Since right-handed pitcher Justin Shafer signed with the Toronto Blue Jays on June 10, two more Gators have decided to go pro.
Juniors Taylor Gushue and Casey Turgeon opted to forgo their final year of eligibility at UF after signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively.
After being drafted in the fourth round of the MLB Draft, Gushue begins his pro career with the Jamestown Jammers of the Class A Short-Season New York-Penn League. Through five games, the catcher has a .364 batting clip with four home runs and nine RBIs.
During his three-year tenure at Florida, Gushue started 162 games and posted a career .273 batting average with 16 home runs and 103 RBIs.
In 2014, the catcher led the Gators in hits (71), doubles (16), home runs (six), RBIs (49) and slugging percentage (.467) while being second on the team with a career-high .316 batting average. Gushue paced the Southeastern Conference in league play with a .389 clip at the plate and was tied for third with 41 hits en route to first-team All-SEC and second-team All-America honors.
With Gushue’s departure, Florida has several options for his replacement behind the plate. Rising seniors Braden Mattson and Mike Fahrman — who combined for 10 starts at catcher last season — are still on the roster. Catcher commit JJ Schwarz, a 2014 Perfect Game first-team All-American from Palm Beach Gardens High in West Palm Beach, Fla., provides another option.
Turgeon, selected by the Cardinals in the 24th round, was assigned to the Johnson City Cardinals in the Rookie Appalachian League. The team opens its season today with a three-game series against the Bluefield Blue Jays.
Turgeon started 185 games — including 177 at second base — during his three-year career at Florida, accruing a .269 batting average with 112 runs, 95 RBIs and 13 home runs. In his junior campaign, the Palm Harbor native paced the Gators with 35 walks while being second on the team with 36 runs, 33 RBIs, 11 doubles and four home runs.
Florida returns five players who started double-digit contests in the infield in 2014 — juniors Zack Powers, Josh Tobias and Mattson; sophomore Richie Martin; and freshmen Peter Alonso and John Sternagel. UF also has two infield commits — Dalton Guthrie, a 2014 Perfect Game second-team All-American selection, and 2014 second-team All-Region selection Christian Hicks — who have experience playing second base.
Florida has three more players — pitchers Karsten Whitson (11th round, Botson Red Sox), Ryan Harris (26th round, Boston Red Sox) and Keenan Kish (34th round, Cincinnati Reds) — who were drafted but haven’t made a decision to go pro or remain at school. The deadline for a draft pick to sign with a team is July 18.
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Taylor Gushue runs toward first base during Florida’s 4-0 win against Maryland on Feb. 14 at McKethan Stadium.
