Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The season's first pitch set a symbolic tone in Florida's three-game season-opening sweep of Charleston Southern.

The Gators dominated in fast-and-furious fashion, outscoring the Bucs 37-5, outhitting them 34-7, and leaving little doubt about the superior team.

"The scoreboard kind of sums it up,'' said sophomore Jac Caglianone. "A big difference from last year's opening weekend."

Gators right-hander Brandon Sproat, a fourth-year junior, was not in UF's starting rotation on the opening weekend a season ago when the Gators lost two of three at home to Liberty. But following a late-season surge and strong offseason, Sproat took the mound on Friday night and fired a 100-mph fastball to open Florida's 13-3, seven-inning win.

"I kind of figured when I heard the oohing and aahing,'' Sproat said. "Velocity is nice to have, but it's not everything. I didn't have my best stuff. I got the first outing out of the way, and it's now time to move on."

While Sproat's first pitch caused a buzz to spread through Condron Ballpark, he worked through some jitters to get his first win. Sproat pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs due to a trace of wildness. He walked three, hit two batters and threw two wild pitches. But the Bucs were hitless when he walked off the mound with two down in the top of the sixth.

Not that Sproat was thinking no-hitter.

"I honestly didn't even know I had one going,'' he said. Sproat's 94-pitch outing served as a reminder of why head coach Kevin O'Sullivan and his staff worked hard to retain Sproat after the Mets selected him in the third round of the MLB amateur draft last summer. Sproat finished last season by going 5-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his final six starts.

He didn't disappoint in his 2023 debut.

"I know the line is a little weird,'' O'Sullivan said. "Overall, I thought he threw the ball well."

O'Sullivan voiced similar assessments of Hurston Waldrep and Caglianone. Florida's starting trio went 3-0 with a combined 2.60 ERA (17 1/3 innings, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 22 SO) in the series.

Waldrep, a junior right-hander who transferred from Southern Mississippi, allowed two runs and struck out six in five innings on Saturday in his UF debut. He threw six consecutive balls at the start of Florida's 16-2 win but quickly found his rhythm.

"I felt pretty confident," Waldrep said. "I didn't have my best stuff, but what I did have, I was able to work with and compete with. I didn't feel like I had control of all four pitches for all five innings, but I had one or two pitches each inning, and that was enough to carry me through."

Meanwhile, coming off Tommy John surgery, Caglianone made his first appearance on the mound since high school in June 2021. He held Charleston Southern to two hits in 6 2/3 shutout innings on Sunday, walking one and striking out 9.

"He was outstanding," O'Sullivan said. "If he throws like that consistently, he's going to put us in a really good place on Sundays. He pitched like a No. 1. His pace was really good. He pushed the tempo."

During one stretch, Caglianone threw 14 consecutive strikes. The 6-foot-5 left-hander, who was in the lineup at first base on Friday and designated hitter Saturday, served strictly as a pitcher on Sunday.

When assistant coach Chuck Jeroloman informed Caglianone Sunday that he would only pitch, Caglianone said that was the only surprise he encountered in his return to the mound.

"I've been doing it my whole life,'' Caglianone said of being a two-way player. "That's different. I felt good. After that first strike, all the pressure just melted away."
  KING OF DOUBLES The superlatives overflowed for the No. 7-ranked Gators, who thrived offensively, defensively and on the mound against the overmatched Bucs.

Sophomore right fielder Ty Evans enjoyed the most productive weekend of his young career. Evans hit .600 (6-for-10) with four doubles and 10 RBI in the series. Evans drove in 16 runs in 35 appearances (26 starts) a season ago.

Evans' four two-base hits provided plenty of chances to show off the team's new celebration for two-baggers, courtesy of a SpongeBob video. In the video, SpongeBob flashes his enthusiasm for life in Bikini Bottom by raising his hands and wiggling his fingers.

"I think that's our new doubles celebration that we're rocking with,'' Evans said. "Everyone wants to win. I feel like everyone is playing aggressively and playing with so much swagger. I think it's helping us."
  SELECTIVE STRATEGY
 
Shortstop Josh Rivera showed renewed patience at the plate, drawing a team-high five walks in the series. Rivera walked 30 times last season in 261 plate appearances.
 

Batting cleanup in all three games, Rivera went 3-for-6 with four RBI and seven runs. He also got hit by a pitch, reaching base nine times in 13 plate appearances.

The .692 on-base percentage was not by accident.

"It's been a focus of mine,'' Rivera said. "I try to keep my approach very simple and be disciplined with that approach. I've been through this a couple of times. I know what's expected."

Rivera hit .254 with nine home runs, 32 RBI, 30 walks and 44 strikeouts in 2022.
  PARTING WORDS
 
QUOTE OF NOTE I
"I'm not going to say I velo-checked, but when I saw the 99, I was like, 'OK, I'm good.' " — Jac Caglianone on his return to pitching

QUOTE OF NOTE II
"I've got to ask the opposing team if they want to do it. That's part of the deal. For me personally, baseball is a nine-inning game. It's the rule we've got to follow, but in my opinion, baseball is a nine-inning game. It gives you opportunities to get other guys in there to get experience." — Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan on two seven-inning run-rule games in the series

QUOTE OF NOTE III
"That really lights everything up. He's an emotional guy. It forces us to play with emotion." – Junior transfer Tyler Shelnut on catcher BT Riopelle's three-run homer Friday night
  EXTRA BASES
 
The Gators scored 37 runs with the help of just two home runs, one by catcher BT Riopelle on Friday and the other by infielder Tyler Shelnut on Saturday … O'Sullivan said the plan is to eventually have Caglianone in the lineup as a hitter on days he pitches … Shelnut, who tied Santa Fe College's single-season home run record with 19 a season ago, went 3-for-8 in the series. He had two doubles, a homer and three RBI. "He's just a good baseball player. We don't do a lot of junior college recruiting, but he's a local kid who's turned himself into a really good player,'' O'Sullivan said … The Gators did not commit an error in the three games, which pleased O'Sullivan. "That's hard to do,'' he said. "I think we have improved tremendously defensively. Josh [Rivera] does a terrific job in the middle of the infield. He's a tremendous leader in the infield." … Center fielder Michael Robertson made his long-awaited debut after missing last season due to a hamstring injury. Robertson had three hits and scored four runs in the leadoff position. "Not having him last year was difficult because he's a dynamic player,'' O'Sullivan said. "He brings some stuff to the offense that we haven't had in a while. I would hope he's going to steal a lot of bases for us. He's your typical leadoff guy." … O'Sullivan said sophomore right-hander Brandon Neely, who finished off Sunday's 8-0 win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, is the designated closer to start the season. Neely made 21 appearances a season ago, including 10 starts … O'Sullivan didn't have to go too deep into his bullpen in the series, using Philip Abner, Fisher Jameson, Cade Fisher, Yoel Tejeda Jr., Blake Purnell and Neely in cushy duty. However, the relievers responded by tossing 5 2/3 scoreless innings and allowing only one hit.