Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Following back-to-back losses to LSU at home last weekend, Kevin O'Sullivan and his staff spent Monday at Florida Ballpark evaluating the team and discussing plans.

The players had the day off, but that didn't stop most of them from showing up to work amongst themselves.

"They didn't hang their heads,'' O'Sullivan told radio play-by-play announcer Jeff Cardozo on the postgame show after Tuesday night's 6-3 win over Florida State in Jacksonville. "I'm hoping games like this can propel them as we move forward. We are still a work in progress on the mound. Hopefully they are learning things, because as we go along, it's not going to get any easier."

O'Sullivan knows what he is talking about. The No. 14 Gators (18-7, 3-3 in the Southeastern Conference) are on the road at No. 23 Georgia (19-6, 3-3) for a three-game series from Thursday-Saturday. The series marks the halfway point of the regular season.

The Gators have split their first two weekend SEC series, winning two of three games at Alabama and then dropping two of three to LSU. With the Bulldogs up next, here are five observations about the Gators as they cross the midway point:
  LIVELY LANGFORD
 
Sophomore Wyatt Langford spent most of his freshman season on the bench, appearing in just four games. Langford has emerged as one of the Gators' best players in his second year in the program. Langford played a starring role in Tuesday's win over FSU with a pair of defensive gems in left field in the top of the third inning. "He showed a little bit of everything,'' O'Sullivan said. Langford robbed FSU's Logan Lacey of a home run with a leaping catch at the wall, and later in the inning, made a sliding catch in foul territory to retire Alex Toral to end the frame. "That was the Wyatt Langford Show, ladies and gentleman,'' boomed Cardozo over the airwaves. Langford is getting the job done in the batter's box, too, leading the team in batting (.353), slugging (.713) and RBI (27). He is second on the team with nine home runs. Langford has five three-hit games and is making a push to go from benchwarmer to a member of the All-SEC Team.
  BACKING BARCO  Third-year sophomore Hunter Barco opened the season as Florida's No. 1 starter, and the 6-foot-3 lefty has lived up to the billing. Barco is 5-1 with a 1.41 ERA in his first six starts. The biggest question at the start of the season remains the principal question at the halfway point: Who is going to emerge as dependable starters behind Barco? Eight pitchers other than Barco have started, with right-hander Brandon Sproat (3-2, 4.72 ERA) and left-hander Timmy Manning (0-0, 5.94) taking the most turns. Sproat has started six games, and Manning, five. Sproat has an electric arm, and when he locates his fastball consistently, he is difficult to hit. Manning has had trouble going deep into games because of his pitch count. Freshman lefty Pierce Coppola showed promise during the opening weekend of the season, but back issues have kept him sidelined for the past month. O'Sullivan will continue to tinker with the rotation behind Barco in an attempt to find the best solution. While Friday night's starter at Georgia is TBA, Garrett Milchin (1-0, 2.03 ERA) is scheduled to start Saturday.
  JUDGING JUD
 
Center fielder Jud Fabian decided to return to school to play with his younger brother – UF freshman third baseman Deric Fabian – and improve his professional prospects. Fabian has succeeded on both counts. Fabian is hitting .278 with a team-high 10 home runs and 26 RBI. If there was a knock on Fabian after last season, it's that he struck out too much. Fabian has focused on being more selective at the plate and it shows. He has more walks (24) than strikeouts (20) and leads the Gators with 10 multi-RBI games. He hasn't lost his power stroke. Fabian's 42 career home runs place him sixth on the school's all-time list and the 40th overall pick of the 2021 MLB amateur draft has done nothing to hurt his stock in the 2022 draft. The 40th overall pick of last year's draft, Fabian is again a potential first-round selection.
  SEND RELEIF  Right-handers Blake Purnell (2-1, 0.77 ERA, 23 1/3 IP) and Nick Ficarrotta (2-0. 2.51 ERA, 28 2/3 IP) have been the workhorses out of the bullpen, both appearing in 14 of Florida's first 25 games. They will need help as the season progresses. Overall, the Gators' bullpen is 9-3 with nine saves and a 4.02 ERA in 125 1/3 IP. Too many bases on balls are a concern. UF relievers are averaging 3.9 walks per nine innings, not an ideal ratio when the game is often on the line. Ficarrotta leads the team with three saves, while Purnell and Ryan Slater have two apiece. Slater made his first career start in Sunday's loss to LSU, an 11-2 defeat that included a most unusual stat line for UF pitchers: zero walks, eight hit batsmen. The Gators must show better control to consistently control games hanging in the balance.
  FIRE 'EM UP
 
It was interesting after Tuesday's win over the Seminoles to hear O'Sullivan discuss the team's demeanor. He wants to see more fire in the dugout and reaction after meaningful moments, a trend that has taken hold from the major league level down to Little League. "I want these guys to show emotion,'' O'Sullivan said. "We ended one inning with a double play and there was no emotion. I'm trying to get these guys to come out of their shell a little bit. Guys are still feeling their way through it. We've got to get these guys going." The Gators have leaned toward more of a professional approach under O'Sullivan, but with the NIL era of college athletics evolving and a celebratory phase creeping into the game, the Gators appear to have a green light to show more of their personality. Hey, maybe we'll see Kendrick Calilao rip his jersey off again. That was one of the more memorable moments from last season and worth a celebration.