Jac Caglianone earned first team honors at utility while Brandon Neely made the second team as a reliever.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida first baseman/left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/16365> and right-hander Brandon Neely<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-neely/16373> were honored as Preseason All-Americans by D1Baseball on Monday afternoon.
D1Baseball placed Caglianone on its first team at the utility position while Neely earned mention as a second team relief pitcher. For both players, the announcement marked the second All-America recognition of the preseason, as Perfect Game honored Caglianone as a first teamer and Neely to its third team in early January<https://floridagators.com/news/2024/1/4/baseball-perfect-game-selects-gators-trio-as-preseason-all-americans.aspx>.
The first team accolade comes as no surprise for Caglianone, who bopped an NCAA-leading and program-record 33 homers last season while slashing .323/.389/.738. The Tampa, Fla. product also set the team record with 90 RBI and was the lone Gator to play in and start all 71 games as Florida made a deep run to the College World Series Finals. The southpaw also delivered a 7-4 record, 4.34 ERA, .190 batting average against and 87 strikeouts across 18 starts spanning 74 2/3 frames.
Shifting to Neely, the 2023 USA Collegiate National Team member collects his second preseason honor after a 2023 Second Team All-American and First Team All-SEC season. Transitioning to the bullpen for the betterment of the roster, the Seville, Fla. native made a team-high 34 appearances while delivering a 3.58 ERA. Neely led the SEC with 13 saves in 14 opportunities – a total that ranked sixth nationally. He also fanned 72 batters in 55 1/3 frames and held hitters to a .223 batting average.
The Gators open up the 2024 season<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/schedule> with a three-game series against St. John’s spanning from Friday, Feb. 16 through Sunday, Feb. 18 at Condron Family Ballpark. In addition to season tickets<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/virtual-venue/QlMyNA==>, single-game tickets<https://www.ticketmaster.com/florida-gators-baseball-tickets/artist/1294070> as well as On-Deck Flex Passes<https://floridagators.com/sports/2021/12/10/baseball-flex-pass.aspx> are currently on sale now.
