HOOVER, Ala. (SEC)-----The Southeastern Conference on Monday announced its 2018 Baseball Awards and All-SEC Teams, recognizing standout performances from this season. The 2018 SEC Baseball Tournament will be played Tuesday through Sunday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
Florida’s Jonathan India was named the SEC Player of the Year, the Gators’ Brady Singer is the SEC Pitcher of the Year, Arkansas’ Heston Kjerstad is the SEC Freshman of the Year, Florida’s Kevin O’Sullivan is the SEC Coach of the Year and Georgia’s Keegan McGovern and Tennessee’s Nico Mascia are the Co-Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
India leads the SEC in several offensive categories, including slugging percentage (.730), on-base percentage (.506) and walks (45) and is third in home runs (16), total bases (130) and batting average (.365). He had a 24-game hitting streak earlier this season, the longest in the SEC and the third-longest in Florida history.
Singer leads the SEC with 10 wins and a 2.25 earned run average and has held hitters to a .186 batting average against. He has pitched at least 7.0 innings in 10 starts this season and has limited the opposition to three earned runs or fewer in 12 of his 13 starts.
Kjerstad leads all SEC freshmen in batting average (.348), runs scored (49) hits (72), home runs (11) and total bases (119). He ranks second with 46 RBI, and his .348 average is sixth-best among all SEC players.
O’Sullivan, in his 11th season as Florida’s head coach, was voted SEC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He led the Gators to the SEC regular season championship and 41 wins in the regular season. Florida was ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in each week of the regular season.
McGovern holds a 3.48 grade point average in biology. He has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in every semester and is a member of UGA’s Student-Athlete Leadership Academy, chosen based on academic, athletic success, leadership, and campus and community involvement. McGovern leads the Bulldogs in batting (.330), runs (62) and home runs (15).
Mascia holds a 3.99 grade point average in biomolecular engineering. He has been a member of the Dean’s List in all five semesters and shadowed interventional heart surgeon Dr. Venero at UT Medical Center and oversaw approximately 100 hours of operating. Mascia hit .278 this season with 14 extra base hits and 26 runs scored.
2018 SEC Baseball Awards
Player of the Year: Jonathan India, Florida
Pitcher of the Year: Brady Singer, Florida
Freshman of the Year: Heston Kjerstad, Arkansas
Coach of the Year: Kevin O’Sullivan, Florida
Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Keegan McGovern, Georgia
Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Nico Mascia, Tennessee
First-Team All-SEC
C: JJ Schwarz, Florida
1B: Kole Cottam, Kentucky
2B: Carson Shaddy, Arkansas
3B: Jonathan India, Florida
SS: Braden Shewmake, Texas A&M
OF: Jake Mangum, Mississippi State
OF: Ryan Olenek, Ole Miss
OF: Keegan McGovern, Georgia
DH/UT: Luke Heyer, Kentucky
SP: Brady Singer, Florida
SP: Casey Mize, Auburn
RP: Michael Byrne, Florida
Second-Team All-SEC Team
C: Nick Fortes, Ole Miss
1B: Adam Sasser, Georgia
2B: Michael Helman, Texas A&M
3B: Casey Martin, Arkansas
SS: Will Holland, Auburn
OF: Eric Cole, Arkansas
OF: Wil Dalton, Florida
OF: Heston Kjerstad, Arkansas
DH/UT: Michael Curry, Georgia
SP: Blaine Knight, Arkansas
SP: Jackson Kowar, Florida
RP: Parker Caracci, Ole Miss
Freshman All-SEC Team
C: Mason Meadows, Georgia
1B: Tanner Allen, Mississippi State
2B: Anthony Servideo, Ole Miss
3B: Casey Martin, Arkansas
OF: Heston Kjerstad, Arkansas
OF: Daniel Cabrera, LSU
OF: Steven Williams, Auburn
DH/UT: Edouard Julien, Auburn
SP: Ma’Khail Hilliard, LSU
SP: Tanner Burns, Auburn
RP: Cody Greenhill, Auburn
SEC All-Defensive Team
C: Grant Koch, Arkansas
1B: Cole Zabowski, Ole Miss
2B: Luke Jarvis, Auburn
3B: Jonathan India, Florida
SS: Connor Kaiser, Vanderbilt
OF: Zach Watson, LSU
OF: Jake Mangum, Mississippi State
OF: Dominic Fletcher, Arkansas
P: Will Neely, Tennessee
