Regardless of who was playing shortstop last year, Florida fans held their breath last season when a ground ball was hit in that direction. This year, the Gators seem to have found an answer that will have fans breathing a whole lot easier.
Mike Mooney, last year’s shortstop, signed after the Baltimore Orioles drafted him in the 22nd round, opening the door for a true freshman to take over the position. The Gators signed two — Nolan Fontana and Cody Dent — and while both are slick fielders, it is Fontana’s bat that will have him in the starting tonight when Florida opens the 2010 season against USF at McKethan Stadium (6:30 p.m. start).
Fontana’s maturity is far above norm for a freshman. He seems wise beyond his years as he is calm under pressure and remains smooth in the field.
“He’s almost like having a veteran out there,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “He doesn’t act like a freshman. He makes all the routine plays and has given us a lot of offense too. Early on though, we’re going to keep harping on defense, defense, defense, that’s what’s going to determine his playing time.”
Fontana has always been able to field the ball with ease since early in his career at West Orange High School. His fundamentals have been crisp, and they’ve taken the next step this spring.
Florida assistant coach Brad Weitzel has worked hard on sharpening the fundamentals. Fontana had a solid base of knowledge in the field, but Weitzel took them to the next level and made doing the right thing the right way a habit for Fontana.
“He has taken my basic fundamentals and he enhanced them to where they are now,” Fontana said. “I’m comfortable with what I’m doing.”
Fontana’s focus on defense is actually a product of the offense. The veteran bats that are littered throughout the Florida lineup made Fontana realize that he didn’t need to produce big offensive numbers to get on the field. He needed to be solid with the glove.
Fontana knows if he makes all the routine plays and chips in with an outstanding play when given the chance, he will be hard to get out of the lineup.
“We know that we’re going to hit this year and we’re going to have pitching,” Fontana said. “We need to make sure that our defense is all that it can be.”
Players like Fontana sometimes fall through the cracks to college coaches and professional scouts. The hardworking, somewhat undersized players who get the maximum potential out of their abilities aren’t always a hot commodity.
But O’Sullivan loved it. He wasn’t overwhelmed with Fontana at the beginning, but by the end of the recruiting process, he was one of O’Sullivan’s favorite prospects.
“He’s one of those guys where you see him play the first time and you like him,” O’Sullivan said. “You see him play the second time and you really like him. Then when you see him play the third time, you fall in love with him. He brings the same thing to the field everyday. He’s a grinder and a baseball rat.”
Fontana seemed destined from the beginning to be the starting shortstop but he solidified his place in the lineup when he and second baseman Josh Adams found good chemistry in the middle of the infield.
The relationship between Fontana and Adams got off to a great start in large part because the Florida coaches encouraged it.
“Coach told me when he was recruiting me that they had a guy who could take me under his wing, so that in the coming years I could be the guy to do that,” Fontana said.
Adams already knew how important it would be to have a good working partner in the middle infield. He immediately recognized a youngster who is a mirror image of himself in so many ways.
“He’s one of the guys who is scrappy but can play the game well,” Adams said. “He kind of reminds me of myself in the way he plays. He knows how to play the game, and he works hard.”
Fontana said that he and Adams have become like brothers even though they have only known each other for seven months. Their chemistry up the middle has come easier than most middle infield combinations. Their on and off the field chemistry can only help the Gators.
Adams points to Fontana’s ability to “understand the game” as why their ability to work together has gone without an issue.
“He taught me to slow things down,” Fontana said of Adams. “The game is faster at every level you go up. You’ve got to slow it down because you’re not playing in front of a high school crowd. Now you’re playing in front of thousands of people.”
Fontana is now counting the hours until he does that.