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Florida Baseball Reels In No. 3 Recruiting Class - 9/26/06

Collegiate Baseball newspaper's 24th annual rundown of NCAA
Division I baseball recruiting classes was released on Thursday
night, with Florida's 2007 recruiting class named the third-best in
America. The Gators' 15 recruits include 12 freshmen and three
junior college transfers. UF's ranking marks its seventh time in the
top 10 on the publication's list and represents a seven-spot jump
from last year's rating of 10th.

"We are obviously very excited about our incoming class," said
sixth-year head coach Pat McMahon. "This is an outstanding
group of young men with a great work ethic. We fully expect a lot
of these student-athletes to have the opportunity to step right in
and complete for playing time immediately. Recruiting is a critical
part of the success equation and we continue to work hard for our
specific needs and to maintain positional and class balance
around the effects of graduation and professional baseball
signings."

The GATOR NATION Source

Credited Source: gatorzone.com 9/26/06

"Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program and it is important
that we continue to bring in quality people, both on and off the
field. It is a priority for us at the University of Florida to find
players who can fit our system. We feel that recruiting is a
team effort and the job done by Ross Jones and Tim Parenton
played an important role for us."

Fourteen of the club's 15 recruits hail from the talent-laden
Sunshine State and the group features five pitchers. The
Gators return 21 letterwinners, three position starters and a
total of 12 pitchers from a squad that was 28-28 overall last
season.

"We are proud to have our second top-10 recruiting class in
the past three years, particularly with losing five signees to the
Major League Baseball Draft," acknowledged McMahon. "I am
a firm believer that the strength of a recruiting class shows up
when their class graduates and the achievements during their
tenure are discussed."

The Gators had four other signees from June's draft who are now
enrolled in school, as infielder Cole Figueroa (Tallahassee, Fla.)
was chosen in the ninth round with the 270th choice by the
Toronto Blue Jays, right-handed pitcher Billy Bullock (Fort Pierce,
Fla.) was taken in the 20th round with the 593rd pick by the Los
Angeles Dodgers, outfielder Jonathan Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.)
was tabbed 938th in the 31st round to Oakland and left-handed
hurler Kevin Chapman (Margate, Fla.) went 1,252nd overall to the
Detroit Tigers during the 42nd round.

In addition, current Gator freshman wide receiver Riley Cooper
(Clearwater, Fla.), who anticipates joining McMahon's team in the
spring, was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 15th round
with the 457th pick. Junior transfer catcher Dustin Bamberg
(Winter Haven, Fla.) had been previously chosen out of high
school by the Chicago Cubs in the 2004 MLB Draft. Senior first
baseman Matt LaPorta (Port Charlotte, Fla.), the 2005 SEC Player
of the Year, spurned an offer from the Boston Red Sox to return
for his final campaign. Six members of last year's squad inked
professional contracts: right-hander Bryan Ball, infielder David
Cash, shortstop Adam Davis, outfielder Gavin Dickey, catcher
Brian Jeroloman and reliever Darren O'Day.

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