A pair of Florida baseball and softball players received All-America honors this week.
Catcher Mike Zunino was named a first-team Louisville Slugger All-American on Thursday by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Junior left-handed pitcher/designated hitter Brian Johnson made the second team as a utility player.
Senior centerfielder Michelle Moultrie was named a first-team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, while sophomore pitcher Hannah Rogers was named to the second team.
Zunino became the first Gator to be named an All-American by the publication in consecutive seasons since Brad Wilkerson received the honor three years in a row from 1996-98.
Zunino is a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award. He was a first-team All-SEC pick this season after being named the conference’s player of the year in 2011. Zunino leads the Gators in batting average (.323), total bases (146), RBI (55), doubles (27), sacrifice flies (8) and slugging percentage (.664).
One of the 10 players in the running for the 2012 John Olerud Award presented to the nation’s top two-way standout, Johnson was voted onto the SEC’s first team for the second-straight time in the designated hitter spot after ranking third on the Gators with a .309 batting average in league play.
Johnson is 7-4 this season with a 3.67 earned run average on the mound and has 64 strikeouts in 81 innings, to go along with a .318 clip, 39 RBI, 20 runs, 12 doubles and five homers.
Both Moultrie and Rogers were honored by the NFCA last season, with Rogers making the second team and Moultrie making the third.
Moultrie was named the SEC Player of the Year this season and is a top-10 finalist for the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. A 2012 USA Softball Women’s National Team member, Moultrie finished her career with the school’s career stolen bases/attempts record, and leaves her mark in the UF record book as Florida’s career batting average leader (.386). Moultrie dropped 73 bunt singles and will have the option to continue her career professionally after being drafted in the National Pro Fastpitch Senior Draft March 7 to the USSSA Florida Pride (Orlando).
Rogers ranks eighth in the country in ERA (1.23) and finished the 2012 season with a 28-8 overall record, bringing her career wins mark to 64. Rogers struch out 202 batters in 228 1/3 innings pitched.
