David Holmberg won’t put triple digits on a radar gun. Sometimes he won’t get it over 90 miles per hour. But the statistics from his senior season at Port Charlotte High School show that it doesn’t matter. The left-hander knows how to get batters out.
Holmberg’s senior stats tell the story – he went 7-0 with a microscopic 0.22 ERA. In the 64.2 innings he completed this season, Holmberg allowed only two earned runs. He also struck out 132 batters, averaging more than two strikeouts per inning. He also walked only 23 batters, allowing only one walk per 5.74 strikeout. Opposing hitters batted only .118 against Holmberg. He allowed only seven extra base hits all season, with zero of them being home runs.
Need more? Didn’t think so.
“I don’t throw as hard as some of the other guys, but every once in a while I can gas it up a little bit,” Holmberg said. “I live mostly off my location.”
Holmberg doesn’t just live off his location, he excels. Holmberg sits between 88-90 mph on the mound and uses a fastball, curveball, slider and changeup effectively. Four-pitch hurlers are rare at the high school level, but Holmberg’s advanced maturity made him one of the best pitchers in the state this season.
He committed to Florida in June of 2008, citing a life-long love for the Gators and respect for their head coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
“Ever since I was old enough to comprehend television, I’ve always been a big Gator guy,” Holmberg said. “It’s where I’ve always wanted to go and they were the first school that stepped up and wanted me to play ball for them. I couldn’t find any negatives about it.”
O’Sullivan, known for his pitching expertise professionally with the Minnesota Twins and as Clemson’s pitching coach before taking the Florida head position, has lowered Florida’s team ERA in both of his seasons. That reputation played a large role in getting Holmberg to sign with Florida.
“It definitely played a role,” Holmberg said. “I wasn’t too familiar with him before I went to a camp at the University of Florida. That’s when my relationship with Sully began. I like the way he carries himself as a coach and deals with his players. I know by watching games since he’s been there, by watching on and off the field, that he is really close with his players.”
Holmberg took his official visit to Florida the weekend of the football game against Louisiana State. He was able to see some of the baseball team’s fall workouts as well as spend time with his future teammates and coaches.
“It showed me that they bring intensity every day at the field,” Holmberg said. “They were scrimmaging and came ready to play. Whether it’s practice, conditioning or one of the two-a-day scrimmages, you better come ready to play.”
Holmberg already knows a few of the players he is on track to play with next season. He played with Michael Zunino and Bobby Borchering over the summer and has met Michael Heller when they played against each other. He maintains a relationship with his fellow Florida commitments.
“We got to know each other over the last few months and we’re still talking with a few months before we go to college,” Holmberg said. “We’ll still see each other every once in a while. We are separated at different high schools, but we still talk to each other sometimes.”
Any time O’Sullivan talks about the goals for his program, he can answer in one word: Omaha. The city in Nebraska is the desired destination of every baseball program in the country because it is the site of the College World Series. O’Sullivan has plenty of players coming to campus next season who can make an immediate impact.
“The players they have right now, we think as recruits watching, could win a championship now,” Holmberg said. “We all have a little swagger that we can make this program better. It’s definitely what I want to do at the University of Florida.”
With Holmberg being one of the best pitchers in the state, scouts have flocked to his games. With the Major League Baseball Draft coming June 9, Holmberg is a candidate to be selected possibly as early as the second round.
“I don’t have any expectations,” Holmberg said. “I think of it as a bonus. Right now, I’m going to the University of Florida. If something happens, then that’s great, but the University of Florida is where I’m going to be.”
That is music to the ears of Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan.