Florida Baseball Weekly Report ? May 11, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015 | Baseball
Florida Baseball Weekly Report – May 11, 2015
(Games from May 4-10)
Overall Record: 38-14 (26-5 at home, 11-8 on road, 1-1 at neutral sites)
SEC Record: 17-10 (8-4 home, 9-6 on road)
Record Last Week: 3-1 (1-0 at home, 2-1 on road)
Streak: Won 2
Last Week's Results (3-1):
Tuesday, May 5 – Defeated USF, 5-1
Thursday, May 7 – Lost at No. 8 Vanderbilt, 2-0
Friday, May 8 – Won at No. 8 Vanderbilt, 7-3
Saturday, May 9 – Won at No. 8 Vanderbilt, 9-7 (10 innings)
This Week's Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Thursday, May 14 – Auburn (32-20/12-15 SEC), Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, 7 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Friday, May 15 – Auburn (32-20/12-15 SEC), Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, 7 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Saturday, May 16 – Auburn (32-20/12-15 SEC), Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, 1 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Team Notes
Florida (38-14/17-10 SEC) captured three out of four games last week, highlighted by a 2-1 series victory at No. 8 Vanderbilt…The Gators improved to 26-5 (.839) at McKethan Stadium by downing USF, 5-1, on Tuesday…UF dropped the opener in Nashville, 2-0, but then rebounded to take the next two games over the Commodores by scores of 7-3 and 9-7 in 10 innings…It marked the fourth time this season that Florida lost game one and posted back-to-back victories to win the series (Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt)…The Gators close the regular season by welcoming Auburn (32-20/12-15 SEC) to Gainesville for a three-game set that starts Thursday night…Florida will honor its three seniors prior to Saturday's game – left-hander Bobby Poyner, right-hander Aaron Rhodes and senior third baseman Josh Tobias…Tobias, who continues to lead the Gators with a .361 overall batting average and a .348 league clip, was 4-for-13 (.308) against Vanderbilt…He is still perfect in fielding on the hot corner this season…Sophomore right fielder Ryan Larson was a team-high 5-for-12 (.417) in the series with the Commodores and is tied for second on the club with a .316 overall average...Sophomore center fielder Buddy Reed (.316, 39 RBI, 38 runs) batted a team-best .429 (6-for-14) last week and led the Gators in RBI (5), runs (4) and walks (4)…He went 4-for-10 (.400), scored three runs and tallied three RBI as UF emerged victorious in its series in the Music City…Reed clubbed a three-run homer and finished 3-for-5 with a couple of runs in Saturday's rubber game, a 10-inning affair…With the Gators down to their final out in the ninth, Reed kept the game going with a single up the middle and scored the tying run on a base-knock by freshman JJ Schwarz…After UF dropped the opener to the Commodores, Schwarz belted a two-run homer in the second inning to move the Gators in front of the second game and finished the contest 3-for-5…In the series finale, he brought the Gators within 7-5 in the eighth inning with an RBI triple, his third three-bagger of the campaign…With UF down its final out in the ninth inning, he delivered a game-tying RBI single through the right side that brought home Reed…On the season, Schwarz is batting .298 overall, is second in the SEC with 54 RBI and is tied for second in the league with 14 homers…Junior righty Taylor Lewis (4-1, 1.78) earned the decision in the third meeting with the Commodores by tossing 2.2 scoreless innings…Sophomore left-hander A.J. Puk (7-3, 4.73) had a career-high 12 strikeouts over seven innings in the second matchup with No. 8 Vanderbilt and picked up the win as the Gators evened the series…He scattered five hits and yielded two runs in his second straight quality outing…Over his last two starts at Georgia and at Vanderbilt, Puk has totaled 23 strikeouts, permitted three walks and surrendered two runs in 13 innings…The southpaw leads Florida in wins (7) and strikeouts (68 in 51.1 innings) and has held opponents to a .218 average…Sophomore righty Logan Shore (6-5, 2.85) yielded one run over seven innings on Thursday but was on the short end of a pitching duel…Florida's bullpen is 17-2 this season with 11 saves and a 2.98 ERA in 223.2 innings, with 186 strikeouts and a .233 opponent batting average.
Top Performances Last Week
Ryan Larson, Sophomore, Right Field, 6-0, 185, Orlando, FL
*Went 6-for-16 (.375) last week and hit a team-high .417 (5-for-12) during the series at No. 8 Vanderbilt
*Had multiple hits in the opener (2-for-3) and the finale (2-for-5) with the Commodores
*Brought the Gators within 7-6 with a two-out RBI single in the eighth inning on Saturday
*Tied for second on the Orange and Blue with a .316 batting average, has scored 23 runs and notched 22 RBI
Taylor Lewis, Junior, Right-Hander, 6-0, 170, Claxton, GA
*Had two scoreless appearances spanning 3.1 innings at No. 8 Vanderbilt
*Picked up the win in the deciding game three with 2.2 scoreless innings
*Entered Saturday's game with a runner on third base and one down and worked out of the jam
*Leads the Gators with a team-low 1.78 ERA and is 4-1 in a team-leading 23 appearances and has collected six saves
A.J. Puk, Sophomore, Left-Hander, 6-7, 225, Cedar Rapids, IA
*Had a career-high 12 strikeouts over seven innings in the second matchup with No. 8 Vanderbilt and picked up the win as the Gators evened the series
*Scattered five hits and yielded two runs in his second straight quality outing
*Over his last two starts at Georgia and at Vanderbilt, Puk has totaled 23 strikeouts, permitted three walks and surrendered two runs in 13 innings
*Leads Florida in wins (7) and strikeouts (68 in 51.1 innings) and has held opponents to a .218 average
Buddy Reed, Sophomore, Center Field, 6-3, 200, Finksburg, MD
*Batted a team-best .429 (6-for-14) last week and led the Gators in RBI (5), runs (4) and walks (4) as Florida claimed three of four games
*Went 4-for-10 (.400), scored three runs and tallied three RBI as UF emerged victorious in its series at No. 8 Vanderbilt
*Was 1-for-4 with a triple in the series opener in Nashville
*Drew a career-high four walks, had a stolen base and scored a run as the Gators evened the series on Friday night
*Clubbed a three-run homer and finished 3-for-5 with a couple of runs in Saturday's rubber game, a 10-inning affair
*With the Gators down to their final out in the ninth, Reed kept the game going with a single up the middle and scored the tying run on a base-knock by JJ Schwarz
*Reed is tied for second on Florida with a .316 batting average, has 39 RBI, 38 runs, 20 walks and 15 stolen bases
JJ Schwarz, Freshman, Designated Hitter/Catcher, 6-1, 205, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
*Batted .385 (5-for-13) in the Gators' important road series victory over No. 8 Vanderbilt and drove in a team-best four runs
*After Florida dropped the opener to the Commodores, Schwarz belted a two-run homer in the second inning to move the Gators in front of the second game and finished the contest 3-for-5
*In the series finale, Schwarz brought the Gators within 7-5 in the eighth inning with an RBI triple, his third three-bagger of the campaign
*With UF down its final out in the ninth inning, he delivered a game-tying RBI single through the right side that brought home Buddy Reed
*Schwarz went 2-for-5 as the Gators pulled out a 9-7 victory in 10 innings
*On the season, Schwarz is batting .298 overall, is second in the SEC with 54 RBI and is tied for second in the league with 14 homers
Logan Shore, Sophomore, Right-Hander, 6-2, 215, Coon Rapids, MN
*Limited Vanderbilt to one run over seven innings in the series opener but was on the hook for the loss
*Gave up six hits, registered five strikeouts and permitted three walks
*Lowered ERA to 2.85 and is 6-5 in 13 starts, with 54 strikeouts in 75.2 innings
Josh Tobias, Senior, Third Base, 5-10, 205, Greensboro, NC
*Batted .375 (6-for-16) with three runs and a pair of doubles over four contests
*Was 4-for-13 (.308) during the trip to Nashville and delivered outstanding defense at third base yet again
*Went 2-for-4 with a double and scored a run as the Gators evened the series on Friday night
*Provided UF with an insurance run in the 10th inning on Saturday with a sacrifice fly
*Continues to pace the Gator offense in overall (.361) and SEC (.348) batting average
