Freshman shortstop Brady McConnell is all smiles after his two-run homer in the eighth inning of Friday's win over Siena. (Photo: Kelsi Bevington/UAA Communications)
Gators Get Help From New and Old in Season-Opening Win
Friday, February 16, 2018 | Baseball, Scott Carter
Junior right-hander Brady Singer struck out eight over seven innings as the reigning national champion Gators open 2018 with a victory.
As their dad, Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, exchanged lineup cards and chatted with Siena coach Tony Rossi, Finn and Payton O'Sullivan stole the show as they usually do while photographers snapped photos. Dalton Guthrie and Alex Faedo, two of the stars from last season, received huge ovations when they were introduced pregame. Meanwhile, an announced crowd of 5,270 came out for Opening Night to get a glimpse at the No. 1-ranked Gators, the fourth time in eight seasons Florida has started the season atop the national polls.
Despite so much familiarity, Friday night was unlike any season opener in the program's history. As proof, all you needed to do was take a look at the wall in left field, where a huge "National Champions" sign was unveiled prior to the first pitch as Guthrie, Faedo and other Gators from a season ago watched in street clothes.
Eight months after that celebratory dogpile in Omaha, the new-look Gators returned to the field ready to turn the page. They had no problem on this night, defeating the Saints 7-1 behind a stellar start from Brady Singer and contributions from new and old.
"The crowd was awesome. There was a lot of energy,'' O'Sullivan said. "It's just going to take a little bit of time to settle in. I just feel like there is going to be a lot of learning lessons along the way. I don't foresee this thing being so smooth and easy as some people may think. It's hard to move on from last year."
O'Sullivan's primary message in the preseason was to forget the past and focus on today. The Gators might be reigning national champions, but don't call them defending national champions. At least not to O'Sullivan's face.
That's a dirty word in his vocabulary. This is a new season, new team.
More evidence of that Friday was Singer on the mound and Faedo watching. A year ago it was Faedo, named Most Outstanding Player at last year's College World Series, taking the mound on Friday nights.
Singer lived up to the billing, tossing seven strong innings. He allowed only two hits and one run (unearned) while walking one and striking out eight. He announced he was ready for the job with a 95-mph fastball on the season's first pitch. Of Singer's 89 pitches, 62 were strikes.
"I had fun,'' said Singer, a junior right-hander from Eustis, Fla. "That's the one thing I wanted to do, just come out and throw strikes."
Jonathan India delivered the Gators' first hit, first run and first home run of the season with one swing, a long home run to left to lead off the fourth inning. Singer held the one-run lead until the sixth inning when the Saints scored on freshman shortstop Brady McConnell's fielding error.
With two outs and Yasser Santana at third, Siena's Jordan Bishop hit a routine bouncer to short that McConnell let slide under his glove into the outfield, tying the game. After Singer struck out Joe Drpich to end the inning, he gave McConnell a hug in the dugout.
"It's hard to go out there being a freshman and starting at shortstop like he did,'' Singer said.
McConnell returned the favor later with a two-run home run in the eighth, capping an otherwise forgettable night (one error, three strikeouts) with an unforgettable moment.
"I knew it was gone,'' McConnell said. "It was nerve-wracking at first. Obviously, I had a bit of nerves going into it and I think I let that get the best of me for a little bit. I started to relax toward the end of the game and tried to simplify things. I've been playing this game for a while. I just needed to trust my instincts."
The highest-rated freshman in this year's class, McConnell starred at Merritt Island (Fla.) High, where some projected him as a potential first-round pick in last summer's MLB amateur draft. Due to Florida's scholarship offer and questions about his signability, McConnell didn't go until the 33rd round to the Reds.
O'Sullivan is glad to have him.
"He's a good player,'' O'Sullivan said. "With any freshman there is going to be some growing pains. It's just part of it. I thought he handled it great. It was good to see him hit a home run at the end to help his confidence."
McConnell wasn't the only newcomer to contribute. Right fielder Wil Dalton, a transfer from Columbia State (Tenn.) Junior College, drove home the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth.
Senior catcher JJ Schwarz led off with a double and moved to third on Nelson Maldonado's fly out to right. After Keenan Bell grounded out to second with the infield playing in, Dalton singled home Schwarz for what proved to be the winning run.
Dalton finished 1-for-4 with a run and RBI in his UF debut.
"This is new. They don't have this at junior college,'' Dalton said as he walked up to a group of microphone-wielding reporters after the game. "It was very exciting. All day it was very antsy not knowing what to expect. I was excited to get out there and help the team. The biggest thing was to enjoy the environment. I never got to experience this, so it's a big thing for me."
Another newcomer, freshman Jordan Butler, took over for Singer in the eighth and promptly struck out the side. Butler stuck out four and walked two in two scoreless innings.
All in all, it was a good start for the Gators. Singer pitched as expected. Schwarz looked good at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. Center fielder Nick Horvath had two hits and made an excellent sliding catch in the gap.
One game, one national championship sign unveiled, one win.
The Gators have flipped the first page of the 2018 season.
"We're not going to go 56-0, I can promise you that,'' O'Sullivan quipped.
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