Austin Langworthy connects for a three-run homer that sparked Florida to a regional championship on Monday. (Photo: Lady Mendoza/UAA Communications)
Big Stage, Big Performance for Langworthy
Monday, June 5, 2017 | Baseball, Scott Carter
The freshman delivered in a big way for the Gators in Monday's Gainesville Regional championship game.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – They gathered down the left field line at the gate where the Gators leave the field. The man of the hour, Gators freshman outfielder/pitcher Austin Langworthy, finally arrived 30 minutes after the game, still dressed in his uniform.
They wanted hugs and kisses and photos, something extra to savor from a memorable day.
The group consisted mostly of family and friends from Williston, about a 20-mile drive from McKethan Stadium, where Langworthy added his name to the list of great postseason performances in school history on Monday in UF's 6-1 win over Bethune-Cookman in the Gainesville Regional championship game.
The Gators, after losing to the Wildcats on Sunday night for the first time in program history, advanced to the Super Regional to face Wake Forest in a three-game series starting Saturday.
Langworthy was in the middle of everything.
One of the top two-way players in the country last season as a senior at Williston High and a two-time state champion, Langworthy delivered his best performance at Florida with the season on the line.
"It's amazing to go out there and produce for my team like that and give us a chance to make it to the Super Regionals,'' he said.
Langworthy pitched four innings (two hits, one run, one walk, three strikeouts) and went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored as the Gators earned a Super Regional berth for the seventh time in nine seasons. The door opened in the sixth inning when Langworthy crushed a pitch from Wildcats lefty reliever Joseph Calamita high over the right field wall for a three-run homer, snapping a scoreless tie.
"It was a breaking ball that backed up,'' Langworthy said. "He threw me a couple earlier in the at-bat, so I figured this one was going to back up as well. I just sat in and I happened to be there and got good barrel to it."
Langworthy's swing came at a perilous time for Florida. Bethune-Cookman, playing the most important game in the program's history, gained confidence with every inning that passed and the score still tied.
The Wildcats advanced to the regional title game with three consecutive wins after losing their opener to USF on Friday.
"That was awesome,'' UF third baseman Jonathan India said. "We were playing real tense at the beginning. It was a great at-bat for him to come through like that for us. We needed that."
Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan faced a difficult dilemma on the mound Monday. He stayed up until 2 a.m. meeting with his coaching staff to discuss different scenarios. The one they landed on was to start right-hander Kirby McMullen, then bring in Langworthy, followed by right-hander Tyler Dyson and finally lefty Nick Horvath.
Langworthy replaced McMullen with one out in the third and struck out Adonis Lao with two runners on. He didn't hand the ball back to O'Sullivan until two outs in the seventh when closer Michael Byrne.
Langworthy served as the bridge from starter to closer, a best-case scenario considering how depleted the Gators' pitching staff was in their fourth game in four days.
"I've seen him play since he was a [high school] freshman,'' O'Sullivan said. "He's just a gamer. He does a lot of thing well. I'll say this, it does not surprise me that he pitched four innings today. I was hoping for two.
"I said before he got here, he's a special player. He's got a knack for rising to the occasion. He is going to have a great career here."
Langworthy was a dominant prep pitcher, finishing his career with a 28-1 record and 0.64 ERA at Williston. Of course, Monday's stage was much bigger and pressure-packed as the Gators avoided what would have been one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history.
Langworthy made only five appearances as a pitcher during the regular season, his last outing prior to Monday on April 11 against Florida State. He also missed nearly a month of the season with a broken hand and had not homered since March 3 – a 35-game span for Langworthy.
Like O'Sullivan, UF assistant coach Brad Weitzel expects more big moments for Langworthy.
"Austin Langworthy is a ballplayer," Weitzel said. "He can probably play short if we need him even though he's left-handed. I love watching him play."
So does that group from nearby Williston. They are used to seeing Langworthy do the sort of things he did on Monday.
They wanted hugs and kisses and photos, something extra to savor from a memorable day.
The group consisted mostly of family and friends from Williston, about a 20-mile drive from McKethan Stadium, where Langworthy added his name to the list of great postseason performances in school history on Monday in UF's 6-1 win over Bethune-Cookman in the Gainesville Regional championship game.
The Gators, after losing to the Wildcats on Sunday night for the first time in program history, advanced to the Super Regional to face Wake Forest in a three-game series starting Saturday.
Langworthy was in the middle of everything.
One of the top two-way players in the country last season as a senior at Williston High and a two-time state champion, Langworthy delivered his best performance at Florida with the season on the line.
"It's amazing to go out there and produce for my team like that and give us a chance to make it to the Super Regionals,'' he said.
Langworthy pitched four innings (two hits, one run, one walk, three strikeouts) and went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored as the Gators earned a Super Regional berth for the seventh time in nine seasons. The door opened in the sixth inning when Langworthy crushed a pitch from Wildcats lefty reliever Joseph Calamita high over the right field wall for a three-run homer, snapping a scoreless tie.
"It was a breaking ball that backed up,'' Langworthy said. "He threw me a couple earlier in the at-bat, so I figured this one was going to back up as well. I just sat in and I happened to be there and got good barrel to it."
Langworthy's swing came at a perilous time for Florida. Bethune-Cookman, playing the most important game in the program's history, gained confidence with every inning that passed and the score still tied.
The Wildcats advanced to the regional title game with three consecutive wins after losing their opener to USF on Friday.
"That was awesome,'' UF third baseman Jonathan India said. "We were playing real tense at the beginning. It was a great at-bat for him to come through like that for us. We needed that."
Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan faced a difficult dilemma on the mound Monday. He stayed up until 2 a.m. meeting with his coaching staff to discuss different scenarios. The one they landed on was to start right-hander Kirby McMullen, then bring in Langworthy, followed by right-hander Tyler Dyson and finally lefty Nick Horvath.
Langworthy replaced McMullen with one out in the third and struck out Adonis Lao with two runners on. He didn't hand the ball back to O'Sullivan until two outs in the seventh when closer Michael Byrne.
Langworthy served as the bridge from starter to closer, a best-case scenario considering how depleted the Gators' pitching staff was in their fourth game in four days.
"I've seen him play since he was a [high school] freshman,'' O'Sullivan said. "He's just a gamer. He does a lot of thing well. I'll say this, it does not surprise me that he pitched four innings today. I was hoping for two.
"I said before he got here, he's a special player. He's got a knack for rising to the occasion. He is going to have a great career here."
Langworthy was a dominant prep pitcher, finishing his career with a 28-1 record and 0.64 ERA at Williston. Of course, Monday's stage was much bigger and pressure-packed as the Gators avoided what would have been one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history.
Langworthy made only five appearances as a pitcher during the regular season, his last outing prior to Monday on April 11 against Florida State. He also missed nearly a month of the season with a broken hand and had not homered since March 3 – a 35-game span for Langworthy.
Like O'Sullivan, UF assistant coach Brad Weitzel expects more big moments for Langworthy.
"Austin Langworthy is a ballplayer," Weitzel said. "He can probably play short if we need him even though he's left-handed. I love watching him play."
So does that group from nearby Williston. They are used to seeing Langworthy do the sort of things he did on Monday.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ Baseball
OF/RHP
/ BaseballFlorida Lacrosse | Coach O'Leary and Theresa Bragg 4-30-26
Friday, May 01
Road to Gameday: Florida Football
Thursday, April 30
Ava Brown: Carwash Convos
Wednesday, April 29
Kaitlyn Davies: Carwash Convos
Monday, April 27
