Florida Gators pitcher Hurston Waldrep earns SEC Weekly Award

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After losing on Friday night the Florida Gators needed a good start on Saturday. Hurston Waldrep delivered. The junior was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday.

Waldrep didn’t factor into the final decision as the Gators walked off with a 2-1 win on Michael Robertson’s 9th-inning single but he was sensational. The right-hander hurled seven innings of one-run baseball, striking out eight Bulldogs in the process.

“Hurston was really good again,” Kevin O’Sullivan said on Saturday night. “I thought Brandon [Sproat] threw the ball really well last night, good enough to give us a chance to win. Slater was really good again after Tuesday night against Florida State. Got into a situation where they had the go-ahead run at the plate there. He had a good little adversity to deal with. But, credit Goldstein, he threw really good as well. That’s two weekends in a row. He beat Kentucky last weekend. Obviously, kept us off balance today. We just had that one inning where I think the turning point was probably getting the double play.”

It was precisely the start the Gators needed to even the series. Florida would go on to take the weekend tilt with an 11-6 win on Sunday.

Waldrep and the rest of the SEC honorees

Player of the Week

 Tommy White, LSU

White led his team to three wins in four games last week, including an SEC series victory over NCAA RPI No. 1 Kentucky. White batted .389 (7-for-18) in four games with four doubles, one homer, 11 RBI, four runs and a .429 on-base percentage, and he hit .385 (5-for-13) in the Kentucky series with three doubles, one homer, eight RBI and four runs scored. White provided the game-winning RBI in all three of LSU’s wins last week.

Pitcher of the Week

 Hurston Waldrep, Florida

Waldrep fired seven innings of one-run ball to help even the series against Georgia on Saturday. He allowed one run on three hits and three walks and struck out eight batters – his sixth time striking out eight or more this year. Waldrep held the Bulldogs to a .143 batting average.

Freshman of the Week

 Dakota Jordan, Mississippi State

Jordan hit three home runs and drove in nine last week and helped lead the Bulldogs to three wins, including a series victory over Ole Miss. Jordan was 5-for-13 against the Rebels with a pair of home runs and six RBI. He hit a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth to lift MSU to an 8-7 win on Saturday.