A look at some keys to success for Gators as they open a nine-game homestand
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 | Baseball, Women's Golf, Scott Carter
Photo: The return of starting pitcher Hudson Randall (tired arm) is expected on Florida's nine-game homestand.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- College baseball polls can be confusing. The Gators erased that confusion by racking up wins the first two months of the season, starting off by winning 20 of their first 21 games. Florida was the consensus No. 1 team in five major polls the majority of that time.
With 20 regular-season games remaining, Florida (28-8, 9-6 SEC) opens a nine-game homestand Tuesday night against Georgia Southern.
Florida bounced back in strong fashion last week to win three of four games, including a win in Tallahassee against No. 1-ranked Florida State. Here is where the polls get confusing again.
Depending on your poll of choice, the Gators are ranked No. 1, No. 4 or No. 5. Florida returned to the top of the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll and the National College Baseball Writers Association poll. The Gators are fourth in the latest Collegiate Baseball poll, and fifth in the Baseball America and Perfect Game polls.
Of course, none of this really means anything. Polls are a fun way for fans and media to gauge the season and give guys like me something to write about.
What does mean something for the Gators is that their next nine games are at home after a stretch of 12 in 15 games played away from McKethan Stadium. Florida is 18-3 at home and after hosting Georgia Southern on Tuesday, the Gators welcome Georgia for three games this weekend, host USF and Bethune-Cookman in mid-week games, and then Arkansas comes to town for a three-game SEC series April 27-29.
Here are keys for a successful homestand for the Gators:
GET HEALTHY
Starter Hudson Randall is expected to return to the mound during the homestand after taking two weeks off with a dead arm. Meanwhile, fellow starter Karsten Whitson continues his slow comeback from a tired arm. Jonathon Crawford has filled in nicely and if Brian Johnson can string together more performances like he did Sunday at Tennessee – six scoreless innings – the rotation suddenly looks a lot stronger. As for third baseman Josh Tobias (broken hand), his return is uncertain but Florida is hopeful he can return before the season ends.
TAKE CARE OF MID-WEEK GAMES
The Gators are looking for a solid start from Greg Larson tonight against Georgia Southern, a team that beat Florida 7-0 at McKethan Stadium last season in a game the Gators had more errors (four) than hits (three). If the Gators can get wins against Georgia Southern, USF and Bethune-Cookman on the homestand, that can only help boost the team's outlook down the stretch.
GAIN GROUND IN SEC
Parity is real in the SEC this season. Nine of the 12 teams are within four games of the lead in their respective division and every school has a least four conference losses. The Gators (9-6) trail Kentucky (11-4) by two games in the Eastern Division and have three games in Lexington on May 3-5. The Gators could potentially close that gap with a strong homestand. The Wildcats host West-leading LSU this weekend.
RESTORE EDGE AT HOME
During their school-record 18-game win streak, the Gators reeled off 15 of those wins at McKethan Stadium until losing two of three at home to LSU earlier this month. Florida's team ERA is more than a run better at home – 2.67 compared to 3.93 on the road – and the Gators score a run more per game at home (7.1 at home; 6.1 on road).
DEFINE ROLES MORE
The script is constantly changing during a 56-game regular season. The Gators continue to define roles and discover what players are best-suited for specific situations before the postseason rolls around. Freshman pitcher Ryan Harris notched his first career win at Florida State a week ago in long relief; Larson is making a spot start tonight against Georgia Southern; Cody Dent has played stellar defense in Tobias' absence but could use some of the magic in his bat like from last year's CWS; head coach Kevin O'Sullivan tinkered with the top of the order at Tennessee, using Daniel Pigott, Casey Turgeon and Nolan Fontana in the leadoff spot. Those are just a few examples of a team continuing to evolve.
