Ricky Reeth tossed 3 2/3 shutout innings in his UF debut on Friday night.
'Any Pitch, Any Count': Reeth Impressive in Gators Debut
Saturday, February 14, 2026 | Baseball
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By: Ryan Roddy, FloridaGators.com Writing Intern
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Ricky Reeth, who grew up in Windermere, returned home to Florida last summer after four years at Notre Dame.
His homecoming added a new chapter Friday night.
In his Gators debut, Reeth pieced together a solid outing in Florida's 9-7 loss to UAB on Opening Day at Condron Ballpark. Ricky Reeth
Reeth tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks and striking out two.
"I told the team after the game, first of all, Ricky, hell of a job tonight," UF associate head coach Tom Slater said. "He kept us right there, kept us in the game, gave us a chance to battle back a couple of different times."
After the fifth-year senior right-hander's final frame, Florida battled all the way back.
Trailing 5-3 after the third inning, the Gators' offense came alive in the bottom of the seventh, sending nine batters to the dish, scoring four runs on four hits.
"I wasn't worried," Reeth said of UAB's early lead. "I thought we were going to bounce back. We had a lot of time to make up."
Not only did Reeth limit the Blazers' offense while eating up innings, but he was efficient, throwing 37 pitches and averaging fewer than three per batter faced. He replaced starter Liam Peterson in the top of the fourth with runners at second and third and one out. He recorded two ground-ball outs to escape the jam. Eight of Reeth's 11 outs recorded came via the ground ball, and 25 of his 37 pitches were strikes.
He credited that to his "any pitch, any count" motto, which he has worked with and talked about with pitching coach David Kopp.
Shortstop Brendan Lawson, who also had a solid performance going 3-for-4, with two singles, a double, a walk and an RBI, took notice of Reeth's composure.
Four seasons at Notre Dame helped prepare Reeth for whatever role he is called on to fill.
"Ricky, being a fifth-year, he has a lot of poise," Lawson said. "He's very calm and collected. And it shows every time he takes the mound."
As a member of the Fighting Irish's staff, Reeth made 47 appearances, including one start, spanning 122 2/3 innings with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 93-30, a 4.95 ERA and a 7-6 record. He also picked up three saves.
In 2022, Reeth and Notre Dame went to Omaha, where they finished fifth after winning the Statesboro (Ga.) Regional and Knoxville (Tenn.) Super Regional against the host Vols. Despite the special run, Reeth said this Florida team is even more special despite the opening loss.
"We have a lot of good players," Reeth said. "This is the most talented team I've been a part of. I mean, I've played on good Notre Dame teams too, but this team is really good."
Now, Reeth is back pitching in the Sunshine State, sporting the colors he grew up dreaming of wearing, but on his fifth opening day, his nerves have eased.
"I feel like I've thrown first in on Friday like so many times; it's just like another day," Reeth said. "Obviously, Florida's my dream school, so doing it here is like the best place to do it, but it's definitely a lot easier when you've done it before, and you're pretty confident in your abilities."
Reeth departed Friday's opener with a scoreless seventh, and after the Gators rallied for four runs and a 7-5 lead heading into the top of the eighth, he was in line for his first victory with the Gators. However, relievers Russell Sandefer and Jackson Barberi were unable to hold off the Blazers, and Reeth will have to wait for his next outing.
If he pitches the way he did Friday night, the wait shouldn't be that long.
