2007 Atlantic Sun Conference All-Academic Team
As a sophomore, 2008: Led team with 11 throwouts against baserunners attempting to steal ... was hit by pitch 11 times, which was tied for the team lead ... had nine multiple hit games ... had career-high of three hits against USC Upstate (3/22) and Campbell (4/2), which were both UNF wins ... also scored twice and had two doubles against Campbell ... also tallied a triple against Upstate ... had fifth-best on-base percentage on team at .409.
As a freshman, 2007: Made four starts and played in five games as a backup catcher ... best game at plate was a 2-for-3 performance against Campbell (5/12) ... went 1-for-2 against Ohio State (5/16) ... made collegiate debut in a start against UNC Greensboro (3/11) ... picked up first career hit against Belmont (4/6) ... threw out first-ever base runner attempting to steal against Georgia Southern (4/10).
High School: Graduated from Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville in 2006 ... played three varsity seasons at Bishop Kenny for head coaches Bob West and Tommy Edwards ... played catcher for the Crusaders ... team advanced to the regional semifinals his sophomore and junior seasons before finishing 27-4 and advancing to the Class 4A state finals his senior year ... team lost in the finals to Monsignor Pace High School to finish as state runner-up ... he earned honorable mention all-city honors as a senior, when he batted .430 with eight doubles and two triples in 31 games ... also was named as team's defensive player of the year ... batted .333 in 12 games as a junior and .375 in two games as a sophomore ... former high school teammates T.J. Thompson and Ryan McCoy are now teammates at UNF ... is among six Bishop Kenny players from the 2006 squad to move on to Division I programs ... was an honor student at Bishop Kenny, graduating with a 3.98 grade point average.
Personal: Born on Nov. 13, 1987, in Miami, Fla. ... son of Richard and Ida Gropper ... has an older brother, Richard ... majoring in communications.
Gropper's Career Statistics
Year Avg GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD%
2007.... .250 9-4 16 0 4 0 0 0 0 4 .250 0 1 8 0 .294 0 1 0-0 17 3 1 .952
2008.... .312 39-28 93 18 29 6 1 0 9 37 .398 5 11 10 1 .409 1 6 1-2 173 23 11 .947
TOTAL... .303 48-32 109 18 33 6 1 0 9 41 .376 5 12 18 1 .394 1 7 1-2 190 26 12 .947
