The path Robbie Aviles took to become a member of the Florida Gators baseball team started two generations ago.
His grandfather, who lived in Winter Haven, would take multiple trips north to watch the Gators play in The Swamp every football season. The grandfather passed his love of the Gators to his grandson and now Aviles will have a chance to experience it.
“He would tell me what an amazing college atmosphere it was,” the Suffern, N.Y., pitching prospect said. “I’ve always enjoyed watching the basketball, football and baseball teams. That was the school I always liked.”
The 6-4, 190-pound right-hander knew all about the strength of the Gators athletic program from watching Florida compete in the College World Series in 2005, win back-to-back NCAA men’s basketball titles in 2006 and 2007, and capture the football national championship in 2006 and 2008.
That was enough to push Aviles to commit to Kevin O’Sullivan and the Gators last June over South Carolina, Clemson and Coastal Carolina, where his father played. He made his commitment without ever making it to Gainesville.
“I know that’s kind of odd,” Aviles said with a laugh. “I was always a Gator fan growing up. I know that all of their athletic teams are amazing. It was always the college that I wanted to go to.”
The first trip to Gainesville came soon after that commitment last summer. Aviles played in the East Coast Pro Showcase last summer in Lakeland, and when it was over, his family drove north to Gainesville.
“The first thing they did was take me into the weight room and that was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen,” Aviles said. “The facilities were all state of the art. Plus, I don’t really get to see palm trees up here, and they were lining some roads on campus there. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
As it is with most pitchers who commit to the Gators, it’s the relationship with coach O’Sullivan that sealed the deal. His dual role as head coach and pitching coach makes it even more attractive for pitchers to come to Gainesville.
“My whole family really likes him,” Aviles said. “I know he takes really good care of pitchers’ arms and develops them. I just felt like I’ve had a great relationship with him.”
On the mound, Aviles is the kind of pitcher O’Sullivan wants. He admits his fastball doesn’t blow hitters away, as it usually sits in the upper 80s and low 90s, but the stats speak differently. He went 9-1 last year with a 0.60 ERA, striking out 77 hitters in 46 innings.
The strikeouts aren’t his goal. It’s all about keeping the hitter off balance, which he does by mixing in his curveball and changeup. Then he lets the hitter swing at a bad pitch to create the out.
“I have a pretty good fastball, but I wouldn’t say it’s overpowering,” Aviles said. “I’m really about location and location of my two off-speed pitches – my changeup and curveball. I like to have the hitter get himself out.”
That pitching style has produced success throughout his high school career. Perfect Game recently ranked him as the No. 21 high school player in the country, and his selection to the Aflac All-American Team, along with fellow Florida signee Karsten Whitson, shows he will be a highly scouted pitcher during his upcoming senior season.
Regardless of what any rankings say, Aviles knows that a large part of his draft status will come from how he pitches during the upcoming season.
“I don’t have any expectations yet,” Aviles said. “I know that my senior season will probably have a big role in it. We’re going to handle that when the time comes. I really haven’t even thought much about it to be honest with you.”
Aviles does admit that signing with a professional team might be difficult, especially after seeing what the Florida athletics program has to offer. They will be there if Aviles wants to take it. It’s the possibility to experience college life that has him excited about Florida, especially with the recent turnaround the baseball program has seen under O’Sullivan.
A few trips to the College World Series sound good to Aviles.
“That would be hard,” Aviles said of passing up Florida. “I know that the University of Florida would be a great college to attend for four years. It would be an awesome experience. With as well as the baseball team is playing, I think we’ll have a couple trips to Omaha. Either way, it’s going to be a really hard decision to make.”