Brandon Sproat named Co-SEC Pitcher of the Week

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Brandon Sproat has been named the Southeastern Conference pitcher of the week. Monday’s announcement was of little surprise after Sproat’s dazzling performance for the Gators in a 3-0 win on Thursday night.

Sproat threw a complete game shutout of the No. 24 Alabama. The 106 pitches he used and 11 strikeouts were both career highs for the Gators’ ace.

“That’s as good as he’s thrown since he’s been here,” Kevin O’Sullivan said Thursday night. “After bouncing back from last week’s start, to do what he did tonight, I think it speaks volumes about where he’s at mentally and maturity-wise. He was very special tonight.”

Sproat fired Florida’s first complete-game shutout since Jack Leftwich accomplished the feat vs. Missouri on May 17, 2019. Over his last two SEC starts, Sproat has allowed one run and five hits across 17 1/3 frames while striking out 18 batters. Thursday marked Florida’s first shutout win over Alabama since a 6-0 victory on May 26, 2011.

It wasn’t just Sproat’s best college game, it was the first complete game of his life.

“It’s my first complete game ever,” Sproat said postgame. “I didn’t even throw one in high school.”

“It really all comes down to the mental side,” Sproat said. “Last week, I was struggling a little bit. This week, I had a ton of clarity and what I was going to do for myself and for the team. I just go out there and throw the ball as hard as I can every time. It works for me.”

The Gators will be road warriors this week with all four games away from Gainesville. Florida will travel to Tallahassee this Tuesday for the first of three games with Florida State. UF will then travel to Oxford, Mississippi this weekend for three games against the defending National Champion Rebels.

Sproat leads the way on the SEC Awards

Player of the Week – Tommy White – LSU

White, batted .474 (9-for-19) in four games last week and helped lead the Tigers to an SEC series victory at No. 11 Texas A&M. White collected one double, one homer, 11 RBI and seven runs in the four games vs. New Orleans and Texas A&M, and he extended his current hitting streak to 14 games. In LSU’s series victory at Texas A&M, White hit .500 (7-for-14) with one double, seven RBI and four runs. His two-out, bases-loaded two-run single in the fourth inning of Game 2 sparked a six-run rally that allowed the Tigers to erase a 4-0 deficit and go on to post a 12-7 win.

Co-Pitchers of the Week – Brandon Sproat & Hunter Owen – Vanderbilt

Owen threw a complete-game shutout on only 96 pitches against defending national champion Ole Miss on Friday. He struck out a career-high 11 batters and is the first Commodore to throw a nine-inning complete game shutout since Jack Leiter in 2021. Owen only walked one and gave up just two hits.

Freshman of the Week – Ethan Petry – South Carolina

Petry, had a stellar week at the plate, hitting .562 (9-for-16) with four runs scored, seven RBI, and four extra-base hits, which included three home runs. The freshman opened the week going 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in a 5-0 win over Presbyterian. He homered in the game one win over Georgia on Saturday, then drove in five with a pair of home runs, part of a 4-for-4 afternoon in Carolina’s 12-2, 7-inning win. Petry closed the weekend with an RBI single as the Gamecocks swept Georgia in Athens for the first time since 2010.