Outfielder Jud Fabian and starting pitcher Hunter Barco were named to the Preseason All-SEC First Team while Florida was picked to finish second in the SEC East with a pair of votes to be crowned conference champion.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 9 Florida baseball placed a pair of Gators on the Preseason All-SEC Team, as outfielder Jud Fabian<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15127&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=BD1GURFmi8MPXu5C1yUvCufy2ecXF649c6IEXelIpK48ov4Yky3-LrZjHbzxIdCw&s=kmxFnZmogqPUILmJQqYiYI4B_tIMaIfs6pqa_Oe9QhE&e= > and starting pitcher Hunter Barco<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15091&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=BD1GURFmi8MPXu5C1yUvCufy2ecXF649c6IEXelIpK48ov4Yky3-LrZjHbzxIdCw&s=CWCKCKVrsyBrpkiwEz0v8dZLeTTCYs4-IF3ChvAFGsQ&e= > were voted as first-team honorees by the conference’s head coaches. The Gators were also voted to finish second in the SEC Eastern Division while receiving two votes to win the conference – tied for the third-most of any school.
In the preseason poll, Florida’s 77 points tied for the third-most of any program behind only Vanderbilt (87) and Arkansas (80) – the SEC preseason favorites in their respective divisions.
This is the second-consecutive Preseason All-SEC First Team nod for Fabian and Barco’s first-ever appearance on the list. Both players have already been named Preseason All-Americans by numerous media outlets, with Barco holding status as a consensus Preseason All-American with three first-team accolades.
An Ocala, Fla. native, Fabian returns to Florida for a fourth season after producing a 2021 campaign that saw him become just the fifth Gator to hit 20 home runs in a single season en route to collecting Third Team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA. Thanks to a .249/.364/.560 batting line with 30 extra-base hits, 51 runs, 46 RBI and a .971 fielding percentage, Fabian was also named Southeast-ABCA/Rawlings First Team, First Team All-SEC and to the SEC All-Defensive Team. Overall, the Ocala, Fla. native is a .249/.366/.512 career hitter with 32 homers, 25 doubles, 102 runs and 85 RBI in 132 games.
As for Barco, the Jacksonville, Fla. native is coming off a 2021 campaign in which he was named to the Newcomer All-SEC Team and Southeast-ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team. Pacing the Gators with 10 wins in a team-high 16 starts, Barco finished the year with a 4.01 ERA, .239 batting average against and 94 strikeouts in 83 innings pitched. The second-year performance came on the heels of a standout freshman season in which Barco went 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA and 26 strikeouts across 19.1 frames.
Below is a complete breakdown of the SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll and Preseason All-SEC Team.
2022 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
Eastern Division
1. Vanderbilt (9) – 87
2. Florida (3) – 77
3. Georgia (2) – 68
4. Tennessee – 63
5. South Carolina – 43
6. Kentucky – 34
7. Missouri – 20
Western Division
1. Arkansas (5) – 80
T2. Ole Miss (4) – 77
T2. Mississippi State (4) – 77
4. LSU (1) – 62
5. Alabama – 38
6. Texas A&M – 36
7. Auburn – 22
() – First place votes
SEC Champion: Ole Miss (4), Arkansas (3), Florida (2), Mississippi State (2), Vanderbilt (2), LSU (1)
2022 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team
First Team
C: Logan Tanner, Mississippi State
1B: Tre’ Morgan, LSU
2B: Robert Moore, Arkansas
3B: Jacob Berry, LSU
SS: Jacob Gonzalez, Ole Miss
OF: Dylan Crews, LSU
OF: Enrique Bradfield Jr., Vanderbilt
OF: Jud Fabian<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15127&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=BD1GURFmi8MPXu5C1yUvCufy2ecXF649c6IEXelIpK48ov4Yky3-LrZjHbzxIdCw&s=kmxFnZmogqPUILmJQqYiYI4B_tIMaIfs6pqa_Oe9QhE&e= >, Florida
DH/UTL: Dominic Keegan, Vanderbilt
SP: Landon Sims, Mississippi State
SP: Hunter Barco<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15091&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=BD1GURFmi8MPXu5C1yUvCufy2ecXF649c6IEXelIpK48ov4Yky3-LrZjHbzxIdCw&s=CWCKCKVrsyBrpkiwEz0v8dZLeTTCYs4-IF3ChvAFGsQ&e= >, Florida
RP: Nick Maldonado, Vanderbilt
Second Team
C: Hayden Dunhurst, Ole Miss
1B: Tim Elko, Ole Miss
2B: Peyton Chatagnier, Ole Miss
3B: Cayden Wallace, Arkansas
SS: Ryan Ritter, Kentucky
OF: Jordan Beck, Tennessee
OF: Drew Gilbert, Tennessee
OF: Brady Slavens, Arkansas*
OF: Kevin Graham, Ole Miss*
DH/UTL: Luke Hancock, Mississippi State
SP: Jonathan Cannon, Georgia
SP: Will Sanders, South Carolina
RP: Jaden Woods, Georgia
Florida is set to open the 2022 season at home the weekend of Feb. 18-20 in the form of a three-game series against Liberty of the Atlantic Sun Conference. All three games of the season-opening series will stream live on SEC Network+.
Ticket Information
Season and single-game tickets are currently on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_sports_2015_12_10_-5Ftickets-5Fbaseball-5F.aspx&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=BD1GURFmi8MPXu5C1yUvCufy2ecXF649c6IEXelIpK48ov4Yky3-LrZjHbzxIdCw&s=fiDG4CZbuYfX2xXDz9xRamu4NQq6zMc_tHzAGUlsPJE&e= > or by contacting the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683. Season ticket prices and availability can be accessed directly here<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__am.ticketmaster.com_gators_virtual-2Dvenue_QlMyMg-3D-3D&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=BD1GURFmi8MPXu5C1yUvCufy2ecXF649c6IEXelIpK48ov4Yky3-LrZjHbzxIdCw&s=FUOPp7fltng-9zoyYQO1Xd3NgYEWvGwNjEBE3TjaUIA&e= >, while single-game tickets can be purchased here<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.ticketmaster.com_florida-2Dgators-2Dbaseball-2Dtickets_artist_1294070&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=BD1GURFmi8MPXu5C1yUvCufy2ecXF649c6IEXelIpK48ov4Yky3-LrZjHbzxIdCw&s=G7Pdm7hGbuotQNuv1pMeVt6DusO-LbRr_oKY3BnS8Pg&e= >.
