and two stolen bases.

Between his stellar pitching and hitting, Johnson collected accolades like:

  • 2012 John Olerud Award
  • 2012 All-SEC Tournament Team
  • 2012 SEC Player of the Week in the span of April 9th to April 16th
  • 2012 & 2011 First-team All-SEC
  • 2011 SEC Academic Honor Roll
  • 2011 First-team SEC Designated Hitter
  • 2010 First-team SEC All-Freshman Team
  • 2010 First-team Baseball America Freshman All-American
  • 2010 First-team Yahoo! Sports Freshman All-American
  • 2010 Second-team NCBWA Freshman All-American
  • 2010 SEC Academic Honor Roll
  • 2010 Gainesville Regional MVP
  • 2010 Freshman of the Week on two occasions

With his trophy case stocked, Johnson would join Mike Zunino as a first round selectee when the Boston Red Sox took him 31st overall in the 2012 MLB Draft.

Like his backstop, Johnson climbed the minor league ranks as a pitcher and made his major league debut for the Red Sox on July 21, 2015. It would be his first and last major league start. Facing the Houston Astros on the road, Johnson was tagged for four earned runs on three hits while striking out three and walking four.

After suffering his first major league career loss, Johnson was sent back down to the AAA affiliate Pawtucket Red Sox and has remained there to this very day.

Nolan Fontana (61st Overall in the 2nd Round)

From Winter Garden, Florida, Nolan Fontana held down the shortstop position for the Florida Gators. In three seasons, Fontana slashed .287/.416/.432 with 205 hits, 17 home runs, 102 RBI's, 172 runs, and 30 stolen bases.

Like the two men before him on this list, Fontana had a trophy case stuffed full of awards like:

  • 2012 SEC Academic Honor Roll
  • 2012, 2011, & 2010 All-SEC Team 
  • 2012, 2011, & 2010 SEC All-Defensive Team
  • 2010 SEC All-Freshman Team
  • 2010 Freshman All-SEC
  • 2010 Freshman All-American
  • 2010 Rawlings NCAA Division I Gold Glove Team

A catalyst at the plate and a vacuum in the field with a career .973 fielding percentage, Fontana would be selected 61st overall in the second round by the Houston Astros in the 2012 MLB Draft.

Speeding through minor league ball like his previous counterparts, Fontana currently resides in AAA with the Fresno Grizzlies. Yet to see MLB action, Fontana will likely have to wait for a while or hope to get traded as 21-year old Carlos Correa has the Astros' shortstop job locked up for the foreseeable future.

As it stands now, Fontana has slashed .241/.395/.356 in a five-year minor league career with 310 hits, 15 home runs, 168 RBI's, 228 runs scored, and 41 stolen bases.

Paco Rodriguez (82nd Overall in the 2nd Round)

Out of Miami, Florida, Steven "Paco" Rodriguez was one of the the go-to relievers in his two seasons at the University of Florida. In 66 appearances, the 6'3 lefty posted a career ERA of 2.07 with a 7-4 record, six saves, 100 innings pitched, 125 strikeouts, and 25 walks. He was named to the All-SEC team in 2012.

Eligible for the 2012 MLB Draft after his sophomore campaign, the 21-year old Rodriguez was taken 82nd overall in the second round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After just three minor league seasons, Rodriguez made it to the show and has appeared in 113 career MLB games! In that span he has had a career ERA of 2.53 with a 4-5 record, two saves, 91 strikeouts, 30 walks, and 85.1 innings pitched.

On July 30th, 2015, Rodriguez was traded from Los Angeles to the Atlanta Braves. Currently, he is on the 60-day disabled list after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Hopefully he will come back stronger than ever like many other pitchers who have had the procedure done in the past.

Austin Maddox (118th Overall in the 3rd Round)













Growing up less than two hours away from Gainesville in the Floridian metropolis known as Jacksonville, Austin Maddox was another centerpiece in that great 2012 Florida bullpen. In 53 appearances over the course of his two seasons out of the pen, Maddox maintained a career ERA of 1.87 with a 6-3 record, 17 saves, 82 innings pitched, 78 strikeouts, and 14 walks.

But wait there's more! Like Brian Johnson, Maddox was also a dual-threat player who swung the bat pretty well. In three seasons as a hitter, Maddox slashed .303/.345/.461 with 173 hits, 24 home runs, 112 RBI's, 83 runs scored, and one stolen base.

Although his offensive numbers did decline each season as he began to focus more on pitching, the fact that Maddox could consistently succeed in D-1 baseball from both the mound and the batter's box is quite a feat!

Being such a dominant closer and hitter, Maddox received some conference and nationwide recognition like:

  • 2012 NCBWA Third-team All-American
  • 2010 SEC Freshman of the Year
  • 2010 SEC All-Freshman Team
  • 2010 Second-team All-SEC
  • 2010 NCBWA Third-team All-American
  • 2010 Baseball America All-Freshman Team
  • 2010 Louisville Slugger All-Freshman Team
  • 2010 NCBWA All-Freshman Team
  • 2010 Yahoo! Sports All-Freshman Team

Like many of his highly touted teammates before him, Maddox was taken high in the 2012 MLB Draft as the Boston Red Sox selected him 118th overall in the third round.

Making the permanent transition to a pitcher, Maddox has had a slower climb to the big leagues as he is currently in AA with the Salem Red Sox after five minor league seasons. In 82 career games, he owns a 4.71 ERA, an 8-12 record, 17 saves, 147 strikeouts, and 42 walks.

As these stats indicate, it may be a while before Maddox joins former teammate Brian Johnson with the Pawtucket Red Sox in AAA.

Preston Tucker (219th Overall in the 7th Round)


A Tampa-native who played ball at powerhouse Henry B. Plant High School, Preston Tucker was a rare phenomenon as he played college ball at Florida all the way through his senior year. With so much time to do damage, the Gator outfielder put up some ridiculous offensive numbers.

Tucker slashed .329/.412/.576 with 341 hits, 57 home runs, 258 RBI's, 210 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases. This is probably not a surprise, but Tucker's fantastic numbers garnered him some awards throughout his college career like:

  • 2012 SEC Academic Honor Roll
  • 2012 & 2011 All-American
  • 2012 & 2011 All-SEC
  • 2012, 2011, 2010, & 2009 Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team
  • 2011 Gainesville Regional Most Outstanding Player 
  • 2011 First-team ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region Team
  • 2009 Gainesville Regional Most Outstanding Player
  • 2009 NCBWA Freshman Hitter of the Year
  • 2009 Co-SEC Freshman of the Year
  • 2009 SEC All-Freshman Team
  • 2009 Baseball American Freshman All-American 
  • 2009 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American
  • 2009 Rivals.com Freshman All-American
  • 2009 NCBWA Freshman All-American

Drafted in the 16th round after his junior year, Tucker's decision to return for his senior year paid off as the Houston Astros took him 219th overall in the seventh round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

Following five minor league seasons and a quick rise through the Astros' farm system, Tucker finally made it to the pros in 2015. He briefly began 2016 with the Fresno Grizzlies before being called back up to the pro squad, where he currently remains.

Tucker has fared decently in 131 big league contests, he owns a slash line of .229/.279/.418 with 88 hits, 16 home runs, 38 RBI's, and 41 runs scored. Fun Fact: his younger brother Kyle also plays in the Astros organization after Houston took him with the fifth overall pick in last year's draft. Had the younger Tucker not been drafted, he would have followed in Preston's footsteps and played at Florida.

Hudson Randall (244th Overall in the 7th Round)

Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, Hudson Randall made the five-hour trip south to play college ball for the Florida Gators. A three-year starter who served as Florida's Friday night ace, Randall was most successful in his sophomore season as he went 11-3 with a 2.17 ERA.

For his whole 55-game career, Randall maintained an ERA of 2.62 with a 28-10 record, 316 innings pitched, 204 strikeouts, 44 walks, three complete games, and two shutouts.

Leaving Florida as arguably one of the top five pitchers to ever play for the program, Randall earned some honors like:

  • 2012 & 2011 Second-team All-South Region
  • 2011 College Baseball Insider All-American Honorable Mention
  • 2011 Second-team All-South Region
  • 2011 Second-team All-SEC
  • 2010 Baseball America Freshman All-American Team
  • 2010 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team
  • 2010 NCBWA Freshman All-American Team
  • 2010 Yahoo! Sports Freshman All-American Team in 2010
  • 2010 SEC All-Freshman Team
  • 2010 Freshman Academic Honor Roll

After his junior season, Randall declared for the 2012 MLB Draft and was taken 244th overall in the seventh round by the Detroit Tigers.

Unfortunatley, the minor leagues did not pan out for Randall as he was out of baseball by 2013. He finished with a stat line of 23 games played, a 4.85 ERA, a 3-11 record, one save, 91 innings pitched, 43 strikeouts, and 19 walks.

Regardless, he should still be remembered as one of the greatest Florida Gator pitchers in school history.

Daniel Pigott (292nd Overall in the 9th Round)

















Growing up in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daniel Pigott split time between first base and the outfield during his four years at the University of Florida.

Arriving in the same recruiting class as Preston Tucker, Anthony DeSclafani, Nick Maronde, and Alex Panteliodis among others, Pigott held his own with the Gators as he slashed .310/.368/.450 with 246 hits, 17 home runs, 124 RBI's, 146 runs scored, and 35 stolen bases. His collegiate honors included a selection to the 2011 NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team and 2011 SEC Tournament MVP.

After graduation, Pigott was taken as the 292nd overall pick in the ninth round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

He got as far as High-A ball, but chose to hang up the spikes in 2015 after four seasons in the minor leagues. He finished his playing career with a .273/.327/.411 slash line, 175 hits, 13 home runs, 90 RBI's, 89 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases.

Greg Larson (631st Overall in the 20th Round)












From West Palm Beach, Florida, Greg Larson was also a member of Sully's 2009 recruiting class. Working mostly out of the bullpen during his four-year Florida career, the 6'8 right-hander appeared in 122 games and posted a 2.91 ERA with a 13-4 record, 161 innings pitched, three saves, 115 strikeouts, and 41 walks.

After graduating with four SEC Academic Honor Roll distinctions and two SEC Baseball Community Service Team selections, Larson was chosen by the Boston Red Sox in the 20th round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

He made 33 appearances in two minor league seasons before retiring in 2013. He finished with an ERA of 3.32, a 2-5 record, 57 innings pitched, 48 strikeouts, and 21 walks.

Tyler Thompson (1387th Overall in the 46th Round)

From Tequesta, Florida, Tyler Thompson played all four years at the University of Florida as an outfielder. He slashed .280/.348/.418 with 104 hits, 10 home runs, 64 RBI's, 65 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases while earning a spot on the 2009 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll.

The Washington Nationals would select Thompson in the 46th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, but the Florida graduate declined and went wherever his anthropology major took him.

2013

Jonathon Crawford (20th Overall in the 1st Round)












The No. 3 nationally ranked high school prospect out of Okeechobee, Florida, Jonathon Crawford worked his way into the starting rotation during his time in Gainesville. Over 36 games in a three-year Gator career, Crawford posted a 3.54 ERA, a 9-8 record, two complete game shutouts, 168 innings pitched, 120 strikeouts, and 63 walks.

Crawford's crowning collegiate achievement, however, had to be in his sophomore year when he no-hit Bethune-Cookman in the Gainesville Regional opener on June 1, 2012. In addition to throwing Florida's most recent no-no, some of Crawford's other accomplishments include:

  • 2013 Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team
  • SEC Pitcher of the Week on April 1, 2013
  • 2012 SEC Academic Honor Roll

After a fine career for the Orange and Blue, Crawford entered the 2013 MLB Draft and replaced Brian Johnson as the highest Gator pitcher ever selected when the Detroit Tigers took him 20th overall in the first round.

His time with Detroit wouldn't last long at all, as the Tigers traded him to the Cincinnati Reds for Alfredo Simon. In four minor league seasons, he has a 3.00 ERA, an 8-6 record, 156 innings pitched, 120 strikeouts, and 63 walks.

As of 2016, Crawford has reached high-A ball with the Daytona Tortugas and is on the disabled list. At the rate he's progressing, Crawford may not see the major leagues until 2019 or 2020.

Daniel Gibson (210th Overall in the 7th Round)

A 6'3 lefty who played at Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida, Daniel Gibson was mainly a bullpen guy in his three years at Florida. Pitching in 69 games, Gibson had a bloated ERA of 5.18 with a 14-8 record, one save, 161 innings pitched, 167 strikeouts, and 65 walks.

After his junior season, Gibson entered the 2013 MLB Draft and was selected 210th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seventh round.

Gibson has slowly worked his way up the D'Backs farm system in four minor league seasons, as he is now in AA with the Mobile BayBears. In 153 games he has maintained a career ERA of 2.40 with a 14-8 record, nine saves, 161 innings pitched, 167 strikeouts, and 65 walks. If he keeps it up, Gibson will be in the pros in a few more years.

Taylor Ratliff (390th Overall in the 13th Round)
Ratliff gets this photo for contributing nothing to Gator baseball.














Growing up 45 minutes outside of Gainesville as an Ocala native, Taylor Ratliff actually spent his first two seasons at Jacksonville University before transferring to Florida in 2013. He didn't play a single game for the Gators... wait what?!

Anyways, he was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 13th round of the 2013 MLB Draft.

He lasted just two seasons in the minor leagues before calling it quits in 2014. In 116 games of low-A ball, he slashed .191/.308/.229 with 82 hits, one home run, 24 RBI's, 68 runs scored, and 40 stolen bases.

Johnny Magliozzi (506th Overall in the 17th Round)














From Brookline, Massachusetts, Johnny Magliozzi turned into quite a dynamic reliever for the Gators in his two seasons at Florida. Appearing in 45 games, Magliozzi posted a 3.48 ERA with an 8-5 record, 12 saves, 101 innings pitched, 78 strikeouts, and 21 walks. All 12 of those saves came in Magliozzi's sophomore year!

After concluding his college career with a selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Magliozzi entered the 2013 MLB Draft and was taken in the 17th round by the New York Mets. After three minor league seasons, he has made it up to high-A ball with the Columbia Fireflies.

Magliozzi still has plenty of time at just 24 years old, but he needs to start showing signs of improvement. Through 46 minor league games, he has a 4.12 ERA, a 2-3 record, 12 saves, 59 innings pitched, 49 strikeouts, and 15 walks.

Cody Dent (676th Overall in the 22nd Round)


Out of Boynton Beach, Florida, Cody Dent played all four years at the University of Florida. As a utility player for the Gators, Dent slashed .176/.286/.203 with 58 hits, one home run, 26 RBI's, 42 runs scored, and six stolen bases.

Dent was recognized more for his off the field work than his actual play with accolades like:

  • 2013, 2012, & 2011 SEC All-Academic Honor Roll
  • 2013 SEC Community Service Team

He is also one of the best bunters that UF has ever seen, as he finished sixth all-time in school history with 24 sacrifice bunts.

After graduation, Dent was chosen by the Washington Nationals in the 22nd round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He has worked his way up to high-A ball as he currently plays for the Potomac Nationals.

In four minor league seasons, he has slashed .191/.278/.255 with 106 hits, two home runs, 40 RBI's, 63 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases.

Conclusion:
I hope you enjoyed Part Two of this three-part series! I have no timeframe on when the final installment will be released, but stay tuned for my articles on the Gainesville Super Regional between Florida and Florida State as well as the 2016 Gator softball and lacrosse season wrap ups!


*All stats & accolades accredited to BaseballCube.com, Wikipedia.com, and FloridaGators.com




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