UF Baseball To Open Team Practice On Friday
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 | Baseball
Under the direction of third-year head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, the University of Florida baseball team will hold its first team practice and scrimmage on Friday, Jan. 29, as preparations continue for the upcoming campaign. The full team workout is scheduled to start around 3 p.m. at McKethan Stadium and is open to the public.
"We are excited to have everyone on the field in one group," O'Sullivan said. "With our season opener exactly three weeks from Friday, the players have been working hard in the weight room and during individual workouts to get ready. There is a lot of competition for spots and playing time that should help us prepare for the season opener."
On Saturday, Feb. 13, there will be a "Meet the Team" autograph event held at 4 p.m. following the intra-squad scrimmage where the players and coaches will be on hand to sign the schedule poster. Later that afternoon, Gator men's basketball will host Xavier in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center at 6 p.m.
The baseball team will also sign autographs at Alligator Alley on Saturday, Feb. 6, from 12-1 p.m. prior to the Florida-Mississippi State men's basketball game which begins at 1:30 p.m. The area, located between Gates 3 and 4 of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, will offer fans an opportunity to get autographs from Gator teams, shoot baskets and have their faces painted. Fans can have caricatures drawn and can watch college basketball games on TVs set up around the stadium. Special concessions offerings will be available as well. The event will begin two hours prior to tip off and will conclude 20 minutes before tip.
The Gators will begin the 2010 regular season on Friday, Feb. 19, by hosting USF in the opener of a three-game series at 6:30 p.m. O'Sullivan's squad returns a total of 20 players, including 10 pitchers and five position starters. Of the Orange and Blue's 14 newcomers, 11 were part of a recruiting class ranked as the best in the nation by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.
Last spring, Florida was 42-22 overall and claimed the SEC's Eastern Division title for the first time since 2005, finishing one game behind LSU and Ole Miss for the league crown. Under the guidance of O'Sullivan and his staff, Craig Bell, Brad Weitzel and Don Norris, UF reached the 40-win plateau for the 18th time in school history, captured the NCAA Gainesville Regional and advanced to Super Regionals for the first time in four years en route to a consensus top-15 final ranking in the collegiate baseball polls.
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