Fabian, three others receive SEC baseball honors
Four members of the Florida baseball team garnered SEC Baseball Awards, the league announced Monday.
Outfielder Jud Fabian was named First Team All-SEC and to the SEC All-Defensive Team, while left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco (Newcomer All-SEC Team), catcher Nathan Hickey (Newcomer All-SEC Team) and outfielder Sterlin Thompson (Freshman All-SEC Team) also earned recognition.
For Fabian, the SEC accolade marks his second in as many years. After hauling in a Second Team All-SEC nod as a second-year player in 2020, the Ocala native upped his game with a First Team award in 2021. Fabian's 20 home runs this season rank second in the SEC. Fabian is hitting .257/ with 10 doubles, 46 RBI and five stolen bases to go with his homers.
Defensively, Fabian made just two errors over the course of the regular season while manning center field for the Gators. He turned in a .984 fielding percentage and recorded two outfield assists.
Barco concluded the regular season tied for third in the conference in wins with a 9-2 record. Pitching in his first full season of collegiate play, the southpaw posted a 4.04 ERA across 14 regular-season starts with a .242 batting average against and 92 strikeouts in 75.2 innings pitched – good for a 10.9 strikeouts-per-nine.
Hickey is has a team-high .307 batting average and is one of just two Gators to start all 54 of Florida's games in 2021. The catcher has eight home runs, two triples, 14 doubles, 47 RBI, 35 runs and one stolen base on top of turning in a .993 fielding percentage.
As a true freshman in 2021, Thompson, also from Ocala, is hitting .306, with four home runs, three triples, eight doubles, 34 runs, 22 RBI, 21 walks and two stolen bases.
2021 SEC Baseball Awards
Player of the Year: Tanner Allen, Mississippi State
Pitcher of the Year: Kevin Kopps, Arkansas
Newcomer of the Year: Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt
Freshman of the Year: Enrique Bradfield, Jr., Vanderbilt
Coach of the Year: Dave Van Horn, Arkansas
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Tim Elko, Ole Miss
First Team All-SEC
C: Sam Praytor, Alabama
1B: Will Frizzell, Texas A&M
2B: Robert Moore, Arkansas
3B: Jake Rucker, Tennessee
SS: Liam Spence, Tennessee
OF: Tanner Allen, Mississippi State
OF: Enrique Bradfield Jr., Vanderbilt
OF: Jud Fabian, Florida
DH/UT: Matt Goodheart, Arkansas
SP: Kumar Rocker, Vanderbilt
SP: Doug Nikhazy, Ole Miss*
SP: Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt*
RP: Kevin Kopps, Arkansas
Second Team All-SEC Team
C: Hayden Dunhurst, Ole Miss
1B: Tre' Morgan, LSU
2B: Peyton Wilson, Alabama
3B: Justin Bench, Ole Miss
SS: Ryan Bliss, Auburn
OF: Dylan Crews, LSU
OF: Christian Franklin, Arkansas
OF: Rowdey Jordan, Mississippi State
DH/UT: Wes Clarke, South Carolina
SP: Landon Marceaux, LSU
SP: Patrick Wicklander, Arkansas
RP: Landon Sims, Mississippi State
Freshman All-SEC Team
Tre' Morgan, LSU
Enrique Bradfield Jr., Vanderbilt
Dylan Crews, LSU
Cayden Wallace, Arkansas
Jacob Gonzalez, Ole Miss
TJ McCants, Ole Miss
Blade Tidwell, Tennessee
Will Sanders, South Carolina
Jordan Thompson, LSU
Jaden Woods, Georgia
Corey Collins, Georgia
Jack Bulger, Vanderbilt*
Sterlin Thompson, Florida*
Newcomer All-SEC Team
Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt
Robert Moore, Arkansas
Landon Sims, Mississippi State
Hayden Dunhurst, Ole Miss
Zane Denton, Alabama
Will Bednar, Mississippi State
Hunter Barco, Florida
Peyton Wilson, Alabama
Logan Tanner, Mississippi State
Carter Young, Vanderbilt
Nathan Hickey, Florida
Peyton Pallette, Arkansas
SEC All-Defensive Team
C: Hayden Dunhurst, Ole Miss
1B: Tre' Morgan, LSU
2B: Robert Moore, Arkansas
3B: Zane Denton, Alabama
SS: Ryan Bliss, Auburn*
SS: Liam Spence, Tennessee*
OF: Enrique Bradfield Jr., Vanderbilt
OF: Christian Franklin, Arkansas
OF: Jud Fabian, Florida
P: Tyler Ras, Alabama*
P: Kevin Kopps, Arkansas*
*Tie (Ties are not broken)