Whitson Selected as Freshman All-American

The freshman class didn’t produce as much for the Gators this season as it has in the past two years, but that didn’t keep Karsten Whitson from making an instant impact. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named the right-hander as a first-team Freshman All-American.

Whitson heads into the College World Series with an 8-0 record and a 2.45 ERA. He leads the Gators with 83 strikeouts in 88 innings and has held opponents to a .235 batting average.

Three of the right-handers best starts this season have come in the postseason. He allowed just two runs in 5.2 innings against Georgia in the SEC Tournament. To open the NCAA Tournament against Manhattan, Whitson went 3.1 shutout innings, allowing two hits. Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan pulled Whitson after 47 pitches to keep him available if the Gators needed him later in the Regional, which they wouldn’t.

Whitson threw game two of the Super Regional against Mississippi State. He threw six scoreless innings before allowing two runs in the seventh. He ended the game allowing two runs in 6.1 innings, giving up four hits and recording six strikeouts. He didn’t factor in the decision, as the Gators lost on a walk-off home run before winning Sunday’s game to advance to the College World Series.

In conference games, Whitson went 4-0 with a 2.56 ERA. The four wins came over Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss and Kentucky.

Whitson was joined on the First Team by Arkansas first baseman Dominic Ficociello. LSU second baseman JaCoby Jones, Arkansas reliever Barrett Astin and Vanderbilt pitchers TJ Pecoraco and Kevin Ziomek were named to the Second Team.