Splintering wooden bats and split squad scrimmages mean only one thing for Florida baseball—the start of fall practice.
The Gators began fall practice after finishing last season watching the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrate winning another national championship. Catcher Mike Zunino hit .371 as a sophomore last season. Omaha left a lasting impression on the SEC Player of the Year.
“You just work so hard for so long. It is just one of those things that you feel disappointed,” Zunino said. “We gave it everything we had that year.”
UF is hungry to complete the job this spring, right fielder Preston Tucker said.
“We know what it takes to get there. We still need to find out what it takes to finish. We can’t be satisfied,” Tucker said. “We are not going to be satisfied.”
Florida will reap the benefits of a roster with 16 upperclassmen and a starting lineup with seven out of nine starting position players returning this season. Not to mention, the Gators entire weekend rotation remained intact. The trio of Hudson Randall, Brian Johnson and Karsten Whitson combined to go 27-7 and post a 2.73 ERA.
“It is good to see them all back again. It is very rare that you get back your whole weekend rotation and get back as many key pieces from the previous year,” Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Usually when you have a good year as you did last year, there is a lot of turnover with your roster. It is very reassuring, but made a point from day one that we have not won a single game in 2012.”
With the lack of turnover, leadership will not be a problem in 2012, O’Sullivan said.
“Every year is different. This year we got a lot of returning players, so we have to keep them motivated on a day-to-day basis,” O’Sullivan said. “We have got to figure out our bullpen, but as a team I like where we are at leadership wise. The older guys have taken control of the program.”
The baseball program has improved in each of O’Sullivan’s four years as head coach. Florida’s wins have increased each season by about 6 victories since 2008. The Gators have averaged 44 victories per season with O’Sullivan at the helm.
Very few questions surround this experienced team. With the graduations of centerfielder Bryson Smith and second baseman Josh Adams, there are opportunities to crack the starting lineup.
Although the Gators have participated in six fall practices, a centerfielder has emerged for now. Outfielder Tyler Thompson decided to return for his senior season after getting drafted in round 46 of the MLB Draft. Thompson has felt the injury bug during his time at UF, but O’Sullivan is hopeful for an healthy season.
“I think moving Tyler to center makes the most obvious choice right now. He certainly is very capable. We are hoping we are able to keep him healthy. I know he is too. He has had some string of bad luck. Hopefully he is beyond that,” O’Sullivan said. “He is a very capable defender and he has worked awfully hard on his arm. I am just excited to see him go a full year injury free.”
With Thompson potentially taking over the centerfield position, the Gators have questions surrounding the second base position after the departure of Adams. Cody Dent, Josh Tobias and Casey Turgeon have all gotten reps, Fontana said.
Dent’s bat came alive for UF come postseason time last year. Tobias and Turgeon are both incoming freshmen. The Nationals drafted Tobias in the 31st round.
“Obviously we got some returning players. We got some really good incoming players that will be battling for their spots,” O’Sullivan said. “Like we do every fall, we are going to let the players battle it out and see what happens. I feel very confident that we will have someone that will be a very good second baseman. There might be a few surprises by the end of fall.”
FLORIDA BASEBALL SEASON TICKETS ON SALE: Season tickets for the 2012 Gator Baseball season are now on sale. Season tickets can be purchased online at www.GatorZone.com/tickets or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The deadline to renew season tickets is Friday, Dec. 16, at 5 p.m.
The Gators’ 56-game schedule features 35 games within the friendly confines of McKethan Stadium at Perry Field. In addition to the season-opening, three-game series against Cal State Fullerton from Friday-Sunday, Feb. 17-19, Florida will also welcome traditional Sunshine State rivals Florida State (March 13), Bethune-Cookman (Feb. 21 & April 25), Florida A&M (March 7), Florida Atlantic (March 6), Florida Gulf Coast (March 9-11), North Florida (May 15), UCF (Feb. 22) and USF (April 24). Other foes who will visit include William & Mary (Feb. 24-26), Samford (March 20-21) and Georgia Southern (April 17). The five, three-game SEC home series pit the Gators against Vanderbilt (March 16-18), LSU (April 6-8), Georgia (April 20-22), Arkansas (April 27-29) and Mississippi State (May 11-13).
Season Ticket Prices are as follows:
Season Box Seat: $150
Season Chairback: $125
Season Reserved Bleacher: $100
Family Pass (Bleachers Rows 11-20): $125