Former longtime Florida baseball coach Dave Fuller dies

Dave Fuller, the winningest baseball coach in University of Florida history, died Tuesday (Sept. 15) at North
Florida Regional Hospital in Gainesville. He was 94.
   
Fuller guided the Gator baseball program from 1948-75, producing a record of 557-354-6 and SEC Championships in 1952, 1956 and 1962. He was selected SEC Coach of the Year all three years. His clubs also won four Eastern Division titles, and played in four NCAA Regional tournaments.
   
His baseball teams produced 47 first-team All-SEC players, and All-Americans Bernie Parrish (1958), Perry McGriff (1959-1960) and Tom Moore (1962-1963). Seven of his players went on to play in the Major Leagues, including Dennis Aust, Doug Corbett, William Graham, Roger Holt, Haywood Sullivan, Dale Willis and Kendall Wise.

“Coach Fuller’s loyalty and dedication to the coaching profession, and his love of the University of Florida, will always be remembered,” UF athletic director Jeremy Foley said. “He had a significant positive influence on countless athletes, coaches and administrators.”

Florida recruit Patrick Schuster signs with Diamondbacks

Former Mitchell High left-hander Patrick Schuster, who gained national attention by pitching a state-record four consecutive no-hitters in April, confirmed this morning he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Schuster, a 13th-round pick, reportedly received a $450,000 signing bonus, passing up a scholarship offer to the University of Florida. That figure is above the recommended "slot" amount for a player drafted in Schuster's position.

He said he'll report to the club's rookie-league affiliate in Missoula, Mont.

"You know this means a lot because ultimately this is what any ball player is aiming for," Schuster told the Times via text message this morning. "Luckily I got the amount I wanted and I'm going to run with it."

A 6-foot-2 left-hander with 90-mph velocity and a knee-buckling slider, Schuster was far less diplomatic in an interview with the Diamondbacks' official Web site. He had been working out and attending summer classes at UF, but seemed disenchanted by the experience.

"You know what I figured that would probably hurry (the D-Backs) up a little bit, you know get them thinking a little," he told the site. "Then I got there and I don't like being treated like I'm stupid. I got there and they treated me like a dumb jock and I didn't appreciate it, I didn't like it."

JOEY KNIGHT

Schuster, a 13th-round pick, reportedly received a $450,000 signing bonus, passing up a scholarship offer to the University of Florida. That figure is above the recommended "slot" amount for a player drafted in Schuster's position.

He said he'll report to the club's rookie-league affiliate in Missoula, Mont.

"You know this means a lot because ultimately this is what any ball player is aiming for," Schuster told the Times via text message this morning. "Luckily I got the amount I wanted and I'm going to run with it."

A 6-foot-2 left-hander with 90-mph velocity and a knee-buckling slider, Schuster was far less diplomatic in an interview with the Diamondbacks' official Web site. He had been working out and attending summer classes at UF, but seemed disenchanted by the experience.

"You know what I figured that would probably hurry (the D-Backs) up a little bit, you know get them thinking a little," he told the site. "Then I got there and I don't like being treated like I'm stupid. I got there and they treated me like a dumb jock and I didn't appreciate it, I didn't like it."

JOEY KNIGHT

Schuster, a 13th-round pick, reportedly received a $450,000 signing bonus, passing up a scholarship offer to the University of Florida. That figure is above the recommended "slot" amount for a player drafted in Schuster's position.

He said he'll report to the club's rookie-league affiliate in Missoula, Mont.

"You know this means a lot because ultimately this is what any ball player is aiming for," Schuster told the Times via text message this morning. "Luckily I got the amount I wanted and I'm going to run with it."

A 6-foot-2 left-hander with 90-mph velocity and a knee-buckling slider, Schuster was far less diplomatic in an interview with the Diamondbacks' official Web site. He had been working out and attending summer classes at UF, but seemed disenchanted by the experience.

"You know what I figured that would probably hurry (the D-Backs) up a little bit, you know get them thinking a little," he told the site. "Then I got there and I don't like being treated like I'm stupid. I got there and they treated me like a dumb jock and I didn't appreciate it, I didn't like it."

JOEY KNIGHT

Former Gator baseball player Brandon McArthur signs pro contract

Brandon McArthur, the Seffner native who survived a severe brain injury and overcame two major injuries during his long Florida baseball career, has signed a professional baseball contract with the Traverse City
(Mich.) Beach Bums of the independent Frontier League.

McArthur finished his senior year with a career-high .338 batting average, 41 RBI, 25 runs scored and a team-leading 14 doubles. In his final collegiate season, McArthur played in 59 games, with 41 starts at third base, 12 starts at first base, and six at designated hitter. The infielder ranked among the team leaders in hits (70) and RBI (41) and had a .310 average in SEC play with 14 RBI and six doubles. In addition, McArthur was second on the Gators with a .448 (13-for-29) postseason clip.

McArthur received his bachelor’s degree in criminology and is working towards a master’s degree in anthropology. He carried a 3.21 grade point average, was a four-time selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and is one of only six Gator baseball players to have been named to the conference honor roll at least four times.

Jesuit ace Daniel Gibson commits to University of Florida

Jesuit left-hander Daniel Gibson, one of the area's top rising senior pitchers, has committed to the University of Florida.

Gibson was heavily recruited by a dozen Division I schools, but ulitimately chose the Gators over Notre Dame.

"I knew that both schools were great schools academically and athletically, so what it really came down to was location and the weather," Gibson said. "It's not too far away from home but the far enough. And when I thought about where I'd want to play, I enjoy pitching in this kind of weather."

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Gibson, a Times Hillsborough County first-team selection this spring, was 9-2 with a 2.08 ERA for the Tigers, who spents some of the second half of the season as the consensus No. 1 ranked team in the nation. He started the season 7-0, finished with 67 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings and held opponents to a .244 batting average.

Gibson said he visited UF on the way to pitching in the World Wood Bat Association Wood Bat Tournament in Marietta, Ga. -- he is pitching for the All-American Prospects this summer -- and also on the way home. The Gators attended all of his summer games, he said.

"A lot of places wanted him," Jesuit coach Richie Warren said. "His recruiting was similar to a lot of the other arms who have come out of here. He had just played his best in that tournament. He was throwing in the low-90s."

Gibson said UF was always at the top of his list, and his last visits to Gainesville only confirmed he wanted to be a Gator.

"I felt comfortable there," Gibson said. "They were at a couple of my games during the high school season. They came on kind of late, but when they did they game on strong. They showed me and my family that they were really interested."

Gibson will join fellow Hillsborough County standout pitchers Tommy Toledo (Alonso) and Alex Panteliodis (Alonso), as well as former Plant first baseman Preston Tucker -- a consensus freshman All-American -- with the Gators.

-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA

Several more Gators selected in Major League Baseball Draft

Riley Cooper, Avery Barnes and Tony Davis - all Florida baseball players - have been selected on Day 2 of the Major League Baseball Draft.

Barnes, a senior outfielder, was selected in the 11th round by the Colorado Rockies. Davis, a junior left-handed pitcher, was selected in the 12th round by the Minnesota Twins.

Barnes led the SEC in batting average (.382), hits (50) and runs in league play and was a first-team All-SEC selection. He is the first UF outfielder to earn All-conference honors in consecutive seasons since Ben Harrison in 2003 and 2004.

Davis was 5-0 this season, and led the Gator pitching staff with a 2.25 ERA. In 32 appearances, he limited opponents to .190 at the plate and had 37 strikeouts in a career-high 44 innings.

Florida signee and Mitchell High grad Patrick Schuster was taken in the 13th round with the 396th pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Cooper, a former Clearwater Central Catholic standout, was taken in the 25th round by the Texas Rangers with pick No. 754. Cooper played in 30 games, but missed the majority of the latter part of the season and all of the postseason with a knee injury. He is also an expected starting wide receiver on the Gator football team.

Florida pitcher Billy Bullock drafted by Minnesota Twins

Florida junior pitcher Billy Bullock was selected in the second round by the Minnesota Twins in Tuesday's Major League Baseball Draft. Bullock was the 70th pick of the draft, the highest Gator pitcher chosen since Justin Hoyman went in the second round to the Cleveland Indians in 2004, 47th overall.

Bullock was 3-3 in 34 appearances with a 2.64 ERA this season. The right-hander had 11 saves, third in the SEC, and tied for fourth-most in a single season by a Florida pitcher. In 47.2 innings, Bullock had d 50, 22 walks and limited opponents to a .231 batting average.

Florida also had three signees drafted. Infielder Bobby Borchering (Alva, Fla./Bishop Verot H.S.) was taken with the 16th pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks and infielder LeVon Washington (Gainesville Buchholz) went 30th to the Tampa Bay Rays. Left-hander David Holmberg (Port Charlotte/Port Charlotte H.S.) went in round two to the Chicago White Sox with the 71st pick.

Florida first baseman Preston Tucker earns national award

Preston Tucker continued to add to his freshman-season honors on Tuesday when he was named the 2009 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Freshman Hitter of the Year. 

He is the first Gator ever to receive the honor.

The award is added to a long list of postseason accolades, including: SEC Co-Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American selection by Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA, Tucker was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Gainesville Regional, collected All-SEC Tournament Team recognition and was a unanimous choice on the SEC’s All-Freshman squad.

Tucker led the Gators in batting average (.364), runs batted in (85) and home runs (15). His total of 85 RBI was a single-season school record and eclipsed the previous mark of 80 set by Ryan Shealy in 2002. The Tampa native also led Florida in slugging percentage (.628), multiple-hit (27) and multiple-RBI games (23), as well as total bases (152). He was the runner-up in hits (88) and doubles (13) and recorded a .992 fielding percentage.

Gator baseball team's season comes to stunning end

No. 3 seed Southern Miss rallied from a 6-1 deficit Sunday night to defeat Florida 7-6 and  clinch the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional at McKethan Stadium. 

With the victory, the Golden Eagles advanced to their first College World Series, while the Gators' (42-22) season ended in disappointment.

Southern Miss (40-24) scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth off UF closer Billy Bullock, including the go-ahead run, to seal the win. The Gators had an opportunity to end the inning with a double play and the game tied at six, but the throw from second to first base short-hopped and freshman first baseman Preston Tucker couldn't make the play, which allowed Adam Doleac to score the winning run.

"We had a great gameplan against their starter,'' UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "Once again their bullpen put up six zeroes in a row and we just quite coulnd't distance outselves. If you'd have told me going into the day that we'd have a two run lead with six outs to go and
we'd have Bullock rested and ready to go, I'd have felt pretty good about it.''

Prior to Saturday's first game of the Super Regional, the Florida players said they expected Southern Miss to be a tough opponent, despite its lower seed in the NCAA tourney field, because of its success in the Atlanta Regional. 

"Coming in we knew that they were going to be a scrappy team just like ourselves,'' UF senior Brandon McArthur said. "They battled. Every single person that went out there to perform it seemed like they were on a mission and we just got to give them a lot of credit. They came
in to our place, a pretty tough place to play, and they got the job done.''

The Golden Eagles capped an impropable run that included defeating Georgia Tech on its home field in the NCAA Regional.

“I’m just so proud of our team,'' Southern Miss coach Corky Palmer said. "Winning the Super Regional the way we did it and to come back against a fine Florida team at home is amazing. To be down 6-1 and come back and win that game was special. It’s been a great ride. I don’t know what happened three weeks ago but those seniors bonded and we just grew up each week. We’ve earned everything that we have got. . . This is quite an accomplishment for our school to go to Omaha. Seven-straight regionals are nothing to sneeze at, but to take this step to Omaha will do wonders for our program.”

Gator baseball team prepares to take final step toward reaching season-long goal

On the eve of playing in its first NCAA Super Regional since 2005, the Florida baseball team is taking a simple, tried-and-true approach: stay focused on the task at hand and just keep doing what they've done all season to get to this point.

"It's not easy to get there and the focus for us when we get this close is we've got to have even better practices than we had last week, we can't take anything for granted,'' UF second-year coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "I thought the mindset going into the regional was good, and we can't let up a bit. Regardless of who you play, you've got to play good, sound baseball and be ready to go.''

No. 10 Florida (42-20) will host Southern Miss (38-24) Saturday at 3 p.m, then on Sunday at 7 p.m. If necessary, game three will be held on Monday. The winner will advance to the College World Series in Omaha.

"That was our ultimate goal when we set out this year, to put ourselves in a position to host a Super Regional and give us a chance to hopefully get to Omaha,'' O'Sullivan said. "We're right there and hopefully we'll play sound, fundamental baseball and punch the ticket.

Although Southern Miss was considered a bubble team when the field of 64 was first announced, the Golden Eagles' upset of Regional host Georgia Tech has the Gators taking notice.

"They are very fundamentally sound, hard-nosed and scrappy,'' O'Sullivan said. "They play the game the right way. We're going to have our hands full this weekend, there's no question.''

Only two players on the Gators' roster have ever played in a Super Regional or advanced to the College World Series - Seffner sixth-year senior Brandon McArthur (seen in photo) and former Tampa King standout Stephen Locke. The Gators will have Locke on the mound as the starting pitcher either on Saturday or Sunday.

"It doesn't matter which day he starts, he's going to have to win a game for us to advance,'' O'Sullivan said.

[Photo: University of Florida]

Florida first baseman Preston Tucker named freshman All-American

Preston Tucker, the former Plant Class 5A All-State player, has been named to the prestigious 2009 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team, chosen by Collegiate Baseball.

The SEC Co-Freshman of the Year, Tucker leads the ninth-ranked Gators with a single-season school record 83 RBI, 14 home runs, 13 doubles and 145 total bases. He is second on the squad with a .357 batting average. He also leads the Gators in slugging percentage (.617), multiple-hit (25) and multiple-RBI games (23).

Tucker was named the NCAA Gainesville Regional’s Most Outstanding Player last Sunday night after going 9-for-13 (.692) over the three Florida victories with six RBI, two homers and a slugging percentage of 1.231. He was 4-for-5 in the championship-game win over the Miami with three RBI. He hit his team-leading 14th home run as part of a seven-run, fifth-inning for the Gators.

Tucker and the Gators (42-20) will host No. 17 Southern Miss (38-24) in NCAA Super Regional action at McKethan Stadium starting on Saturday at 3 p.m., live on ESPNU. The teams will play in a best-of-three series, with the winner advancing to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

[PHOTO: University of Florida]