2006 Gator Baseball Season Outlook
Monday, February 6, 2006 | Baseball
Having directed the University of Florida baseball program to its finest performance in school history, a runner-up finish at the 2005 NCAA College World Series and a ranking of second in the final polls, head coach Pat McMahon had reason to smile about his team's litany of accomplishments. Despite taking time to savor the many successes that were achieved by last year's Gators, highlighted by the squad's first Southeastern Conference championship since 1998 and first trip to Omaha in seven years, the fifth-year skipper recognized that the start of fall workouts signaled the beginning of another journey with a different supporting cast.
"Every year presents a new challenge, as each club takes on a unique and special personality," said McMahon. "We continually worked hard last season to put ourselves in position to compete for the national title and I could not have been prouder of their efforts. Although the experience gained over those two weeks in Nebraska is something we will never forget, this group wants to create their own memories."
Over his first four seasons at the helm, McMahon has begun to leave his personal stamp on the Orange and Blue. He has guided the Gators to the NCAA Regional championship game four straight times, including victories at the 2004 Oklahoma City and 2005 Gainesville Regional events. UF has qualified for Super Regionals two years in a row and dispatched in-state rival Florida State last June in front of two record-breaking crowds at McKethan Stadium to punch its ticket to the CWS held at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.
Competing against a schedule rated the fifth most-difficult in the nation, McMahon's charges were 48-23 overall in '05 and collected both the SEC regular-season and Eastern Division hardware in the nation's toughest conference. For his efforts, he was named the College Baseball Foundation National Coach of the Year, as well as the American Baseball Coaches Association South Region and SEC Coach of the Year. Returning 23 letterwinners and seven position starters, the head coach understands that expectation levels will be higher than usual in 2006 but relishes the role.
"The University has an outstanding baseball tradition," acknowledged McMahon. "We are trying to build on that. With our run last season to the National Championship Series and our stadium improvements, it is a very exciting time for us. We will continue to work hard each day since there is always room to get better."
His coaching staff, consisting of Ross Jones, Tim Parenton and volunteer assistant Brian Fleetwood, has the similar focus toward enhancing Florida baseball's reputation as one of the nation's elite programs. Welcoming 15 newcomers into the fold, the quartet has its work cut out in molding a squad which will attempt to secure the Gators' sixth trip to Omaha.
2006 POSITION-BY-POSITION ANALYSIS
CATCHER
Possessing one of the top defensive catchers in the country, McMahon and his staff look for Brian Jeroloman to have a strong junior season. Having gained experience with the USA National Team last summer, the second-team All-SEC backstop threw out close to 48 percent of the runners attempting to steal on him and caught all 71 games for UF as a sophomore. Jeroloman batted .333 (13-for-39) during NCAA play and finished with an overall average of .298 with 49 runs batted in and eight home runs.
“Going into the season, Brian returns as a two-year starter for us,” Parenton said. “With increased depth at the position, we look to give him more days off. It is a luxury to have several quality catchers at the collegiate level and they are each capable of handling our pitching staff and creating offensive opportunities for us.”
A first-team all-state catcher in Class 6A at Edgewater (Fla.) High School last year, the Gators are hoping that Cody Neer can make an impact as a rookie. Rated as one of the top prep catchers by Team One Baseball and Perfect Game USA, Neer led the state with a .528 batting average, totaled 42 RBI and clouted eight homers. A junior college transfer from Daytona Beach C.C., Austin Pride will see time behind the plate, at first base and in the outfield. He hit .284 with 33 RBI and 15 stolen bases in helping the Falcons to the Mid-Florida Conference crown in '05.
Seniors Carson Bassett and Greg Quatrino will also vie for playing time, along with the redshirt freshmen duo of Brett Bentley and Teddy Foster.
INFIELD
Despite boasting two returning All-Americans within their infield, juniors Adam Davis and Matt LaPorta, the Gators' defensive alignment will have a much different look to it than last season. Justin Tordi, a three-year starter at shortstop who led the SEC in fielding at the position last year, signed a professional contract with the Cincinnati Reds the day before fall classes started and caused a ripple effect in McMahon's projected lineup.
"Our infield has depth and a lot of versatility," Parenton said. "As a staff, we need to put them in a position and let them grow. Obviously, there will be experimentation during the non-conference part of our schedule to determine an everyday lineup but we have enough confidence in their abilities to see the process through an adjustment period."
LaPorta, the 2005 SEC Player of the Year who was a consensus first-team All-American, will anchor the infield at first base but might also see time on the hot corner. Named to the Watch List for the 2006 Brooks Wallace Award, presented to the National College Baseball Player of the Year, the slugger is coming off a tremendous sophomore campaign in which he was the Division I leader in home runs (26), batted .328 and paced the SEC in slugging percentage (.698) and runs batted in (79). LaPorta socked a team-high four round-trippers for the USA National Team during its summer tour.
Davis is expected to make the transition from second base, where he has started the past two seasons, over to shortstop. A first-team All-SEC selection, he was third for Florida with a .306 clip, tripled his career home run output from six to 18 and was second on the club with 63 RBI. In addition, Davis batted .313 for Team USA and occupied the top spot in walks (11) and doubles (five).
A member of last year's All-SEC Freshman Team after hitting .268 with 32 runs and 30 RBI, Brandon McArthur will take over the starting chores at second base. McArthur started 60 games at third base for the Gators in his initial season of collegiate action and turned in a .286 average in conference play. Hoping to draw the starting assignment at third base is sophomore Matt Gaski, who appeared in 30 games as a rookie and five of his club's six outings at the College World Series. Senior Daniel Brooks looks to challenge for the third-base slot after recovering from a broken wrist sustained last April.
A second-team All-Panhandle Conference pick at Chipola J.C. in '05 after sporting a .354 average with 50 runs and 48 RBI, junior David Cash can play any of the infield positions or serve as the Gators' designated hitter. He started his college career at the University of South Carolina and was chosen to the SEC All-Freshman squad in helping the Gamecocks to the 2004 College World Series. Sophomore Bryson Barber hopes to earn a spot in the lineup after a freshman campaign in which he started six games as Florida's DH and made 24 appearances.
When not behind the dish or in the outfield, Pride is another candidate for McMahon at first base. Talented freshmen Avery Barnes and Clayton Pisani are other players to watch in the battle for the middle infield positions. Hailing from nearby High Springs, Barnes hit a sizzling .500 with 32 stolen bases, 32 RBI and 10 doubles as a senior at Santa Fe High School en route to earning the Florida Dairy Farmers' Class 3A Player of the Year and first-team all-state recognition. Pisani collected second-team all-state accolades last year at Barron Collier (Fla.) High School on the strength of a .402 average.
OUTFIELD
The departure of All-American Jeff Corsaletti, the emotional sparkplug for the Gators who hit .358 with 68 runs and 53 RBI during an exceptional senior season, creates an opportunity in center field. The sixth-round choice of the Boston Red Sox in last June's Major League Baseball Draft finished with a career batting average of .331 after hitting above .310 all four collegiate seasons and now occupies third place on the school's all-time list with 273 hits.
"Although losing Jeff leaves a huge void in our offense, defensively we should be in capable hands,” Parenton said. "Juniors Gavin Dickey and Brian Leclerc each have shown flashes of brilliance covering ground in the outfield and there are other talented candidates to compete for a starting role.”
After snagging the Most Outstanding Player honor at the NCAA Gainesville Regional and hitting a robust .366 (15-for-41) with 17 RBI in NCAA play, Leclerc hopes to secure the starting berth in center field. The Clearwater, Fla., native set career highs in RBI (64) and runs scored (46) and home runs (15), none bigger than a momentum-changing round-tripper in the second matchup with Arizona State in Omaha that enabled the Gators to reach the final round of the CWS.
Splitting time between football practice and baseball throughout the spring, Dickey responded with a .292 average over 59 starts, with 56 in left field. He played a key role in the Orange and Blue's sweep of Florida State in the NCAA Super Regional with a team-best .571 average. Senior Stephen Barton is a jack-of-all-trades who made 51 starts for UF between designated hitter (29), left field (15), third base (six) and second base (one) last year. He delivered a .295 showing at the plate, with 46 runs and 11 doubles and is contending for a chance to start in left.
Mentioned previously at catcher and first base, Pride will compete for the job in right field but is being challenged by fellow junior college transfer Chris Petrie. Petrie was second-team all-state and picked up first-team All-Mid-Florida Conference kudos at Lake City C.C. last season with a .376 batting average, 22 doubles and eight homers. Sophomore Cody Wheeler looks to be in the mix after transferring from Duke University, while two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient junior Seth Steinhauer seeks an increased role.
Also focused upon earning playing time are senior Chris Woods and freshman Bo Smith. An asset because of his speed, Woods played in 22 games for Florida in '05 and was the 2004 Mid-Florida Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Santa Fe C.C. Redshirted last year, Gainesville product Smith earned first-team all-state honors at Buchholz High School and was The Gainesville Sun's 2004 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Sophomore Jared Kubin, who started 34 games as UF's designated hitter last year and hit .292 with 18 RBI, was a candidate for an outfield position before undergoing shoulder surgery in December that will limit his action in '06.
PITCHING
With a majority of their offense returning, many of the questions surrounding the Gators' potential for continued success relate to the pitching staff. Florida must replace four-year hurlers Tommy Boss, Connor Falkenbach and Mike Pete, as well as 10-game winner Alan Horne. Boss (9-4, 4.11 ERA, 19 starts) delivered consecutive complete-games against North Carolina and Florida State and was 3-0 during the NCAA Tournament, while second-team All-SEC recipient Falkenbach (3-3, 3.15 ERA, nine saves) established a single-season NCAA mark with 51 appearances. Pete finished 4-0 in 26 games, and UF strikeout and victory leader Horne (10-2, 4.05 ERA, 19 starts, 108 K) captured his final nine decisions of the campaign before signing with the New York Yankees.
"We will have a very experienced club on offense and in the field defensively," said fifth-year pitching coach Jones. "However, losing over 54 percent of our innings on the mound is a concern. We had a seasoned group a year ago and sometimes when there's a group like that the other guys don't get as many opportunities. Thinking back to last season, we were fighting for an SEC title and every game meant something. We do have some talented young kids and we are optimistic it will come together for us as the season progresses."
A pair of seniors, right-handers Bryan Ball and Darren O'Day, will be called upon to lead the youthful staff by example. A member of the weekend rotation in '05, Ball was 7-6 with a 3.45 earned run average in 17 starts. He limited opponents to a .250 batting average and registered 72 strikeouts in 101.2 innings. O'Day posted the club's lowest ERA (2.87) for the second straight year and was 8-3 with seven saves. The two-time Academic All-District III honoree earned the win over second-ranked Nebraska and saved the triumph over Tennessee at the College World Series, where he did not permit a run over 8.1 innings.
The Gators suffered a major loss last fall when sophomore left-hander Stephen Locke was required to have season-ending surgery. Named as a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Louisville Slugger after going 5-2 with a 4.04 ERA, highlighted by road victories over Florida State and Georgia, the southpaw was being counted on as a top starter for Florida.
Players expected into the mix for a starting position within UF's rotation include the sophomore trio of right-handers Bryan Augenstein, Michael Branham and Tommy Wynn. Augenstein made nine appearances as a rookie last year, with two starts, and fanned 13 hitters in 16 innings. Branham was used out of the bullpen seven times by the Gators and is coming off a summer in which he played in the Florida State Collegiate League All-Star Game, while fellow All-Star representative Wynn had three starts and participated in 10 games for Florida last spring.
A couple of right-handed newcomers, junior Kris Gawriluk and sophomore Andy Gale, are expected to contribute immediately. Gawriluk played for two years at Daytona Beach C.C. and collected first-team All-Mid-Florida Conference honors in 2003 after an unblemished 7-0 mark. Gale arrived in Gainesville following a season at the University of North Carolina, where he made eight starts and compiled a 3-1 record with a 3.38 ERA for the Tar Heels.
Out of the bullpen, junior lefties Steven Porter and David Hurst, sophomore right-hander Josh Edmundson and hard-throwing senior righties Nate Helms and Christian Madson could figure in the team's relief pitching plans. With his drop-down, left-handed motion, redshirt freshman Matt Hightower will be another option for Florida. The Gators also hope to receive positive contributions from a several highly-touted freshmen, including Patrick Keating (RHP), J.K. LaCoste (LHP), Jarrod Langlois (RHP), Mark McClure (RHP) and Chas Spottswood (RHP).
"One thing about our club, we are going to throw it in the zone," said Jones. "We don't necessarily walk many batters because we don't pitch for the strikeout. Strikeout pitchers are usually fly-ball pitchers and in our ballpark that is not a good thing. We need ground balls."
SCHEDULE
The Gators' 56-game regular-season schedule features 35 games within the friendly confines of McKethan Stadium at Perry Field and 32 games versus opponents who advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Florida plays one of the toughest schedules in college baseball each year, and last year's version was rated as the fifth-most difficult in Division I. UF's 2006 schedule boasts 21 games against squads that finished among the top 25 in the final version of the Ratings Percentage Index.
Florida will be tested by the rugged 30-game SEC schedule and will also face traditional in-state rivals Florida State, Miami, South Florida, Stetson, Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M and UCF. In addition, the Gators will host The Pepsi Baseball Classic, a round-robin event over Feb. 24-26 that includes 2005 NCAA participants Missouri and Ohio State, as well as Wake Forest from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Big 12 power Texas A&M will visit UF for the first time since the 1992 NCAA East Regional for a three-game set, the front end of a home-and-home series that will have the Gators traveling to College Station next season. An assortment of other national foes will visit Gainesville, including defending Ivy League champion Harvard, Cincinnati, Mercer and UNC Greensboro. In early April, UF will tangle with first-time opponent North Florida at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. A perennial NAIA and Division II powerhouse, the Ospreys are making the move to Division I this year.
The five SEC home series pit the Gators against Arkansas (March 17-19), Vanderbilt (March 31-April 2), Auburn (April 21-23), Georgia (April 28-30) and reigning Western Division co-champion LSU (May 18-20). Florida will open the league schedule in Gainesville on St. Patrick's Day against the Razorbacks and is not slated to face West rival Ole Miss during the regular season. The final weekend of the SEC regular season will be contested from Thursday-Saturday to provide an extra day off before the start of the league's tourney.
Stops on the Gators' road itinerary include trips to South Carolina (March 24-26), Kentucky (April 7-9), fellow 2005 CWS participant Tennessee (April 14-16), defending SEC Tournament champion Mississippi State (May 5-7) and Alabama (May 12-14). UF sported a 10-5 league mark away from campus last year, including sweeps of Auburn and Vanderbilt.
For the sixth consecutive season and the 18th time in 20 years, the Gators will open their 2006 season at home, hosting a series against Cincinnati from Fri.-Sun., Feb. 10-12. The following weekend, UF heads to Coral Gables for a three-game series versus archrival Miami. The Orange and Blue will later clash with Florida State in a pair of mid-week affairs, hosting the Seminoles on Feb. 28 and visiting Tallahassee on April 19. The Gators hooked up with FSU five times last season and defeated the 'Noles in the NCAA Super Regional series to advance to Omaha. McMahon's club was 32-11 (.744) at McKethan Stadium last spring and is 122-35 (.777) in Gainesville during his tenure.
UF will be seeking another trip to the eight-team SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala., to be held from May 24-28. In finishing 48-23 overall in '05, UF claimed its 10th SEC regular-season title and 18th Eastern Division championship with a 20-10 mark and reached the semifinals. Ranked number one in the RPI, the SEC tied its own NCAA record by sending nine squads into Regional play.
Following the SEC's postseason event, the Orange and Blue will be aiming for its program-best seventh-straight NCAA berth. Regionals will take place at 16 campus sites from June 2-5, followed by the best-of-three Super Regionals spread out among eight venues over June 9-12. Soon after, the eight survivors will advance to the 60th College World Series at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb., between June 16-26.
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