Another Award For Lakeland Chamber's Freshman Hurler

University of Florida freshman Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) was chosen as the Primetime Pitcher of the Week produced by CollegeBaseball360.com on Wednesday. This marks the first time in school history that a Gator has received the award.

Johnson delivered on the mound and at the plate, logging seven shutout innings and providing the pinch-hit single that sparked a ninth-inning rally to beat No. 4 Arkansas in the 2-1 series-clinching finale (the only weekend series between top-10 teams in the CB360 Composite National Rankings).

The rookie rose to the occasion while facing a Razorbacks’ offense that owned the best conference batting average (.338) in the elite Southeastern Conference. The 6-3, 225-pound lefthander racked up a season-high nine strikeouts and faced only 25 batters over the seven shutout innings, scattering three hits (.130 team batting average) and one walk with only three base-runners reaching second base (each occupied that position for only a few moments).

The impressive outing saw Johnson post four 1-2-3 innings (1st-2nd-4th-7th) and allow multiple base-runners during only the third, when James McCann was hit by a one-out pitch and Matt Vinson followed with a single into left. Johnson executed a pickoff play to erase McCann and Collin Kuhn’s single put another runner on second, but Johnson forced Bo Bigham into a 4-3 groundout to end the pitcher’s busiest inning.

Andy Wilkins walked to open the fifth, but Johnson quickly recorded three-straight outs (KS-F8-KS) to maintain the 1-0 thriller. One inning later, Zack Cox sent a two-out double into the right-field corner – but Johnson induced cleanup batter Brett Eibner to fly out to center field.

An Arkansas home run tied the game in the eighth and Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan elected to move Johnson into the designated hitter spot in the bottom of the ninth. The freshman responded by working ahead in the count versus bullpen ace Mike Bolsinger before poking a 2-0 pitch up the middle for a one-out single. Moments later, Johnson’s pinch-runner, freshman Cody Dent (Boynton Beach, Fla.), came home with the series-winning run, leaving Florida (28-11/12-6 SEC) two games behind South Carolina in the race for the SEC title.

Johnson, who located 70 of his 99 pitches for strikes in the pressure-packed outing, now owns a 2.91 ERA this season. He is now batting .375 (9-for-24) following the single that sparked the game-winning rally.

Johnson was part of CollegeBaseball360.com’s 10th group of Primetime Performers for action from April 19-25. Texas junior catcher Cameron Rupp was named the Primetime Player of the Week after helping vault his club atop many of the national polls. The cleanup batter smacked a pair of first-inning home runs and nearly did the same in the series finale, leading the way for a Longhorns’ squad that swept Oklahoma State while extending its winning streak to 16 games.

The other 17 members of the CB360 Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll included: Boston College senior outfielder Robbie Anston, Washington State senior right-hander Chad Arnold, UC Irvine senior right-hander Christian Bergman, Oklahoma junior second baseman Danny Black, Stanford freshman third baseman Kenny Diekroeger, Seton Hall fifth-year senior second baseman Chris Fontanelli, Tennessee junior catcher Blake Forsythe, North Carolina junior right-hander Matt Harvey, Texas State senior first baseman Kyle Livingstone, Florida State junior left fielder/right-hander Mike McGee, Texas Tech freshman second baseman Jamodrick McGruder, Coastal Carolina sophomore shortstop Taylor Motter, Connecticut junior third baseman Mike Olt, Virginia Tech sophomore first baseman Ronnie Shaban, Ole Miss sophomore designated hitter Matt Snyder, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi junior outfielder Chris Vergne and Arizona senior right-hander Daniel Workman.

The 19 honorees include a pair of two-way talents (LHP/DH and LF/RHP), along with four other right-handed pitchers, three second basemen, two catchers, a pair of first basemen, two third basemen, a shortstop, left-fielder, center-fielder and DH. The selections feature a fifth-year senior, five seniors, seven juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen. The honorees hail from 10 different home states/foreign countries, led by four from Florida and three each from California and Texas, plus two each from Connecticut and Virginia, along with one from Arizona, New Jersey, Puerto Rice, Tennessee and Washington.

The CB360 Primetime Performer honors various players based on any/all of the following “primetime” criteria (i.e. not solely based on raw stats):

• Must have been playing for a CB360 top-50 team (in the Composite National Rankings) or against such a top-level opponent, or performed a high level in a game that could be key to a team’s conference/NCAA postseason qualification.
• Involved in clutch performances, such as late game-winning hits, noteworthy comebacks, game-changing plays, team leadership, etc.
• Performing at a top level against a team rated highly nationally (or within its conference), with bonus consideration given for key performances away from home field.
• Overcoming adversity or extreme circumstances (for the team and/or individual).

Source: http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=18085