GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida sophomore outfielder Jacob Young and sophomore pitcher Ben Specht garnered All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, as announced by the outlet Tuesday afternoon.
Young was a second-team honoree, while Specht was a third-team selection as a relief pitcher.
Young made 15 starts in right field and ended the season with an 18-game hitting streak – which extends back to the 2019 NCAA Lubbock Regional and is the second-longest streak of head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s tenure. Within his hitting streak, Young rattled off seven consecutive multi-hit games, a feat only Jonathan India (2018) and Bryson Smith (2011) accomplished since the start of the 2009 season. Young’s team-high .450 batting average ranked 15th nationally, and his team-leading 27 hits were tied for 21st nationally.
Specht was Florida’s top reliever for the shortened 2020 season. In a team-high nine appearances, Specht posted a 0.75 earned run average, a 2-0 record, and three saves. The Fort Myers, Fla., native helped UF’s bullpen post a 1.76 ERA, and helped the Gators finish in the top 20 nationally with a team ERA of 2.41.
Opponents did not score a run against Specht in eight of his nine appearances, and opposing teams did not record a hit in six of those outings. His two wins came in the first two games of Florida’s sweep of then-No. 1 Miami, both of which were extra-inning victories.
Both Young and Specht were instrumental in Florida’s 16-1 campaign and its record-breaking 16-0 start. The 2020 Gators were the first team in school history to win their first 12 games of the season, and their 16-game winning streak was the third-longest run of victories in program history.
