SexyRexy
Gator Fan
Gainesville, FL
Following an impressive weekend in which he helped the Gator baseball team to a road sweep of No. 21 Auburn, senior Matt LaPorta (Port Charlotte, Fla.) was chosen as the SEC's Player of the Week on Monday. The accolade marks the school-record fourth time the slugger has received the honor. LaPorta captured the award three times during the 2005 campaign, when he became Florida's first-ever SEC Player of the Year.
During the three victories that propelled Florida into a tie for the league lead with a 4-2 mark, LaPorta was a sizzling 7-for-13 (.538) with seven RBI, three homers, three doubles and was hit four times. In the series opener, he matched a single-game school mark by being hit three times and finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI as the Gators notched an 8-7 triumph in 10 innings. On Saturday, LaPorta belted a solo homer in the sixth inning to pull the Orange and Blue to within 6-5 and the club exploded for seven runs during the following frame en route to a 12-9 decision.
In the series finale, the first baseman went a season-high 4-for-4 with four RBI, three runs, a pair of round-trippers and a double as Florida coasted to a 10-3 win for its first SEC road sweep since May 20-22, 2005 at Vanderbilt. LaPorta provided the Gators with a 2-0 lead in the first by launching a shot over Auburn's version of the legendary Green Monster, doubled in the fifth, poked an RBI single in the sixth and connected on his team-leading eighth dinger with solo blast to start the eighth.
LaPorta leads Florida in batting average (.412, fourth in SEC), slugging percentage (.788, first), on-base percentage (.573. second), runs (30, seventh), walks (18, seventh), HBP (14, first), doubles (eight, 12th) and homers (eight, second). Through six conference games, he is second in the league behind classmate Brian Leclerc (Clearwater, Fla.) with a .542 (13-for-24) clip, has scored 11 runs and totaled seven RBI.
The Gators (14-13) return to action on Tuesday night by welcoming Bethune-Cookman (12-17/3-0 MEAC) to McKethan Stadium for a 6:30 p.m. start. Freshman left-hander Kevin Chapman (Coral Springs, Fla.) (1-1, 5.06) will oppose Wildcat sophomore right-hander Hiram Burgos (1-3, 3.06).
-UF-
Following an impressive weekend in which he helped the Gator baseball team to a road sweep of No. 21 Auburn, senior Matt LaPorta (Port Charlotte, Fla.) was chosen as the SEC's Player of the Week on Monday. The accolade marks the school-record fourth time the slugger has received the honor. LaPorta captured the award three times during the 2005 campaign, when he became Florida's first-ever SEC Player of the Year.
During the three victories that propelled Florida into a tie for the league lead with a 4-2 mark, LaPorta was a sizzling 7-for-13 (.538) with seven RBI, three homers, three doubles and was hit four times. In the series opener, he matched a single-game school mark by being hit three times and finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI as the Gators notched an 8-7 triumph in 10 innings. On Saturday, LaPorta belted a solo homer in the sixth inning to pull the Orange and Blue to within 6-5 and the club exploded for seven runs during the following frame en route to a 12-9 decision.
In the series finale, the first baseman went a season-high 4-for-4 with four RBI, three runs, a pair of round-trippers and a double as Florida coasted to a 10-3 win for its first SEC road sweep since May 20-22, 2005 at Vanderbilt. LaPorta provided the Gators with a 2-0 lead in the first by launching a shot over Auburn's version of the legendary Green Monster, doubled in the fifth, poked an RBI single in the sixth and connected on his team-leading eighth dinger with solo blast to start the eighth.
LaPorta leads Florida in batting average (.412, fourth in SEC), slugging percentage (.788, first), on-base percentage (.573. second), runs (30, seventh), walks (18, seventh), HBP (14, first), doubles (eight, 12th) and homers (eight, second). Through six conference games, he is second in the league behind classmate Brian Leclerc (Clearwater, Fla.) with a .542 (13-for-24) clip, has scored 11 runs and totaled seven RBI.
The Gators (14-13) return to action on Tuesday night by welcoming Bethune-Cookman (12-17/3-0 MEAC) to McKethan Stadium for a 6:30 p.m. start. Freshman left-hander Kevin Chapman (Coral Springs, Fla.) (1-1, 5.06) will oppose Wildcat sophomore right-hander Hiram Burgos (1-3, 3.06).
-UF-
