# 2012 Florida Gators baseball team

The 2012 Florida Gators baseball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of baseball during the 2012 college baseball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They played their home games at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The team was coached by Kevin O'Sullivan, who was in his fifth season at Florida. The Gators sought to build upon their appearance in the 2011 College World Series Finals, where they were eliminated by South Carolina in two games.
After being eliminated in the semifinals of the SEC tournament, the Gators were selected as the No. 1 national seed in the NCAA tournament. After winning the Gainesville Regional and Super Regional, they advanced to the College World Series for the third consecutive year. There they were eliminated after just two games, losing to South Carolina and Kent State.
The Gators had nine players selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft including junior catcher Mike Zunino, recipient of the 2012 Dick Howser Trophy.

## Schedule

2012 Florida Gators baseball game log :
Regular season :
February
DateOpponentRankStadium SiteScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall RecordSEC Record
February 17No. 16 Cal State FullertonNo. 1McKethan Stadium7–3Rodriguez (1–0)Cardona (0–1)None5,3561–0–
February 18No. 16 Cal State FullertonNo. 1McKethan Stadium5–2Whitson (1–0)Wiest (0–1)Maddox (1)4,9512–0–
February 19No. 16 Cal State FullertonNo. 1McKethan Stadium5–8Gauna (1–0)Crawford (0–1)Lorenzen (1)4,0822–1–
February 21Bethune–CookmanNo. 1McKethan Stadium8–6Maddox (1–0)Hernandez (0–1)None2,6163–1–
February 22UCFNo. 1McKethan Stadium8–0Crawford (1–1)Collins (0–1)None2,8674–1–
February 24William & MaryNo. 1McKethan Stadium4–1Randall (1–0)Shain (0–1)Maddox (2)3,1395–1–
February 25William & MaryNo. 1McKethan Stadium5–1Johnson (1–0)Wainman (1–1)None4,0936–1–
February 26William & MaryNo. 1McKethan Stadium5–3$^6$Rodriguez (2–0)Inghram (0–2)None2,9187–1– :
March
DateOpponentRankStadium SiteScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall RecordSEC Record
March 2at No. 8 Miami (FL) RivalryNo. 2Alex Rodriguez Park Coral Gables, FL7–5Randall (2–0)Erickson (2–1)Maddox (3)4,2338–1–
March 3at No. 8 Miami (FL) RivalryNo. 2Alex Rodriguez Park13–5Larson (1–0)Whaley (1–1)None4,9999–1–
March 4at No. 8 Miami (FL) RivalryNo. 2Alex Rodriguez Park8–5Magliozzi (1–0)Encinosa (0–1)Gibson (1)2,12410–1–
March 6Florida AtlanticNo. 1McKethan Stadium16–1Poyner (1–0)Meiers (1–2)None2,80311–1–
March 7Florida A&MNo. 1McKethan Stadium15–2Larson (2–0)Duncan (1–3)None2,67312–1–
March 9Florida Gulf CoastNo. 1McKethan Stadium4–2Rodriguez (3–0)Anderson (1–1)Maddox (4)3,00113–1–
March 10Florida Gulf CoastNo. 1McKethan Stadium8–3Johnson (2–0)Bixler (2–2)None3,41314–1–
March 11Florida Gulf CoastNo. 1McKethan Stadium3–2Gibson (1–0)Forjet (0–2)Maddox (5)3,26615–1–
March 13No. 6 Florida State RivalryNo. 1McKethan Stadium9–2Larson (3–0)Sitz (1–1)Maddox (6)6,00516–1–
March 14Ontario Blue Jays (exh.)No. 1McKethan StadiumCancelled (rain); no make-up.
March 16VanderbiltNo. 1McKethan Stadium10–2Randall (3–0)Ziomek (2–2)None4,14117–11–0
March 17VanderbiltNo. 1McKethan Stadium5–1Johnson (3–0)VerHagen (2–2)None4,36418–12–0
March 18VanderbiltNo. 1McKethan Stadium8–2Crawford (2–1)Beede (0–3)None4,08819–13–0
March 20SamfordNo. 1McKethan Stadium5–3Magliozzi (2–0)Rutledge (0–2)Maddox (7)2,76920–1–
March 22at No. 8 South CarolinaNo. 1Carolina Stadium Columbia, SC3–9Price (3–1)Rodriguez (3–1)None8,24220–23–1
March 23at No. 8 South CarolinaNo. 1Carolina Stadium8–2Johnson (4–0)Koumas (1–2)None8,24221–24–1
March 24at No. 8 South CarolinaNo. 1Carolina Stadium5–4Maddox (2–0)Price (3–2)None8,24222–25–1
March 27vs. No. 4 Florida State RivalryNo. 1Baseball Grounds Jacksonville, FL4–1Magliozzi (3–0)Busch (0–1)Maddox (8)10,75123–2–
March 30at No. 20 Ole MissNo. 1Swayze Field Oxford, MS0–3Wahl (5–0)Randall (3–1)Huber (6)9,31123–35–2
March 31at No. 20 Ole MissNo. 1Swayze Field9–4Magliozzi (4–0)Chavez (3–1)None10,06424–36–2 :
April
DateOpponentRankStadium SiteScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall RecordSEC Record
April 1at No. 20 Ole MissNo. 1Swayze Field6–7Huber (1–1)Maddox (2–1)None8,61624–46–3
April 3at North FloridaNo. 1Harmon Stadium Jacksonville, FL5–10Jagodzinski (1–0)Poyner (1–1)None2,14424–5–
April 5No. 12 LSUNo. 1McKethan Stadium6–7McCune (2–3)Johnson (4–1)Goody (3)4,48724–66–4
April 6No. 12 LSUNo. 1McKethan Stadium7–0Crawford (3–1)Gausman (5–1)None5,79325–67–4
April 7No. 12 LSUNo. 1McKethan Stadium7–8Bonvillain (2–0)Maddox (2–2)Goody (4)6,10825–77–5
April 10at No. 1 Florida State RivalryNo. 4Dick Howser Stadium Tallahassee, FL6–3Harris (1–0)Bird (0–1)Maddox (9)6,73026–7–
April 13at TennesseeNo. 4Lindsey Nelson Stadium Knoxville, TN3–1Crawford (4–1)Godley (4–2)Maddox (10)3,40127–78–5
April 14at TennesseeNo. 4Lindsey Nelson Stadium4–5Saberhagen (4–0)Magliozzi (4–1)Blount (9)2,83827–88–6
April 15at TennesseeNo. 4Lindsey Nelson Stadium8–1Johnson (5–1)Williams (2–4)None3,32228–89–6
April 17Georgia SouthernNo. 1McKethan Stadium8–2Larson (4–0)Hart (1–1)None3,00229–8–
April 20GeorgiaNo. 1McKethan Stadium3–2$^{16}$Larson (5–0)Swinford (0–1)None4,84030–810–6
April 21GeorgiaNo. 1McKethan Stadium3–5Palazzone (2–5)Johnson (5–2)Dieterich (7)4,45830–910–7
April 22GeorgiaNo. 1McKethan Stadium6–3Whitson (2–0)Benzor (4–2)Maddox (11)4,49231–911–7
April 24South FloridaNo. 2McKethan Stadium3–5Barbosa (5–3)Gibson (1–1)Leasure (6)2,89731–10–
April 25Bethune–CookmanNo. 2McKethan Stadium10–1Whitson (3–0)Durapau (2–5)None2,56332–10–
April 27No. 17 ArkansasNo. 2McKethan Stadium3–2Randall (4–1)Stanek (6–3)Maddox (12)3,90633–1012–7
April 28No. 17 ArkansasNo. 2McKethan Stadium1–5Moore (4–1)Johnson (5–3)None4,89433–1112–8
April 29No. 17 ArkansasNo. 2McKethan Stadium1–3$^{10}$Suggs (4–0)Magliozzi (4–2)Astin (7)3,92733–1212–9 :
May
DateOpponentRankStadium SiteScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall RecordSEC Record
May 3at No. 6 KentuckyNo. 5Cliff Hagan Stadium Lexington, KY5–3Randall (5–1)Rogers (5–3)Rodriguez (1)2,45734–1213–9
May 4at No. 6 KentuckyNo. 5Cliff Hagan Stadium5–1Larson (6–0)Grundy (4–2)Rodriguez (2)2,92535–1214–9
May 5at No. 6 KentuckyNo. 5Cliff Hagan Stadium1–2Littrell (7–0)Johnson (5–4)Gott (9)2,60735–1314–10
May 8North FloridaNo. 5McKethan Stadium4–3$^{11}$Harris (2–0)Karmeris (0–2)None2,71436–13–
May 11Mississippi StateNo. 5McKethan Stadium4–1Randall (6–1)Stratton (9–1)Rodriguez (3)3,87537–1315–10
May 12Mississippi StateNo. 5McKethan Stadium0–2Graveman (4–3)Crawford (4–2)Holder (4)4,59337–1415–11
May 13Mississippi StateNo. 5McKethan Stadium2–1Maddox (3–2)Lindgren (1–2)None3,29938–1416–11
May 15at SamfordNo. 3Joe Lee Griffin Stadium Birmingham, AL7–12Irby (4–1)Magliozzi (4–3)None1,72238–15–
May 17at AuburnNo. 3Plainsman Park Auburn, AL6–0Randall (7–1)Jacobs (5–3)None2,65239–1517–11
May 18at AuburnNo. 3Plainsman Park10–1Johnson (6–4)Koger (3–5)None3,51140–1518–11
May 19at AuburnNo. 3Plainsman Park4–5Varnadore (4–7)Rodriguez (3–2)Bryant (6)2,98340–1618–12 :
Post-season :
SEC Tournament
DateOpponentRankStadium SiteScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall RecordSECT Record
May 22vs. (10) AuburnNo. 2 (3)Regions Park Hoover, AL6–1Crawford (5–2)Jacobs (5–4)None7,14541–161–0
May 24vs. (5) VanderbiltNo. 2 (3)Regions Park1–2Selman (9–3)Randall (7–2)Miller (1)6,67241–171–1
May 25vs. No. 4 (2) South CarolinaNo. 2 (3)Regions Park7–2Johnson (7–4)Holmes (6–1)None9,06742–172–1
May 26vs. (5) VanderbiltNo. 2 (3)Regions Park6–8Clinard (7–2)Maddox (3–3)VerHagen (2)9,24342–182–2 :
NCAA tournament: Gainesville Regional
DateOpponentRankStadium SiteScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall RecordRegional Record
June 1Bethune–CookmanNo. 1McKethan Stadium4–0Crawford (6–2)Gonzalez (9–2)None3,28543–181–0
June 2No. 24 Georgia TechNo. 1McKethan Stadium6–2Randall (8–2)Farmer (8–4)Rodriguez (4)4,58444–182–0
June 3No. 24 Georgia TechNo. 1McKethan Stadium15–3Johnson (8–4)Davies (1–4)None3,53745–183–0 :
NCAA tournament: Gainesville Super Regional
DateOpponentRankStadium SiteScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall RecordSuper Reg. Record
June 9No. 16 NC StateNo. 1McKethan Stadium7–1Randall (9–2)Ogburn (5–4)None5,11746–181–0
June 10No. 16 NC StateNo. 1McKethan Stadium9–8$^{10}$Whitson (4–0)Williams (4–4)Kish (1)4,56847–182–0 :
College World Series
DateOpponentRankStadium SiteScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceOverall RecordCWS Record
June 16vs. No. 6 South CarolinaNo. 1TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, NE3–7Roth (8–1)Johnson (8–5)Price (12)25,29147–190–1
June 18vs. Kent StateNo. 1TD Ameritrade Park4–5Bores (10–3)Randall (9–3)Pierce (3)15,00047–200–2 :
Rankings from USA Today/ESPN Top 25 coaches' baseball poll. All times Eastern. Parenthesis indicate tournament seedings. Retrieved from FloridaGators.com

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| Coaches' | 1 | 1* | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Baseball America | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Collegiate Baseball^ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| NCBWA† | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
^ Collegiate Baseball ranked 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranked 30 teams weekly during the season. † NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. * A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

## Awards and honors
### Jonathon Crawford

* Pitched a no-hitter on June 2, 2012, against Bethune–Cookman in the opening round of the Gainesville Regional tournament. It was the first Gators solo no-hitter since 1991 and the seventh no-hitter in NCAA tournament history.

### Nolan Fontana

* Second-team All-SEC
* SEC All-Defensive team

### Taylor Gushue

* SEC Freshman of the Week (2/13/12–2/20/12). On Feb. 17, Gushue homered on the first pitch he saw as a collegian and on Feb. 18 hit a two-run triple in the fourth inning of a series-clinching win over Cal State Fullerton.
* SEC Freshman of the Week (2/27/12–3/5/12). Gushue hit .400 (4-for-10), with four RBI, three runs and a pair of homers during a three-game sweep at #8 Miami.

### Brian Johnson

* SEC Player of the Week (4/9/12–4/16/12). Johnson batted .471 (8-for-17) with a team-high seven RBI during four games, including a victory at #1 Florida State and a series win at Tennessee.
* First-team All-SEC
* John Olerud Award – (two-way player)

### Steven Rodriguez

* First-team All-SEC

### Josh Tobias

* SEC All-Freshman team

### Preston Tucker

* SEC Player of the Week (3/12/12–3/19/12). Tucker batted .400 (6-for-15) in four victories including a three-game-sweep of Vanderbilt.
* First-team All-SEC

### Casey Turgeon

* SEC Player of the Week (5/1/12–5/8/12). Turgeon batted .400 (4-for-10) and scored a game-winning run during a series win at #6 Kentucky.

### Mike Zunino

* College Baseball 360 Primetime Player Of The Week (2/28/12–3/6/12). Zunino batted .400 (6-for-15) with five runs, four RBI, three doubles and a home-run during a three-game sweep at #8 Miami.
* Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week (3/5/12–3/12/12). Zunino batted .389 (7-for-18) with five runs, 11 RBI, four home-runs and a slugging percentage of 1.111 during five wins.
* First-team All-SEC
* SEC All-Defensive team
* 2012 Dick Howser Trophy (College Baseball Player of the Year) recipient.

## Gators in the MLB Draft

| Round | Selection | Player | Position | Team |
| 1 | 3 | Mike Zunino | C | Seattle Mariners |
| 1 | 31 | Brian Johnson | LHP/1B | Boston Red Sox |
| 2 | 61 | Nolan Fontana | SS | Houston Astros |
| 2 | 82 | Steven Rodriguez | LHP | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 3 | 118 | Austin Maddox | RHP | Boston Red Sox |
| 7 | 219 | Preston Tucker | OF | Houston Astros |
| 7 | 244 | Hudson Randall | RHP | Detroit Tigers |
| 9 | 292 | Daniel Pigott | OF | Cincinnati Reds |
| 20 | 631 | Greg Larson | RHP | Boston Red Sox |