Kendrick Calilao has a team-leading 16 RBIs for the Gators in his first 13 games at the collegiate level. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Gators Freshman Calilao an Instant Hit
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 | Baseball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On the previous night, Karla and Ross Calilao were among the 3,167 fans at McKethan Stadium for what turned into a four-hour marathon between the Gators and UCF. Florida lost 12-9, and after it was over, the Calilaos headed back to their Kissimmee home for a busy day ahead.
Ross was groggy-eyed the next morning when he arrived at his pest control business, but he was not complaining.
"We were ready for it,'' he said. "It was well worth it."
The Calilaos have had the calendar marked for spring 2019 since their youngest son, Gators freshman Kendrick Calilao, signed with UF out of The First Academy in Orlando. That was part of the deal. Kendrick's two older brothers, Peter and Armen, also played college baseball. However, Peter moved to the Boston area to play for Clark University, and Armen packed his bags for North Carolina to play at Belmont Abbey College.
While both of their older sons are now in their mid-20s, out of baseball and into their careers, Karla and Ross had a request of Kendrick when it was time to leave home for college: stay close so we can come watch you play.
Kendrick was glad to oblige.
"I'm a big family person,'' he said. "I enjoy seeing my family sitting in the stands every game."
Nine days ago on Kendrick's 19th birthday, he delivered the type of performance the family will be talking about for years. Not only were his parents and two brothers in the stands, but some of Karla's family from the Miami area – yep, Hurricanes fans among them – were in town for the UF-UM series. They watched as Kendrick went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI to lift the Gators to a 4-1 win and series victory.
Calilao went 7-for-12 with two doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs in the series to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors. What did it mean to be recognized for his play so early in his career?
"To be honest, I didn't even know that was a thing,'' he said. "I'm grateful for the accomplishment, but it's in the past now and you've got to keep on moving."
And on he goes.
Calilao has been a hitting machine in the first 13 games of his UF career. He entered Tuesday night's home game against Florida Gulf Coast second on the team with a .357 average (15-for-42). Calilao leads the Gators in total bases (27) and RBI (16) and has five multi-hit games.
"He can hit, there's no question,'' Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said.
Calilao joined the program last summer and immediately began to work out and improve his conditioning. Next, the fall season started and Calilao, primarily an outfielder in high school, found himself playing first base as O'Sullivan searched for a replacement for JJ Schwarz and Keenan Bell, who split time at the position a year ago.
Calilao played some third base in high school but never first. The change caught Ross by surprise, too.
"When he was younger and he was playing for me, I told him, 'you are going to have to beat out my infielders to be an infielder.' He was about a year and half younger and he never did. He was stuck in the outfield. Nothing was given to him for free."
Ross coached all three of his sons in T-ball and Little League. When they reached high school, Ross and Karla became chauffeurs and fans. Peter and Armen were good players, but by the time Kendrick reached high school, his talent was obvious.
He was drafted in the 30th round by St. Louis in last summer's MLB amateur draft but wasn't ready to pursue a career in professional baseball.
"It's a win-win either way. At the moment, I just felt it was in the best interests to come to UF and play baseball, develop and get my education,'' Kendrick said. "I'm loving it."
Added Ross: "That's on the horizon, if he can sustain his play and, of course, if he can stay healthy. You would love for him to be drafted, you would love for him to pursue the sport of baseball because he has invested a lot of time and effort into it. However, that's not what defines life for him and for us."
Calilao accomplished another milestone in Sunday's doubleheader sweep of Winthrop when he hit the first grand slam of his college career and drove in a career-high six runs in Florida's 28-5 rout. On a team with 15 newcomers, Calilao has quickly established his presence in the lineup, batting cleanup between upperclassmen Wil Dalton and Nelson Maldonado the past few games.
By watching Calilao at work, you notice he is a polished hitter at this stage of his career. He can pull the ball or go the other way and isn't afraid to crowd the box to get a good pitch to hit. And despite the inexperience at first base, he has committed only one error in 92 chances defensively.
Still, don't expect Calilao to gush over his fast start for a program that has four consecutive trips to the College World Series. Having grown up around the game – he often tagged along to his older brothers' practices to shag balls or take infield – the game's nuances and day-to-day grind seem to fit his personality.
"I wanted to follow in their footsteps. They were both good ballplayers,'' he said. "It's all about reps. I feel like Sully and the coaching staff, having [the freshmen] check in early, that prepared us well. It's not that big of a shock for us. I just keep things simple. The more you think about when you are hitting the more opportunity for something to go wrong."
Ross Calilao grew up in the Philippines and developed an early interest in the game. He played a lot of unorganized baseball before he moved to the U.S. He met Karla, who is from Honduras and whose brothers are devoted baseball fans, while they were college students in Utah. The couple spent time living in Hawaii, where Kendrick's brothers were born, before moving to Central Florida.
There was little chance of Kendrick growing up without exposure to the sport. Ross said by the time Kendrick was 7 he was playing in a 9-and-under league.
"A lot of weekends, a lot of driving and a lot of baseball fields," Ross said. "I could see it when he started playing T-ball. He was hitting bombs already. I coached him playing T-ball and I coached him playing travel ball. He has always played up."
Calilao caught Florida's attention during his travel ball and prep career. In his 12th season, O'Sullivan's teams have produced 18 Freshman All-Americans over that span and Calilao has the look of joining them based on what he's done so far.
Of course, the season remains young and with the Southeastern Conference schedule coming up and teams certain to get a deeper scouting report on Calilao, there likely will be dips in production. He knows that. So does his dad.
"He's in rhythm,'' Ross said. "The mechanic is there, the technique is there. Once he starts stroking the ball, he usually sustains it. You have to be mentally straight. Too much pride, too much ego ruins everything. He is not that type of kid. There is fatigue, there is tiredness that may affect him later on."
If Calilao does hit a slump and needs a pick-me-up, he can always look into the stands for his biggest fans. That's where Karla and Ross plan to be as much as they can. That was part of the deal.
Ross was groggy-eyed the next morning when he arrived at his pest control business, but he was not complaining.
"We were ready for it,'' he said. "It was well worth it."
The Calilaos have had the calendar marked for spring 2019 since their youngest son, Gators freshman Kendrick Calilao, signed with UF out of The First Academy in Orlando. That was part of the deal. Kendrick's two older brothers, Peter and Armen, also played college baseball. However, Peter moved to the Boston area to play for Clark University, and Armen packed his bags for North Carolina to play at Belmont Abbey College.
While both of their older sons are now in their mid-20s, out of baseball and into their careers, Karla and Ross had a request of Kendrick when it was time to leave home for college: stay close so we can come watch you play.
Kendrick was glad to oblige.
"I'm a big family person,'' he said. "I enjoy seeing my family sitting in the stands every game."
Nine days ago on Kendrick's 19th birthday, he delivered the type of performance the family will be talking about for years. Not only were his parents and two brothers in the stands, but some of Karla's family from the Miami area – yep, Hurricanes fans among them – were in town for the UF-UM series. They watched as Kendrick went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI to lift the Gators to a 4-1 win and series victory.
How about an oppo 🌮 for your birthday!! Happy birthday Kendrick Calilao!
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 24, 2019
The freshman now has SIX RBI in the series against Miami‼️
B6 | #Gators 3, Miami 1
WATCH NOW: https://t.co/5hTq3GEHc6 pic.twitter.com/cGsCicmPiM
Calilao went 7-for-12 with two doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs in the series to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors. What did it mean to be recognized for his play so early in his career?
"To be honest, I didn't even know that was a thing,'' he said. "I'm grateful for the accomplishment, but it's in the past now and you've got to keep on moving."
And on he goes.
Calilao has been a hitting machine in the first 13 games of his UF career. He entered Tuesday night's home game against Florida Gulf Coast second on the team with a .357 average (15-for-42). Calilao leads the Gators in total bases (27) and RBI (16) and has five multi-hit games.
"He can hit, there's no question,'' Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said.
Calilao joined the program last summer and immediately began to work out and improve his conditioning. Next, the fall season started and Calilao, primarily an outfielder in high school, found himself playing first base as O'Sullivan searched for a replacement for JJ Schwarz and Keenan Bell, who split time at the position a year ago.
Calilao played some third base in high school but never first. The change caught Ross by surprise, too.
"When he was younger and he was playing for me, I told him, 'you are going to have to beat out my infielders to be an infielder.' He was about a year and half younger and he never did. He was stuck in the outfield. Nothing was given to him for free."
Ross coached all three of his sons in T-ball and Little League. When they reached high school, Ross and Karla became chauffeurs and fans. Peter and Armen were good players, but by the time Kendrick reached high school, his talent was obvious.
He was drafted in the 30th round by St. Louis in last summer's MLB amateur draft but wasn't ready to pursue a career in professional baseball.
"It's a win-win either way. At the moment, I just felt it was in the best interests to come to UF and play baseball, develop and get my education,'' Kendrick said. "I'm loving it."
Added Ross: "That's on the horizon, if he can sustain his play and, of course, if he can stay healthy. You would love for him to be drafted, you would love for him to pursue the sport of baseball because he has invested a lot of time and effort into it. However, that's not what defines life for him and for us."
Calilao accomplished another milestone in Sunday's doubleheader sweep of Winthrop when he hit the first grand slam of his college career and drove in a career-high six runs in Florida's 28-5 rout. On a team with 15 newcomers, Calilao has quickly established his presence in the lineup, batting cleanup between upperclassmen Wil Dalton and Nelson Maldonado the past few games.
Make that a team-best 16 RBI for Calilao!
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) March 3, 2019
The freshman hits a GRAND SLAM to add to the #Gators lead.
WATCH NOW: https://t.co/1ZHIIV4bjD pic.twitter.com/mlCh8q5EGH
By watching Calilao at work, you notice he is a polished hitter at this stage of his career. He can pull the ball or go the other way and isn't afraid to crowd the box to get a good pitch to hit. And despite the inexperience at first base, he has committed only one error in 92 chances defensively.
Still, don't expect Calilao to gush over his fast start for a program that has four consecutive trips to the College World Series. Having grown up around the game – he often tagged along to his older brothers' practices to shag balls or take infield – the game's nuances and day-to-day grind seem to fit his personality.
"I wanted to follow in their footsteps. They were both good ballplayers,'' he said. "It's all about reps. I feel like Sully and the coaching staff, having [the freshmen] check in early, that prepared us well. It's not that big of a shock for us. I just keep things simple. The more you think about when you are hitting the more opportunity for something to go wrong."
Ross Calilao grew up in the Philippines and developed an early interest in the game. He played a lot of unorganized baseball before he moved to the U.S. He met Karla, who is from Honduras and whose brothers are devoted baseball fans, while they were college students in Utah. The couple spent time living in Hawaii, where Kendrick's brothers were born, before moving to Central Florida.
There was little chance of Kendrick growing up without exposure to the sport. Ross said by the time Kendrick was 7 he was playing in a 9-and-under league.
"A lot of weekends, a lot of driving and a lot of baseball fields," Ross said. "I could see it when he started playing T-ball. He was hitting bombs already. I coached him playing T-ball and I coached him playing travel ball. He has always played up."
Calilao caught Florida's attention during his travel ball and prep career. In his 12th season, O'Sullivan's teams have produced 18 Freshman All-Americans over that span and Calilao has the look of joining them based on what he's done so far.
Of course, the season remains young and with the Southeastern Conference schedule coming up and teams certain to get a deeper scouting report on Calilao, there likely will be dips in production. He knows that. So does his dad.
"He's in rhythm,'' Ross said. "The mechanic is there, the technique is there. Once he starts stroking the ball, he usually sustains it. You have to be mentally straight. Too much pride, too much ego ruins everything. He is not that type of kid. There is fatigue, there is tiredness that may affect him later on."
If Calilao does hit a slump and needs a pick-me-up, he can always look into the stands for his biggest fans. That's where Karla and Ross plan to be as much as they can. That was part of the deal.
Players Mentioned
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