#3 Dominic de la Osa Season 2004-05

National and SEC Player of the Year Candidate
First Team Preseason All-American

Coach Corbin Quote: Dom was probably our best recruit this off-season since he didn’t sign with a pro team. I really appreciate him coming back as he’s one of the best players in the country. He’s a five-tool kid and plays the game very hard and with a lot of passion.

2007: First team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, American Baseball Coaches Association and Rivals.com. Received second team All-American plaudits by Baseball America and the National Baseball Writers Association … First-team ABCA All-Region and All-SEC ….Finished the year with a .378 batting average with 20 homers, 23 doubles and 62 RBI, all career highs … Has 26 multiple hit and 17 multiple RBI games … Started in 64 of 66 games … Led team with 20 stolen bases in 26 attempts … One of only three players nationally to finish with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases … Reached base safely in 60 of 66 games … Voted to the SEC All-Tourney team after going 9-for-24 (.375) with two homers, two doubles and seven RBI … Solo homer in the bottom of the 10th started four-run rally in Commodores 7-6 win over Ole Miss (5/26) that put the team in the championship game … Went 3-for-5 with two RBI against Tennessee (5/25) … Named SEC Hitter of the Week (5/21) after hitting go ahead homers in the final two games against LSU. He was 5-for-11 with two homers, a double and three RBI in the series … Went 6-for-13 (.462) with a homer, three doubles and three RBI in the Auburn series … Was 6-for-13 in the Georgia series with two doubles, a triple, a homer and eight RBI. He had five RBI, including a game-winning three run double in the top of the ninth in the series opener against Georgia (5/4) … Named SEC Hitter of the Week (4/30) after going 11-for-17 (.647) with five doubles, three homers, nine RBI and 11 runs scored in the four games. He went 9-for-14 (.643) with four doubles, two homers, seven RBI and nine runs scored as the catalyst for VU’s sweep of Florida over the weekend … Went 5-for-11 (.455) in the Tennessee series with a homer and four RBI … Was 4-for-12 (.333) with two homers and two RBI in the Alabama series … Came through with pinch hit game-tying RBI double in the top of the ninth of the 4-1 win over Austin Peay (4/4) … Went 3-for-3 in 12-1 win over South Carolina (3/31) … Had to leave game early with strained hamstring and did not play in the series finale … Was 3-for-4 with an RBI against Arkansas (3/25) … Enjoyed a 13-game hitting streak (2/11 – 3/09) hitting .442 with 11 runs scored, 11 RBI, nine walks, nine stolen bases while hitting three homeruns … 3-for-4 game versus Western Kentucky (3/20) with two runs and two RBI while launching his fifth homerun… Hit his first SEC homerun versus Ole Miss (3/16)… Also hit a homerun against Belmont (3/14) to highlight a 1-for-3 day with two walks and two runs… Notched three-hit game against Illinois-Chicago (3/09) going 3-for-4 with a solo homerun, a stolen base, and an RBI… Was 2-for-3 with a homerun, two RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases… Turned in his first three hit performance of the season versus Lipscomb (2/21) with a 3-for-5 day including two runs, two RBI, a walk, a stolen base and hit his first homerun… Collected his first extra-base hit off of Ohio (2/18), doubling as part of a 1-for-2 day with a run scored, two walks and a stolen base … Broke through with his first hit of the season going 1-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI … Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 10th round of the Major League Draft … Played for the Wareham Gateman in the Cape Cod League over the summer.

2006: Finished the season with a .319 batting average with a career high nine homers, 14 doubles and 46 RBI … Homer total was second best on the team … Led the team with 14 stolen bases in 21 attempts … Played in 62 games with 61 starts … Made 46 starts at short, 13 in leftfield and two as the designated hitter. 13 outfield starts came at the end of the year … Had 21 multi-hit and nine multi-RBI games … Hit .294 with two homers, seven doubles and 19 RBI in 28 SEC games … Closed out the season with 4-for-4 showing with a homer and two runs scored against Georgia Tech (6/4) in the championship round of the NCAA Atlanta Regional … Named to the SEC All-Tourney team after going 9-for-19 (.474) with a double, triple, homer, five RBI and five runs scored … Was 3-for-4 with a triple and run scored against Georgia (5/27) in the semifinal of the conference tourney … Went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI against South Carolina (5/25) … Opened the SEC tourney with 2-for-4 showing with three runs scored … Had 12 two-hit games on the season … Was 3-for-5 with two runs scored in second game of doubleheader against Alabama (4/22) … Recorded a career best seven RBI on 3-for-5 showing against Georgia (4/16). Had two doubles and a homer against the Bulldogs … Went 3-for-5 with a double and homer against Western Kentucky (4/11) … Went 6-for-13 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored in three-game series against Florida in return to home state … Scored a season high four runs against Auburn (3/25) … Went 3-for-4 with four RBI against Butler (3/14) … Went 3-for-4 with four RBI against Brown (3/10) … Hit walk-off two-run homer in 7-6 win over Ball State (3/4) … Was named to Cape Cod All-League team after hitting .270 with eight doubles and two triples in 41 games for Wareham.

2005: Finished second on the team with seven homers … Batted .271 with 12 doubles and 30 RBI in 52 games (50 starts) … Was 7 of 8 in stolen bases … Best game of the year was 3-for-4 showing against UT-Martin (2/23) … Had four RBI in that game … Six of seven homers came in non-conference action … Lone SEC homer came against Tennessee (4/23) … Scored career high three runs against LSU (4/30) … Eight hit by pitches tied for second best on the team.

High School: Hit .520 with seven home runs and 60 RBI…2004 All-State Third Team and All-Dade County First Team… Set the team’s individual season runs scored record with 60 (2003)…2003 All-State Second Team and All-Dade County First Team…2001 and 2002 All-Dade County Honorable Mention selection…Selected to play summer ball with the Miami Thunderstorms who were ranked 4th in the state and 12th in the nation (2003)… Invited to the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif., by the Chicago White Sox (2003)…Played with Team Powerhouse in the summer of 2004…Invited to the Diamond Classic in Seabring, Fla., by the Seattle Mariners (2004)…Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 2004 MLB draft…Member of the National Honor Society for four years and served as treasurer… High School coach was Lazaro Clanes.

Personal: Dominic de la Osa…Major is economics … Nickname is “Mash” … Born 1/13/86…Son of Catherine Valdes and Carlos de la Osa…Brothers Carlos, Nicolas, Matthew and sisters Catherine and Brianna …Favorites include: Wedding Crashers, Super Bikes, R. Kelly, Michael Jordan, Audioslave Denzel Washington and the Florida Marlins…Lists Alex Rodriguez as the greatest baseball player of all time.