Gators Have Benefited from Reed's Play as No. 11 Seminoles Visit Tuesday
Monday, March 16, 2015 | Baseball, Scott Carter
COMPLETE RELEASE FOR TUESDAY'S GAME VS. FLORIDA STATE
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The pitch was one that Gators left-hander Danny Young knew was going to do him no favors as soon as he released it.
“It wasn't a great pitch,'' Young said after Florida's 9-4 series-clinching win against Tennessee. “I didn't get the ball in far enough.”
As for the catch … “I don't know how he got there,” Young said.
With Tennessee shortstop A.J. Simcox at the plate and a runner on first, Simcox drilled a rare Young misfire Sunday into the right-center gap. Gators center fielder Buddy Reed turned on the speed and made a diving catch to end the top of the fifth and prevent a sure extra-base hit and run from scoring.
Harrison Bader wasn't surprised as he watched from his vantage point in left field. Bader knows what kind of range the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Reed has.
“That was a hell of a catch,'' said Bader. “That's the reason why he's in center, I tell you that much.”
Reed's catch ensured momentum stayed on Florida's side as the No. 3-ranked Gators (18-3) opened Southeastern Conference play by taking two of three against the Vols. The Gators host No. 11 Florida State (17-4) on Tuesday night at McKethan Stadium at 7 p.m.
As for Reed, the Gators hope to have him back on patrol in center against the Seminoles.
Reed's highlight-reel catch forced him to leave the game after he hit the turf hard and slid a couple of feet. Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan said afterward that X-rays showed no serious injury and that Reed is listed as day-to-day.
That's good news for a Florida team off to one of the best starts in school history. A sophomore from Finksburg, Md., Reed has played a pivotal role offensively and defensively as perhaps the team's most improved player.
In the eyes of Young, who earned the victory Sunday with five stellar innings in relief of starter Dane Dunning, there is no doubt.
“Buddy is really a dynamic player,'' Young said. “He's a totally different player than he was last year. Defensively, he was always solid. But offensively, he is really swinging the bat well. He's a changed player.”
Reed was in the starting lineup 51 times as a freshman mostly because of the ability to make defensive plays like he did Sunday. However, he hit just .244 with no home runs and six RBIs in 172 at-bats.
Prior to his catch on Sunday, Reed already had the biggest hit of the game when he unloaded the bases with a three-run triple in the third inning that put the Gators up 5-1.
Reed is hitting 50 points higher than a season ago (.294) and has six doubles, two triples and a homer. His 20 RBIs rank third on the team behind Bader (24) and freshman catcher/designated hitter JJ Schwarz (21).
Before the season, O'Sullivan talked about Reed's improvement as a reason he was optimistic about one of his youngest teams in eight seasons at UF. The Gators only have two seniors on the roster.
Twenty-one games later, the switch-hitting Reed has started to cash in on his potential.
“His at-bat was a really big one, certainly at that point in the game,” O'Sullivan said. “We trusted him last year. That's why we played him. We see him all the time at practice so we kind of know. He is a special talent. He's a really hard worker. He's one of the favorites in the locker room. He's got a great personality.
“I think his right-handed swing has really, really improved. His left-handed swing has always been a little bit ahead, but I trust him right-handed too.”
The Gators are hitting .305 as a team and already have 18 home runs, just eight shy of their total from a season ago. And O'Sullivan has yet to have a fully healthy lineup.
The Gators got first baseman/outfielder Jeremy Vasquez back last week after he missed the first 16 games with a broken hand. Vasquez delivered six hits in his first 15 at-bats. Meanwhile, after missing a couple games with an ankle injury, Bader returned to the lineup against Tennessee and smacked his team-leading seventh homer on Sunday.
Florida expects first baseman Pete Alonso, who hit four home runs as a freshman, to return soon from a broken foot.
Now the hope is that Reed can get back quickly, perhaps as early as Tuesday night when FSU visits.
“He's stepped into the centerfielder that we need him to be,” Bader said. “He's taken control of the outfield completely. He's tracking everything down. He's really focused and bearing down.
“I've learned that rivalries, especially Florida-Florida State, is a lot more intense than I imagined. They obviously have a really good club, and even though it's just one game – one win hopefully – you've just got to stay within yourself and focus on what you can do in your own dugout.”
With or without Reed, that's the Gators' plan.
SERIES NUGGETS
Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan is 12-13 (.480) against Florida State, 6-1 (.857) at McKethan Stadium and 4-4 (.500) in Tallahassee and 2-8 (.200) at neutral sites. UF has won four straight against the Seminoles, but FSU leads the all-time series 125-104-1 (.546).
TICKETS
Single-game tickets, season tickets and the Complete Game Mini-Plans can be purchased online throughGatorZone or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For all of the latest information on Florida baseball, log on to GatorZone or follow the team's Twitter account @GatorZoneBB.
PARKING SHUTTLE
A FREE shuttle service is provided from the Commuter Lot on Gale Lemerand Drive (across from the UF Physics building) to McKethan Stadium. Shuttle services will begin 2 hours prior to the start of the game and will end approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the last event.
TUESDAY PROMOTIONS
- Presenting sponsor: Visit Florida Sunshine Showdown
- Florida Baseball St. Patrick's Day Hats
The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a Florida Baseball St. Patrick's Day hat - Rowdy Reptile Rewards Check-In
UF students that check-in at the game receive 3 points between 7 and 8 PM. - Student Pizza Giveaway
The first 200 UF students in attendance will receive free pizza from Domino's Pizza starting at 6:30 p.m. on the Dizney Plaza.
