2020 Gators Preview: Pitching Improvement at Forefront

Sophomore Cory Acton, who started at third base as a freshman, has moved to second base this season. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

2020 Gators Preview: Pitching Improvement at Forefront

Wednesday, February 12, 2020 | Baseball, Scott Carter

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Prior to Tuesday afternoon's practice at McKethan Stadium, Kevin O'Sullivan tossed out various scenarios for the lineup, potential midweek starters and possible bullpen roles.

Some will stick. Some won't. The early portion of the season is a time for experimentation.

"There's a lot of things we're going to try and tinker with, but I can assure you the lineup in the beginning of the year – not just personnel, but where guys hit in the order – will change,'' O'Sullivan said. "We'll try different things to see what the best lineup ends up being at the end of the year. Some of these decisions are not easy and sometimes they're not right, either. We'll move some guys around and we'll give some guys opportunities."

As O'Sullivan enters his 13th season in charge of Florida's baseball program, he is ready to get the season started on Friday night against Marshall. The Gators are coming off a 34-26 season and though they made the NCAA Tournament, it was an uncharacteristic season under O'Sullivan's watch.

Kevin OSullivan, Nick Pogue — Gators head coach **Kevin O'Sullivan** talks to UF pitcher **Nick Pogue** during last season's Lubbock Regional. (Photo: **Tim Casey**/UAA Communications)

Most notably because of the team's 5.37 ERA, which ranked 13th in the Southeastern Conference ahead of only South Carolina's 5.51. The mark was Florida's highest under O'Sullivan, surpassing his inaugural staff's 4.39 ERA in 2008 by nearly a run, and the program's highest overall since the school-record 6.01 ERA set during the 2001 season.

Meanwhile, Florida's offense ranked fourth in the league with a .284 average and its 77 home runs trailed only national champion Vanderbilt (100) and Arkansas (88) in the conference.

"Our pitching was just not good. It's that simple,'' O'Sullivan said. "Last year our offense might have been one of the most resilient offenses we've had."

To illustrate his point, O'Sullivan turned his focus to the Gators' final game of 2019, a 9-8 loss to Dallas Baptist in the Lubbock Regional that ended their season. Florida led 2-0 after three innings, then DBU exploded for a nine-run fourth. Still, the Gators refused to wilt, scoring four runs in the fifth and cutting the lead to a single run with the tying run on base when they finally ran out of outs.

"It was exhausting,'' O'Sullivan said.

Of course, when you lose a pair of first-round picks from your starting rotation like the Gators did last season in Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar, the pitching numbers are likely to shift in the wrong direction. If the pitching improves and the offense continues to produce, the Gators should have better days ahead in 2020.

Florida is picked to finish second in the SEC East behind the Commodores by the league's coaches.

O'Sullivan is confident the talent is in place for a comeback season after the Gators' school-record streak of four consecutive trips to the College World Series came to an end last season.

"I'm just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together,'' he said. "It's easy to do it out here on February 11 when there's nobody in the stands. There will be some things this weekend that we'll see and go, 'boy, we haven't seen that the whole spring.' But I do like our roster."

With the final opening day at McKethan Stadium on the horizon, let's take a closer look at Florida's prospects in 2020:

STARTING PITCHING

Junior right-handers Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich anchor the top of the rotation. Both have huge upsides and gained valuable experience in 2019. If they can take the next step in their development, Mace and Leftwich could be high-round draft picks in next summer's draft. Both pitchers had moments that showed their promise, but neither was able to do it consistently throughout the season, which led to a lot of early walks to the mound for O'Sullivan. Sophomore right-hander Nick Pogue will open the season as the No. 3 starter and freshman lefty Hunter Barco is sure to get early work in the rotation. Barco is an intriguing talent and one of the top players in the 2019 draft class who did not sign and opted for college. Junior lefty Jordan Butler and sophomore right-hander David Luethje are other candidates to pick up midweek starts. Florida's starters went 22-19 with a 5.47 ERA and allowed 278 hits in 269 2/3 innings last seasons, numbers that must improve for this group to fulfill expectations.

BULLPEN

O'Sullivan has ample arms to build this group into a formidable strength by the start of conference play. However, the Gators will open the season by using different pitchers in different roles and seeing how the pieces fit. "No idea how it's going to shake out,'' O'Sullivan said. Butler and Luethje can start or relieve, and while a projected starter, Barco should see his number called during this weekend's season-opening series. A newcomer to watch is graduate transfer Trey Van Der Weide, a lefty who arrived at UF after graduating from South Carolina-Upstate over the summer. Van Der Weide adds another lefty to the bullpen mix with Butler. Sophomore right-hander Nolan Crisp, who led the team with eight saves last season, returns to offer some flexibility. Right-handers Justin Alintoff, Ben Specht and Christian Scott are back. Scott could be used in the closer's role. Scott was 6-0 with a save and 2.75 ERA as a reliever last season. Freshman right-hander Brandon Sproat from Pace High and lefty freshman Ryan Cabarcas are newcomers to watch, and freshman righty Tyler Nesbitt from LaBelle High arrives with plenty of accolades.

INFIELD

This is a young and talented group. Sophomore Kendrick Calilao drove in a team-high 49 runs last season and returns at first base. Sophomore Cory Acton, who started at third as a freshman, is now at second base and highly touted freshman Josh Rivera is the shortstop. The competition at third is stiff between Brady Smith, who spent most of last season behind the plate, freshman Nathan Hickey, who will also catch, and senior Kirby McMullen. At first, Butler can spell Calilao when a left-handed bat is needed and O'Sullivan said sophomore Kris Armstrong has opened eyes with his bat during preseason camp. Expect the Gators to alternate the corner infield spots at times with the DH spot depending on who is swinging the bat well. The loss of shortstop Brady McConnell and his team-high 15 home runs from a year ago is significant, but Calilao, Smith and Acton combined for 16 home runs last year, a total that should increase, and McMullen has shown good power in limited opportunities.

OUTFIELD

The Gators lost four-year starter Nelson Maldonado, but senior left fielder Austin Langworthy returns after hitting .283 with 10 homers and 43 RBI in 2019. Sophomore Jud Fabian is the starting center fielder. Fabian was the only UF player named by coaches to the preseason All-SEC Team, earning a spot on the second-team. Fabian is a rising talent already considered one of the best defensive center fields in the college game. He batted. 232 with seven homers and 26 RBI, numbers that could jump significantly based on reports out of camp. O'Sullivan said Fabian recently got hit in the head and had to enter the concussion protocol but is back at practice this week and should be available to start the season. Sophomore Jacob Young, who hit .311 last season, moves from second base to right field to replace the departed Wil Dalton. Calilao can also play outfield and keep an eye on Santa Fe College transfer Brock Edge, son of former Gators punter Shayne Edge who hit .314 with four homers and 36 RBIs as a sophomore at Santa Fe.

CATCHER

O'Sullivan spoke in-depth about the situation at catcher with Hickey and junior Cal Greenfield the primary options. A first-year player from the Providence School in Jacksonville, Hickey is a natural hitter with the potential to bat in the middle of the lineup. Greenfield is a junior who has only six hits in 38 career at-bats. However, O'Sullivan said Greenfield's offensive game has improved and that his defense and handling of the pitching staff is superb. With a heavy emphasis on the pitching staff starting the season strong, O'Sullivan is uncertain whether he will start Hickey to boost the offense or go with Greenfield for his ability behind the plate. Regardless, it will be interesting to see what works for the Gators at the position in 2020.

OUTLOOK

The Gators have pumped out top-tier pitching talent under O'Sullivan, which accentuated last season's uncharacteristic performance on the mound. Barring injuries, they appear primed to return to form on the mound in 2020 with the talent stockpiled. The lineup is versatile and has a good mix of veterans and newcomers. "We've got about 13, 14 hitters we like. We'll try some different things with the lineup. We've got some depth as far as position players go,'' O'Sullivan said. Florida opens the season ranked in the top 10 in most of the national polls so expectations from the outside are high. Don't be surprised to see the Gators make a run for Omaha in their final season at McKethan Stadium. However, there likely will be growing pains as O'Sullivan and his staff search for the best combinations on the field. Still, following one of O'Sullivan's most difficult seasons, 2020 should be more satisfying with fewer trips to the mound to change pitchers.