Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan didn’t put much thought into who would start on the mound for Florida’s first game of the College World series against Texas A&M. True freshman right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson was named starter on Wednesday afternoon.
“I don’t like to make major changes this time of year,” O’Sullivan said on Thursday. “We’ve gotten to this point because we’ve done it a certain way. Liam has pitched really well against some really good teams down the stretch.”
Peterson struggled in his Super Regional start at Clemson, allowing three runs on three hits and four walks in his lone inning pitched. However, one could argue this start was an outlier when looking at his recent results.
In his prior six appearances, Peterson allowed just seven earned runs in 24.2 innings pitched, an ERA of 2.60. The 6’5 right hander pitched to a 2-0 record during that span while striking out 27 batters.
“I know he wasn’t pleased with his last start at Clemson, but I firmly believe he will learn from that experience and give us a chance on Saturday,” O’Sullivan said on Peterson.
It looked as if Peterson let the chaotic atmosphere inside Doug Kingsmore Stadium get to his head last weekend as he struggled to find the strike zone against Clemson. Peterson has pitched in some big-time road games as a true freshman, which is giving O’Sullivan the confidence he needs to throw the youngster on Saturday.
“I trust him,” O’Sullivan said. “I mean, we really don’t know how anybody is going to react on a stage like this, but he has pitched in the SEC against some really, really good teams and has had success.”
“We don’t have very many options as far as who to pitch on Saturday night,” O’Sullivan added. “We probably have two choices, either Cags or Liam. Hopefully he’ll handle the stage well. I believe he will. If I didn’t think he would, he wouldn’t start.”
There may not be a better coach to talk with about handling the emotions of the College World Series than Kevin O’Sullivan. The 17th year head coach has reached Omaha nine times in his Gators’ career and has helped countless pitchers get drafted to the MLB. O’Sullivan plans on spending some one-on-one time with Peterson before he makes his College World Series debut.
“I’ll spend some time with him one-on-one,” O’Sullivan said. “I’ve been out here enough to have some ideas on what might help him. It’s really about simplifying things and just keep doing what you are doing and just throw the ball across the plate and hopefully he’ll learn. I truly believe in him. He’s earned the right to open this thing up for us, and we’ll see how it goes.”