As part of the Alligator Awards recognizing the best in UF athletics during the 2013-14 season, staff writers Jordan McPherson and Eden Otero will debate two of the four nominees for best freshman. Vote for the winner online at alligatorSports.org.
Jordan: Every year, one team sees a freshman come from nowhere to lead his team to success.
This year, that freshman hands-down is Logan Shore.
In his first season with Florida baseball, the right-handed pitcher posted a 2.16 ERA and led the squad with 15 starts, 95.2 innings pitched, 68 strikeouts and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.4:1.
After just three appearances totaling 13 frames, coach Kevin O’Sullivan saw enough to name Shore the team’s Friday-night starter, and the freshman responded by going 7-1 in Southeastern Conference play with a 2.08 ERA while holding opponents to a measly .234 batting clip.
Plus he hails from the awesomely named town of Coon Rapids, Minn. What more could you want?
Eden: I don’t know, Jordan. Shore is a great player, but I’m going to have to say that soccer’s Savannah Jordan had the better year.
While soccer hasn’t really been at the forefront of Florida fans’ minds now for a couple months, I think it’s safe to say that if Florida soccer fans took anything from the season it’s that coach Becky Burleigh recruited a powerhouse of a player.
Jordan started in Florida’s season opener against Florida Gulf Coast and put down two goals.
Her first appearance EVER.
One game later, she got her first hat-trick in collegiate play. So basically, Jordan grabbed five goals for the season in the first two games of 2013.
By the end of the season she raked in 22 goals — surpassing US Women’s National Team star Abby Wambach’s single season freshman record of 19 — and 47 points, which is the most by a UF player since Wambach notched 76 in her final year in a Gators’ uniform.
Can I get an amen?
Jordan: There’s no way to deny that Jordan had an outstanding season.
The phenom forward from Fayetteville, Ga., had double-goal performance in five games outside of her five-goal opening weekend. She was an absolute monster — when not facing the top competition.
How many of those seven contests were against opponents ranked in the top 25? Zero. None. Zilch.
In fact, Jordan posted just three goals and one assist in Florida’s five matches against ranked opponents — not necessarily top-notch numbers.
Shore, on the other hand, thrived against the tougher crowds. Four of his league-best-tying seven SEC wins came against ranked opponents — LSU, Kentucky, Alabama and Vanderbilt.
His stats through those four games? A .067 ERA over 29 innings of work with 19 strikeouts against just six walks.
That’s performing in the clutch right there from Perfect Game’s National Freshman of the Year.
Eden: Ok, ok. You’ve got me on ranked teams.
Shore is clearly a beast of a player and has lived up to the challenge against ranked opponents.
But to Jordan’s defense, Florida faced its ranked opponents late in the season and at that point Florida was facing a myriad of injuries — everything from concussions to torn ACL’s (Havana Solaun got the short end of the stick on that one) — and opponents had begun to deconstruct Florida’s defense at that point, doubling and even tripling pressure on the freshman.
Jordan’s shortcomings at the end of the season were a result of not being able to get out from under the pressure.
However, she managed to push through it and complete the season with accolades like 2013 National Rookie of the Year, 2013 All-SEC First Team and is now playing (and making game-winning shots) for the US Under-20 Women’s National Team.
It’s easy to say she didn’t perform well against ranked opponents, but there are more pieces to that puzzle than Jordan just not performing well.
Jordan: While Jordan has found success with the U20 team, that doesn’t really help her case.
This Alligator Award is about how well the freshmen performed during — not after — their season.
So while Jordan scored a goal in practically every appearance since playing her first national-team game in January, she didn’t against the likes of Oklahoma, Auburn and Missouri — teams with a combined 20-31-8 record.
In comparison, three of Shore’s four losses came against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament.
Case closed.
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Follow Eden Otero on Twitter @edenotero_l
Savannah Jordan dribbles the ball during UF's 3-0 win against LSU on Oct. 20, 2013, at James G. Pressly Stadium.
Logan Shore pitches during Florida's 3-2 loss to the College of Charleston on May 30 at McKethan Stadium.
