Gators Outfielder Dalton Has Blasted Way Onto Scene

Gators outfielder Wil Dalton is tied with teammate Jonathan India for second in the SEC with 11 home runs. (Photo: Adler Garfield/UAA Communications)

Gators Outfielder Dalton Has Blasted Way Onto Scene

Friday, April 6, 2018 | Baseball, Scott Carter

Sophomore Wil Dalton is in his first season at UF after playing at Columbia State Community College in Tennessee last year.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A piece of cell-phone footage is playing a major role for Florida's No. 1-ranked baseball team in 2018.

The Gators open a three-game series at Tennessee on Friday night. A year ago, and about 225 miles away from Linsdey Nelson Stadium on UT's campus, Florida assistant coach Craig Bell captured the slice of video that has helped add pop to a UF offense that took a backseat to the pitching staff during the Gators' run to the program's first national title last season.

While the Gators were in Nashville for a three-game series at Vanderbilt last April, Bell took a 45-minute drive to Columbia State Community College to scout Chargers outfielder Wil Dalton.

A 29th-round pick by Baltimore in the 2016 MLB amateur draft, the 6-foot, 190-pound Dalton was a lightly recruited player coming out of Summit High School in Spring Hill, Tenn.

"To be honest, I grew up a Tennessee fan my whole life,'' Dalton said. "My whole family bleeds orange. It would have been a consideration. Then again, not many schools wanted to consider me in the first place."

The Vols, Mississippi State and Kentucky were among the Southeastern Conference schools to show casual interest, but without an offer to extend his career at a Division I school, Dalton packed his bags and headed to San Jacinto (Texas) College.

He soon packed again, seeking a better fit. By the time spring rolled around, Dalton was back home and enrolled at Columbia State, a short drive from where he grew up.

Columbia State coach Mike Corn, aware of Dalton's ambitions and his ability as an all-state player in high school, made a deal with his newcomer.

"When he came in here, he and I just made the agreement that if it was an SEC school and he was going to be able to play at that elite level, I would support him 100 percent in moving on after Year 1,'' Corn said. "He was a guy that was very, very projectable."

That's where Bell entered the story.

After watching the Chargers play and keeping a close eye on Dalton with his smartphone video camera, when Bell returned to the team's hotel in Nashville, he showed Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan the video.

O'Sullivan recalls the conversation going like this:

"What do you want to do," he asked Bell.

"We need to sign him,'' Bell replied.

Done deal.

"We don't usually go out of state very much for outfielders, but Craig felt like this guy was going to be a difference maker,'' O'Sullivan said. "He was right."

52745 — Gators assistant coach Craig Bell congratulates Wil Dalton after his home run in Sunday's win over Vanderbilt. (Photo: Adler Garfield/UAA Communications)

Fast forward a year, and Dalton is proving his stellar season at Columbia State -- .392, 60 runs, 15 home runs, 21 doubles, 58 RBIs, 16 stolen bases – was no fluke. He is batting .303 with 11 home runs, eight doubles, 27 RBIs and seven stolen bases entering this weekend's series.

Dalton is tied with teammate Jonathan India for second in the SEC in home runs and leads the Gators with 35 runs scored to make a strong case as the league's top newcomer.

Corn can't say he expected Dalton to fit into the Gators' lineup with so much pop, but he can't say it's totally unexpected either.

"There's no crystal ball,'' Corn said. "I don't know if anybody could say, 'yeah, I knew he was going to go in there and already hit double-digit home runs.' But with the athleticism and bat speed that he has, it's also something [where] you can't say, 'no way I believe he's doing that.' It was certainly in the cards.

"The speed at which he is doing it is great for him and obviously great for Coach O'Sullivan and the Gators."

Dalton made an impact instantly, going 4-for-12 with a homer, double and four RBIs in the season-opening series against Siena. In last weekend's sweep over Vanderbilt, a program that Dalton would have gladly signed with out of high school, he went 4-for-12 and in Sunday's victory doubled and homered to drive in three runs.

Dalton's signature moment in his short time with the Gators happened in a win over Stony Brook on March 2 when he went 4-for-5 with three home runs and six RBIs. Batting in a lineup with India, the midseason front-runner for SEC Player of the Year, and in front of senior JJ Schwarz gives Dalton plenty of good pitches to hit.

He has also tweaked his approach at the plate, using all parts of the field. He doubled to left in Sunday's win over the Commodores and homered down the right-field line in his next at-bat.

"I was waiting for a question like this,'' Dalton said Sunday, referring to whether he showed up at the ballpark with extra motivation against Vanderbilt. "Basically, it's my hometown school. I live 30 minutes from there. It's a good program. Anybody would be lucky to go there.

"I wanted to come out here and show them, 'hey, I can play. I've always been able to play.' I didn't try to put too much pressure on myself. There is obviously a little edge and a little chip on the shoulder. That's Vanderbilt. That's where I'm from and I ended up here."

O'Sullivan and Corn both mention Dalton's quick bat speed as a key factor in his hitting ability. A tough self-critic, Dalton attributes most of what he has done at UF to maturity, consistency and a more aware approach at the plate.

In his only season at Columbia State, Dalton worked on dealing with adversity as much as any technical aspect of the game.

"He was a dynamic player in high school and he was pretty accustomed to doing well in the game. He really hadn't run through any bits of failure,'' Corn said. "He would get pretty upset that he wasn't batting 1.000. He and I needed a couple of heart-to-heart talks. There is going to be times of failure. It's not the failure that defines you, but it's the reaction to that failure that defines you.

"Wil is a fun player to be around. He is theatrical with his mannerisms. He still plays with a kid-like passion, which is good. He wants to do well and he's a good team guy."

The Gators are the ones reaping the benefits now.

"It's been incredible,'' freshman teammate Jordan Butler said. "He's given us 11 bombs this year, and some of them unbelievable, at big times. I knew the name. I just didn't know that he was going to put up these numbers and be this good."

Join the club, Jordan.