Baseball America honored Caglianone as a first team utilityman and Neely as a second team reliever.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Two Florida baseball standouts received Preseason All-America recognition from Baseball America on Monday in left-handed pitcher/first baseman Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/16365> and right-handed pitcher Brandon Neely<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-neely/16373>.
Mirroring D1Baseball’s selections from just last week, Baseball America placed Caglianone on its first team at utility and Neely on second team at relief pitcher. Caglianone was one of two unanimous first team selections alongside Wake Forest’s Nick Kurtz.
The nod makes Caglianone a Unanimous Preseason First Team honoree across the industry. Last season, the two-way star bopped an NCAA-leading and program-record 33 homers 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.
