Left-hander Brian Johnson didn’t waste time on the McKethan Stadium mound Saturday afternoon in his Florida baseball debut.
The Cocoa Beach High School freshman’s short time between pitches kept South Florida’s batters on edge, and when Johnson did throw the ball, it was almost guaranteed to be a strike. He fired 51 of his 65 pitches for strikes, picking up his first collegiate win as the Gators defeated USF 9-1 in front of a crowd of 3,723.
Johnson went 5.2 innings, allowing three hits and no runs while striking out three batters and walking none. Johnson allowed only one South Florida player to reach second base.
And he still wasn’t happy.
“It was close to what I expected,” Johnson said. “I gave up a couple hits, like the leadoff hit to start the game.”
There was even a stretch during his start that he threw 32 of 42 pitches for strikes. The three hits he gave up came early in the count to keep his pitch count low, allowing him to go the five innings to qualify for a win.
He threw his curve ball and changeup with equal confidence in any count, forcing hitters to never feel comfortable in the batter’s box.
“I can’t say I’m surprised because he’s been doing that to our hitters in the fall and early spring,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “He earned that start today and he was as good as advertised. He kept his emotions under control and kept throwing strikes.”
It wasn’t just the consistency that impressed O’Sullivan. It was the movement and deception of his pitches. The Florida coaching staff has seen it from Johnson since they started recruiting him, and his above-average composure on the mound combined with his pitches make him a difficult pitcher to face.
“He did nothing different today than what he’s been doing,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s just that it mattered. Now he’s got a stat sheet and an ERA now.”
Florida’s offense turned it on late after squandering two opportunities early in the game. In the first inning, the Gators loaded the bases with no outs only to have Austin Maddox strike out, Tyler Thompson pop out and Bryson Smith to strike out.
Freshman Nolan Fontana reached on a one-out walk in the second inning, and moved to third when freshman Mike Zunino reached second after lining a ball that was misplayed by the right fielder. Matt den Dekker and Josh Adams followed with strikeouts to end the inning, leaving the Gators with five runners stranded in the first two innings.
“Their pitcher (Ray Delphey) had a lot to do with that,” O’Sullivan said. “That guy was throwing up to 94 (mph) and he is throwing 3-2 breaking balls for strikes. Our offense did a nice job of hanging in there and got his pitch count up to 100 through four (innings). We’re going to face guys like that this year in conference play. If we can continue to get pitch counts up and get into the (bull)pen by the fifth or sixth (inning), I like our chances.”
Freshman Kamm Washington led off the fourth inning with his first collegiate hit, which he sent off the scoreboard in right field for a home run. Fontana followed with a walk, and later scored on a two-out throwing error by USF third baseman Jonathan Koscso.
Maddox, another freshman from Florida’s top-rated Class of 2010, hit his second home run in as many games when he led off the seventh inning by driving a fastball the opposite way over the scoreboard in right field.
“I had an approach that he (reliever Kyle Parker) was going to throw me something away,” Maddox said. “I put my foot right on the inner corner of the plate and I hammered it.”
When Maddox first got to Florida, he admits he was mostly a pull hitter. Since coming to Gainesville, Maddox has slowed his swing down and realized the opposite-field power available to him. Pitchers don’t want to throw inside to Maddox, so he has adjusted to driving the ball the other way.
“I’ve always been able to hit the ball opposite field pretty well, but in high school, being a big prospect for the draft, you get out of your head a little bit and try to swing and hit the ball as far as you can,” Maddox said. “Since I’ve gotten here, I’ve really zoned in and worked on hitting the ball hard to the opposite field.”
Florida’s knockout punch was delivered when Thompson hit a two-out, base-clearing double off the right-center field fence. Thompson ended the game going 2-for-5 with a career-high four RBI. It was a nice turn around for him as it was the first ball he hit hard in nine at-bats this season.
Thompson’s success has come with a simple adjustment. Instead of trying to turn and pull the ball to right field, the left-handed hitter simply tries to hit the ball back up the middle. He hit three balls weakly to the right side because he pulled off them, trying to drive the ball onto the road behind right field. With a calmer approach and a better mindset, Thompson was able to deliver the game-sealing hit.
“I’ve been struggling a little bit and just had to make an adjustment,” Thompson said. “I’ve been yanking my head off the ball. When I try to pull the ball, it’s frustrating. I’ve got to make that adjustment and try to go the other way with it and hopefully it will hit the gaps.”
After Johnson’s debut on the mound, fellow freshman Hudson Randall came in relief, throwing 1.1 innings and allowing only one hit. The right-hander also kept his pitch count to 15, making it still likely he will start Wednesday night’s game against UCF.
Junior left-hander Kevin Chapman completed the eighth inning, allowing only a walk. Freshman right-hander Michael Heller threw the ninth inning, allowing the game’s only run on a two-out, bloop single to left field.
The Gators go for the series sweep Sunday at noon. Florida will send sophomore Anthony DeSclafani to the mound, and USF will counter with 6-8 left-handed junior Andrew Barbosa.