Senior JJ Schwarz poses Friday for an ESPN photo shoot at TD Ameritrade Park. (Photo: Kaila Jones/UAA Communications)
Gators Notebook: Schwarz Eyes Return, Byrne on Fire, More College World Series Tidbits
Saturday, June 16, 2018 | Baseball, Scott Carter
The casual observers in town for the College World Series probably didn't notice anything unusual. However, those scattered around the field decked in orange and blue kept a close eye on Schwarz during his uneventful batting practice.
Schwarz hit several balls hard, slapped a few into the seats, and most importantly, left the stadium no worse for wear as he attempts to come back from a broken right hand that has kept him out the lineup since May 18.
"We're hoping to get JJ Schwarz back this weekend,'' Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan said prior to Schwarz's turn in the cage. "He took batting practice for the first time on Tuesday and looked fine."
The first player in UF baseball history to make four consecutive trips to the CWS, Schwarz is second on the team in batting with a .325 average and has 12 home runs, 46 RBIs and 50 runs scored in 55 games.
Schwarz's return would give the Gators their most experience bat in the postseason. In 31 career NCAA Tournament games, Schwarz is batting .279 with eight homers and 32 RBI.
Schwarz told GatorCountry.com on Friday he feared his career might be over after getting hit on his right hand by a foul ball at Mississippi State during the final regular-season series of the season.
"I was pretty emotional,'' he said. "I knew that if I was going to play it would be in Omaha."
Schwarz has played in a school-record 13 CWS games over his career and caught the final out of Florida's victory over LSU last season to secure the program's first national title. If he returns to the lineup on Sunday night against Texas Tech, Schwarz is expected to play first base.
O'Sullivan is optimistic Schwarz is ready to return but the final call belongs to No. 22 and trainer Jon Michelini.
"He's made his mark,'' O'Sullivan said. "He's going to be remembered as one of the greatest Gators to ever put on the uniform for us. He means the world to us, and he's had a tremendous career."
CLOSING STRONG
Junior right-hander Michael Byrne put on a uniform of a different kind Saturday morning: a suit to accept the 2018 Stopper of the Year award from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
"This is a great honor,'' Byrne said. "I'm happy to accept it."
The Gators are grateful, too.
Byrne (3-1, 1.59 ERA, 15 saves) has been excellent in Florida's run to a fourth consecutive CWS appearance. He pitched a season-high four innings in Monday night's 3-2 win over Auburn to clinch the Gainesville Super Regional.
Just waiting for some @GatorsBB pic.twitter.com/lMtWiwj1al
— Albert (@AlbertGator) June 16, 2018
Overall, Byrne has tossed 11 1/3 scoreless innings in the NCAA Tournament. Byrne has a school-record 34 saves over the past two seasons after taking over the closer's role early in 2017.
"One of kind,'' O'Sullivan said. "Michael's journey has been a little bit different. Came to school as a starter. The next thing you know … he breaks the all-time saves record at Florida. Anybody that's got a T-shirt that's running around our stadium that says hashtag Feel The Byrne, you know he's got to be pretty special."
POWER UP
Gators junior third baseman Jonathan India became the first UF player to hit 20 home runs in a season since Matt LaPorta in 2007 when he hit a solo home run in the first inning of Monday's win over Auburn.
India's 20 homers are the second of any player in the CWS field behind Texas second baseman Kody Clemens, son of former major league pitcher Roger Clemens. Clemens has 24 home runs, including five in the NCAA Tournament.
India has three home runs in the NCAA Tournament, two to left field and one to right-center. According to Baseball America's home run spray chart, India's home runs break down like this: 10 to left field, two to left-center, two to center, three to right-center and three to right.
Overall, India's home runs classify as pull (50 percent), mid (35 percent) and opposite (15 percent).
Florida outfield Wil Dalton needs one home run to join India in the 20-homer club, which would make the duo the first teammates in UF history with 20 or more home runs in the same season.
DON'T FORGET THE MASK
During Florida's stay in Omaha last year, the team's practice of dumping a bucket of ice water over a trainer's head got a lot of attention on ESPN.
The Gators have tweaked their home run celebration in 2018. How about a water balloon to the face?
Athletic training intern Tom Cameron doesn't seem to mind.
"One of our trainers puts a catcher's mask on and says, 'Hey, throw a water balloon at me,' and we peg him," India said during the Gainesville Super Regional.
Florida has hit 96 home runs entering the CWS and with temperatures expected in the mid-to-high 90s, balls could be flying out of TD Ameritrade Park.
Whatever works to keep the team loose is O'Sullivan's view of the new tradition. During Friday's media day, India held up a pair of water balloons for the cameras to illustrate his form, a sure topic for the TV crew on Sunday night.
"I don't know where they got the water balloons. I don't ask any questions. It's coming in there with pretty good velocity. He's just wearing it," O'Sullivan said. "Good for Tom. He's taking it for the team I guess."
PITCHING MATCHUP
As expected, O'Sullivan said junior right-hander Brady Singer (12-1, 2.30) will start on Sunday against Texas Tech. In two CWS starts a season ago, Singer defeated Louisville and LSU, pitching 14 innings and giving up 14 hits and four runs. He walked three and struck out 21 … Texas Tech is expected to start fifth-year senior lefty Dylan Dusek (3-0, 2.03 ERA). Dusek is dealing with a blister on his finger and is the only Red Raider who has been on all three of Texas Tech's CWS teams.
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