Four Gators and a Fourth of July Celebration They Won't Forget
Tuesday, July 14, 2015 | Baseball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It was a Fourth of July party unlike any other Gators pitcher Logan Shore has experienced.
There were fireworks, hot dogs and plenty of red, white and blue as thousands of people celebrated America's birthday in downtown Charlotte, N.C.
Shore had a great seat for the evening's festivities – the dugout at BB&T Ballpark.
Less than a week after Florida lost to Virginia in the College World Series, Shore and teammates Buddy Reed, A.J. Puk and JJ Schwarz reunited in North Carolina to join the U.S. Collegiate National Team for a best-of-five series against Cuba.
In Game 1 of the series July 1 at the USA Baseball National Training Center in Cary, N.C., Reed started in center field and Puk pitched four no-hit innings in a 2-0 win. USA starter Tanner Houck (Missouri), Puk and closer Ryan Hendrix (Texas A&M) combined to throw a no-hitter, the first time a Cuban national team was no-hit in international play.
"Usually in a no-hitter situation, there is usually at least one guy who makes one good play to save it. But there were no really big plays,'' Reed said. “There was one ball hit really well to center field. I was already playing deep and needed to take just three or four steps. They really shut them down."
The next night in a 2-0 victory over Cuba at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Reed and Schwarz were in the starting lineup and Shore pitched four shutout innings in relief.
As Shore took the ball and surveyed the scene, he allowed a brief moment of reflection.
“We had three Gators in one game, straight up the middle of the field, which was pretty cool,'' Shore said. “I was proud to represent my country, which is something I've always wanted to do. It's been a goal of mine to play on the U.S. National Team since high school.
“And second off, to be able to go there with JJ, A.J. and Buddy, I knew what was going to be a blast. I couldn't have asked for a better experience."
The best was yet to come.
Following a 5-1 loss to Cuba on July 3, the U.S. team had an opportunity to clinch the series in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 10,000 at Charlotte's new ballpark, home to the Chicago White Sox's Triple-A team.
Reed led off and had three hits and scored three runs as his UF teammates spent the night as spectators in an 11-1 victory.
The game ended with an on-field celebration and fireworks show as the Americans, who lost a “friendly” series with Cuba in 2014, won the 2015 series 3-1.
"You can't really paint a better picture than that,'' Shore said.
The quartet remained in North Carolina for more than a week afterward for a series of games against other countries, some featuring players with professional experience and in their 30s.
Reed hit .326 and drove in a team-leading 12 runs in 12 games. Schwarz batted only .118 (4-for-34) but did hit a home run. Puk pitched in four games, going 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings. And Shore won two games in three appearances, giving up 10 hits and eight runs over nine innings of work.
The players were invited to join the team when USA Baseball officials contacted Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan during the postseason. They all said yes.
“I never expected to be chosen,'' Reed said. “To be chosen for Team USA and to represent your country is pretty cool. It was hard right after we lost to Virginia. I'm still not over the loss, but joining Team USA knowing that I can't change the past and just focus on the future, it was pretty cool."
The Gators were joined by college players from all across the country, including Virginia catcher Matt Thaiss, whom they faced in the CWS twice.
Besides the opportunity to represent their country, the four Gators got to face high-caliber competition they hope pays off in the future. They also stayed active with off-the-field activities such as community events and filming spots with the MLB Network for next year's draft.
In Shore's final start, he allowed five hits and eight runs in one inning of a 12-1 loss to Canada on July 7. The loss was his first in nearly two months after going 5-0 in five postseason starts during Florida's run to the CWS.
Still, he packed his bags for a trip home to Minnesota feeling confident about the experience.
“From a baseball perspective, it was really cool to be able to play against Taiwan, Cuba and then against the Canadian National Team, which is full of guys in Double-A and Triple-A,” Shore said. “That was big for me. I kind of struggled [against Canada] but I took a lot of positives from it knowing where I need to be in a year or two to match up with those guys."
Reed followed up his breakout sophomore season at UF with a stellar performance, which he hopes carries over into fall ball when the Gators return to practice with their minds on another trip to Omaha. The Gators lost nine players to the draft but return enough talent that most expect them to be ranked in the top five in the preseason polls.
Florida's season ended in disappointment in Omaha. However, that July Fourth celebration in Charlotte prompted thoughts about what it would be like to celebrate a CWS next season.
“We're all college baseball players and aspiring to be professional baseball players,'' Reed said. “I'm real excited to move on and go into my junior year with a bang. I want to do whatever I can to help this team win and make it back to Omaha."
