In their second three-game series against a top 25-ranked opponent this season, No. 1 Florida Gators baseball swept the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field in Coral Gables, FL thanks to a come-from-behind victory in Sunday’s finale. Florida (10-1), extending their winning streak to eight games with the three [...]
No. 1 Florida shines in sweep of No. 8 Miami
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TWO BITS: Gators baseball, softball win three
1 » No. 1 Florida Gators baseball (12-1) won their 10th consecutive game with a 15-2 thrashing of the Florida A&M Rattlers (1-12) on Wednesday at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, FL. Freshman outfielder Justin Shafer (1/2) notched a career-high six RBIs on a double and three sacrifice flies. He also pitched the final frame of [...]
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No. 1 Florida tops No. 4 FSU 4-1 in Jacksonville
A three-run sixth inning led No. 1 Florida Gators baseball (23-2) to a 4-1 victory over the No. 4 Florida State Seminoles (21-4) in front of 10,751 fans on Tuesday night at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in Jacksonville, FL. The win was Florida’s second against their in-state rival this season and clinched the three-game [...]
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No. 4 Florida baseball wins series at Tennessee
Picking up a weekend series victory for the first time since late March, No. 4 Florida Gators baseball (28-8, 9-6 SEC) triumphed 2-1 against the Tennessee Volunteers (21-15, 7-8 SEC) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, TN. Florida and Tennessee kept it close in the first two games, but a blowout victory by the Gators [...]
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TWO BITS: baseball falls again, softball splits
1 » Falling to 8-8 in their last 16 games dating back to March 30, No. 2/5 Florida Gators baseball (31-10) was edged 5-3 by the South Florida Bulls (28-14) at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday. Florida fell behind 2-0 in the top of the second after a fielding error by sophomore third [...]
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Florida baseball tops UNF 4-3 in 11 innings
Losing to the North Florida Ospreys on April 3 was a noticeable blemish on the Florida Gators’ portfolio this season so there was no doubt that one of the top teams in the country was looking for revenge Tuesday night in Gainesville, FL. It may have taken 11 innings but No. 5 Florida (36-13) got [...]
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Samford hits three homers, blasts Florida 12-7
Ending the regular season with a four-game road trip to the state of Alabama, No. 3 Florida Gators baseball was hoping to start out hot on Tuesday and go into the postseason on a high note. Instead Florida (38-15) was routed 12-7 by the Samford Bulldogs (34-19) at Griffin Field in Birmingham, AL. Samford took [...]
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Gators rout Yellow Jackets 15-3 in Gainesville Regional final, advance to Super Regional
The rout was on at McKethan Stadium on Sunday evening in the finals of the Gainesville Regional as No. 1 Florida Gators baseball (45-18) scored in four of the first five innings and advanced to the Super Regionals for the fourth-straight season with a 15-3 demolition of the No. 24 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (38-26). [...]
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SIX BITS: NBA, baseball, Tebow, women, Gillespie
1 » Former Florida Gators currently playing in the NBA collectively had an interesting last three days. Centers Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks and Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls each started March off on fire after concluding February with a career game. Horford averaged 22 points, six rebounds, 3.5 assists and three steals [...]
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Teddy’s Catch: Glimmer of hope for UF baseball
A five-year member of the Florida Gators baseball team playing under head coaches Pat McMahon and Kevin O’Sullivan, former catcher Teddy Foster is now attending law school after serving as an associate scout for the New York Mets last season. He joined OGGOA in 2012 as a baseball columnist who will continue to provide his [...]
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Florida baseball sweeps No. 8 South Carolina; Gators above .500 for first time since Feb. 20
By Andrew Olson – OGGOA Contributor It has been a season of ups and downs for Florida Gators baseball (19-18, 8-7 SEC), but the home team was able to end the week on a major high note by completing a three-game sweep of the No. 8 South Carolina Gamecocks (27-10, 8-7 SEC) on Saturday at [...]
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Florida baseball continues rise; 6-2 in last eight
By Andrew Olson – OGGOA Contributor No. 19 Florida Gators baseball (25-20, 12-9 SEC) has continued its upward momentum, going 6-2 (with two series victories) since it swept South Carolina in mid-April. Over the last two weeks, Florida has gone 3-1 both at home and on the road. Following a big three-game sweep over a [...]
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Florida baseball falters, drops series to Auburn
By Andrew Olson – OGGOA Contributor With the season is winding down, Florida Gators baseball (28-25, 13-14 SEC) is limping to the finish line rather than charging towards it the way head coach Kevin O’Sullivan had envisioned. UF dropped two of three games to the Auburn Tigers (31-20, 11-16 SEC) in its last home series [...]
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Gators baseball quickly eliminated from SEC Tournament, NCAA hopes in jeopardy
By Andrew Olson – OGGOA Contributor Coming off losing three of their last four regular season games, eight-seed Florida Gators baseball (29-28) went one-and-out in the 2013 Southeastern Conference Tournament, losing 6-3 to the nine-seed Texas A&M Aggies (31-25) in a single-elimination first round game on Tuesday. After going on a winning streak in April [...]
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Florida baseball quickly knocked out of regional
Florida Gators baseball was knocked out of the Bloomington Regional round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament in quick order over the weekend, losing late leads in both games and seeing its season end during regional play for the first time since 2008. The Gators (29-30) finished the 2013 season with a sub-.500 record for both [...]
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Teddy’s Catch: Gators prepare for 2013 MLB Draft
A five-year member of the Florida Gators baseball team playing under head coaches Pat McMahon and Kevin O’Sullivan, former catcher Teddy Foster is now attending law school after serving as an associate scout for the New York Mets last season. He joined OGGOA in 2012 as a baseball columnist who will continue to provide his [...]
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Five current Gators, 10 baseball commits selected in 2013 MLB Draft; Florida QB Jeff Driskel, too
Florida Gators baseball had five current players selected in the three-day, 40-round 2013 MLB Draft, though it is unknown as of press time how many of the players that were selected will wind up leaving the program. Junior right-handed pitcher Jonathon Crawford, selected by the Detroit Tigers with the No. 20 pick in the first [...]
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2014 Florida baseball primer: Bounce back year?
By Andrew Olson – OnlyGators.com Contributor The unanimously top 25-ranked Florida Gators are hoping to bounce back from a disastrous 2013 campaign that saw the team go 29-27 in the regular season and get bounced out of both league and national postseason play without winning a single game. UF also lost five players to the […]
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SIX BITS: NBA, baseball, Tebow, women, Gillespie
1 » Former Florida Gators currently playing in the NBA collectively had an interesting last three days. Centers Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks and Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls each started March off on fire after concluding February with a career game. Horford averaged 22 points, six rebounds, 3.5 assists and three steals in two weekend games, while Noah posted two more double-doubles and averages of 17.5 points, 10 boards, five assists and 2.5 blocks in his two games. Washington Wizards rookie guard Bradley Beal posted a career-high 29 points in a double-double performance (11 rebounds) on Friday but then went down hard on Sunday with a sprained left ankle that was so painful it reportedly caused him to blackout on the court. X-rays came back negative but Beal remains day-to-day for the Wizards. Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons capped off the weekend with an explosive performance Sunday, scoring a career-high 32 points on 12-of-13 shooting (6-of-7 from downtown) in just 30 minutes. He became the first player since Larry Bird to score 30+ points, shoot 92 percent or better and attempt at least five three-pointers. Parsons, a second-round pick and second-year player, continues to be an incredibly valuable player for the Rockets; he has scored 20+ points in four-straight games.
2 » Entering the weekend unranked and losers of five-straight games to Georgia Southern, Florida Gulf Coast (three) and North Florida, Florida baseball first dropped its sixth-straight contest before rallying to win the final two games of its weekend series against the Miami Hurricanes. The Gators (5-7) handed the Canes (10-2) their first two losses on the season, toppling their foes with a four-run eighth inning on Saturday and a four-run third inning on Sunday. Sophomore catcher Taylor Gushue (3/8, 4 RBI, R, 2 BB) led Florida offensively and helped both freshman right-handed reliever Jay Carmichael (1-1) and sophomore RHP Johnny Magliozzi (1-0) pick up their first victories of the season. UF plays five games in the next seven days including a home-and-home against Jacksonville and a three-game series at home against Indiana.
Read five more BITS of Gators news…after the break!
3 » Quarterback Tim Tebow is inching closer and closer to being released by the New York Jets and many NFL analysts, including former well-respected general manager Bill Polian, believe the only way he will be able to continue his career as a professional football player is to play a position other than quarterback. “I think he has to change his position; he has to put quarterback behind him,” Polian told ESPNNewYork.com. “He’s a good football player, but he’s not a quarterback you can hang your hat on.” Polian pegged Tebow as a running back or tight end (he has never played those positions) but also said what many others believe, that he could succeeded as a “change-up guy” behind center who can run the read-option for offenses that have non-mobile quarterbacks entrenched as starters. “He has to tell clubs, ‘I’m willing to do whatever you want me to do and I’m not going to compete for reps at quarterback.’ Without that, it’s very hard [to sign him],” he added. “I don’t think he’s a passer, period – the kind of passer you have to have to win in the NFL.”
4 » No. 4 Gators women’s tennis dropped its second match of the season on Sunday when it fell 4-3 to the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies on the road in College Station, TX. Florida (7-2, 1-1 SEC) had won 37-straight Southeastern Conference matches during regular season play before falling on Sunday. Texas A&M captured the doubles point, which UF has been dropping more often than it would like recently, but the Gators pulled ahead 3-2 in singles action with victories by No. 114 freshman Brianna Morgan (6-2, 6-1), No. 76 freshman Danielle Collins (6-3, 6-4) and No. 1 senior Lauren Embree (6-4, 7-5). Florida dropped the final two singles matches in three sets and now looks ahead to its next road contest against Florida State on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
5 » No. 2 Gators gymnastics (8-1) capped its home slate on Friday with a huge 198.425 score to defeat the No. 14 Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-3) on Senior Night in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Florida’s score set a school record and is the new high in the nation in 2013. It is also the eighth-highest collegiate gymnastics score posted nationally all-time and the highest to come without a single gymnast registering a perfect 10 on her event. Sophomore All-American Kytra Hunter won the vault (9.975) and all-around (39.80). Other Gators who won event titles each also posted 9.975s in their respective disciplines: Mackenzie Caquatto (uneven bars), freshman Bridget Sloan (balance beam) and senior Marissa King (floor exercise). Other seniors honored alongside King included Ashanée Dickerson (all-around), Dali Lemezan (vault, beam) and Randy Stageberg (vault, beam, floor).
6 » No. 4 Florida softball (22-1) continued its incredible start to the 2013 season with five more victories over the weekend. The Gators outscored their opponents by a combined 47-8 in the three-day span and pulled off a pair of incredible feats including a 20-2 victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers on Saturday and a team-pitched perfect game against the Presbyterian Blue Hose on Sunday. Florida routed FAMU by hitting back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs in the top of the first inning and connecting on two grand slams during the contest; the Gators hit eight total home runs, a school record. In its very next game, Florida used three pitchers to toss five perfect innings against Presbyterian. Junior RHP Hannah Rogers (10-1, 3.0 IP, 5 K) started and earned the victory, but the Gators each got perfect performances from sophomore RHP Lauren Haeger (1.0 IP) and sophomore RHP Alyssa Bache (1.0 IP, K) to register the first combined perfect game in the history of the program. Haeger also hit a team-high five RBI in the 20-2 victory on Saturday. UF’s last perfect game came in a solo performance from Stephanie Brombacher on Feb. 12, 2011. Head coach Tim Walton also picked up his 400th career win over the weekend.
Extra BIT I » No. 2 Florida lacrosse (7-0) remained undefeated over the weekend as it took down the No. 4/5 Syracuse Orange 14-10 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. The Gators, looking for a measure of revenge after the Orange took them out in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, got just that on Sunday as they evened the all-time series between the teams 2-2.
Extra BIT II » Former Gators running back Robert Gillespie, who has been coaching in college since 2005, was hired this week to take over as running backs coach for the Tennessee Volunteers. Gillespie, who tallied 1,854 yards rushing and 1,091 yards receiving during his time at Florida, spent the first four years of his career with Steve Spurrier at South Carolina followed by two years at Oklahoma State and the last two seasons at West Virginia.
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Teddy’s Catch: Glimmer of hope for UF baseball
A five-year member of the Florida Gators baseball team playing under head coaches Pat McMahon and Kevin O’Sullivan, former catcher Teddy Foster is now attending law school after serving as an associate scout for the New York Mets last season. He joined OGGOA in 2012 as a baseball columnist who will continue to provide his unique perspective on the team throughout the 2013 season.
Just a few weeks into the 2013 college baseball season, most fans probably decided to stop following Florida because, let’s face it, the team was playing poorly. While the Gators are still under .500, Florida captured their its SEC series of the year last weekend against a very talented Ole Miss club that was ranked No. 11 going into the series. These past few games have shown signs of improvement from a young and inexperienced team. Though those improvements may not foreshadow a deep postseason run, they do at least shows signs of a bright future.
The Gators have improved in almost every area of the game, but this team is still making too many mental errors, even for a young squad. Against Florida State, the Seminoles loaded the bases with nobody out and Florida was able to respond with two quick outs while keeping the FSU off the scoreboard. Before they could get the third out though, UF walked a run in. While the result is acceptable (one run scored after having the bases loaded with no outs), coaches and scouts notice things like this. Mental toughness is a huge aspect of what they look at when evaluating pitchers for the draft. The good news is that many of these pitchers are young and have another year or two to mature and grow both physically and mentally.
Read the rest of this edition of Teddy’s Catch…after the break!
While the Gators will continue to make mistakes due to inexperience, the ever-changing lineup card is certainly not helping a young team settle into a season. I have seen Cody Dent at third base and shortstop, Casey Turgeon at second and shortstop and Josh Tobias at third at second base. It’s not just their position on the field; their spots in the batting order seem to be in constant flux as well. I realize most of this is due to Richie Martin’s injury but most SEC coaches like to settle on an “everyday” lineup by the second weekend of league play. One of the things that really made me feel comfortable during my playing days was that I usually knew what days I was going to play and where I would hit in the order. It gives players a sense of comfort and security. It’s been a tumultuous season so far but look for head coach Kevin O’Sullivan to settle into an everyday lineup that won’t change much the remainder of the season except for the designated hitter (he will always play the hot bat).
One thing that’s not changing is Florida’s offensive style. Gone are the days of Matt LaPorta, Preston Tucker and Mike Zunino. While Taylor Gushue does have the chance to develop into a good power hitter, until that happens there is not a consistent home run threat on the roster. As a result, the Gators are bunting more often, attempting double steals and doing their best to move runners around in creative ways. This does not mean that Florida has bad hitters, rather it is a reflection of the team’s lack of power.
Most years I played, we circled a guy in the opponent’s lineup that we decided we would not let beat us. Some examples are Vanderbilt’s Pedro Alvarez or Aaron Westlake, Georgia’s Gordon Beckham, South Carolina’s Justin Smoke, Miami’s Yonder Alonzo and Florida State’s Buster Posey. UF simply does not have a guy right now that other teams circle as a huge threat, though Gushue may eventually develop into that guy. Until then, the Gators will be using bunts, steals and hit-and-runs to create their offensive scoring opportunities.
When you look at what has gone on recently, it is quite apparent that Florida’s pitching staff is the main reason for the team’s recent turnaround. While Jay Carmichael continues to amaze me as a freshman pitching on Friday nights, Jonathon Crawford is finally pitching like scouts have been expecting. Additionally, Danny Young has emerged as a viable Sunday option while Johnny Magliozzi continues to be a save machine. Crawford is on every scout’s radar and every team’s radar, but he had been pitching poorly until this past weekend when he threw a complete game shutout. He looked like a different pitcher from his previous outings.
What’s curious is that Crawford is not even having a problem throwing strikes; he tossed 75 in 105 pitches against Vanderbilt two weekends ago but was hit hard by the Commodores. Crawford kept throwing strikes against the Rebels – 64 strikes out of 104 pitches – but he was able to finally accomplish two other things consistently. First, he worked his fastball to both sides of the plate. Until this point in the season, he had problems repeating his delivery and was unable to consistently spot his fastball to the locations he wanted. Against Ole Miss, his delivery looked much more under control and this enabled him to not only locate his fastball much better but also work down in the strike zone. When you combine location in-and-out with location down in the zone, a pitcher is going to be tough to hit, especially when a guy like Crawford has low 90s velocity and a hard slider. Crawford still has work to do on his slider though. It’s not very tight and gets very loopy at times. When it gets loopy, it tends to stay up higher in the zone and have less break, which leads to a much easier pitch to hit. Having seen him improve the last few weeks though, I have a lot of confidence he will make this last adjustment and take a huge leap forward in his development.
As I alluded, Magliozzi has been a gem as the Gators’ closer. “Maggs” is a strike machine whose deceptive delivery helps him hide the ball from hitters, making it harder for them to pick up a pitch until it is already on its way to the plate. Add in the fact that his ball has a lot of sink and can run down and in on right handed hitters, and you can see why scouts like his future as a closer (more likely a setup or long relief guy though). Maggs threw 28 of his 41 pitches against the Rebels for strikes. Combine his delivery and movement with his ability to throw strikes and it is no wonder why Maggs has put together a great season and caught scouts’ eyes as a potential mid-round pick.
Florida is still making plenty of other mistakes due to its youth – balks, walks, poor at-bats – but there are a lot of good things going on and improvements are certainly being made. In the brutal SEC (which just happens to be the best conference in the country this season), every weekend is going to be a huge challenge for the Gators. However, if this team can figure out how to learn on the fly, there may just be a glimmer of hope.
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