Josh Rivera has set up camp quickly out at shortstop.
The freshman flashed his bat and glove on the way to SEC Co-Freshman of the Week honors after his impressive performance over then-No. 3 Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, over the weekend.
Rivera, who has logged action in seven of Florida’s eight games so far this season, slashed a .455 clip and tacked on three RBI with a home run and a double in Florida’s sweep of Miami. The Avon Park, Florida, native also scored two runs in the series.
Rivera’s additional start against Jacksonville earlier in the week had him sitting at a .533 average for the week, good for second-best in the SEC.
UF, which was No. 2 in the country at the beginning of the week, found itself leading the pack by the end.
The Gators’ dominance over the Hurricanes advanced Florida (8-0) to No. 1 in the nation on Monday.
Miami (4-3) fell to No. 6 after dropping the three-game set at home.
Florida State, another in-state rival of the No. 1 Gators, also finds itself ranked in the top 25 after the weekend action.
The No. 12 Seminoles moved up two spots in the Baseball America top 25 after a dominant sweep of Cincinnati.
UF will face FSU, its next ranked opponent, at home on March 10 at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium.
Follow Dylan on Twitter @dylanoshea24 and contact him at doshea@alligator.org.
