Osborne the best of the NCAA Div. II boppers

INDIANAPOLIS - University of Tampa senior J.D. Osborne was named as the NCAA Division II statistical champion for RBI per game, as announced by the organization.

A 2017 selection of the Miami Marlins, the Whitby, Ont. native played a combination of first base, third base and catcher for the Spartans. He averaged a national-best 1.62 RBI per game, helping UT to a 39-14 record and the program’s 18th Sunshine State Conference championship with a 20-4 league mark.

As a senior, Osborne hit .387, slugging 20 home runs while driving in 86 runs. He also led the team with 19 doubles and ranked second among all Spartans with 66 runs and 86 hits. He was also one of three UT players to start all 53 games on the season.

Among his accolades as a senior are being named to the  NCBWA Division II Preseason All-South Region Second Team, First Team All-Sunshine State Conference, ABCA First Team All-South Region, D2CCA Second Team All-South Region, NCBWA Second Team All-South Region, four-time Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week (2/20, 3/6, 3/20, 4/24), two-time NCBWA National Hitter of the Week (2/22 and 3/10) and NCBWA Regional Hitter of the Week (3/24).

A 22nd-round selection of the Miami Marlins in the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft, Osborne is currently playing the the Class-A affiliate in the Gulf Coast League. Osborne was a two-year letterwinner for UT after playing his first two collegiate seasons at Polk State College.