The Gators dropped one spot to No.4 in D1 Baseball’s national rankings after getting swept by No.3 South Carolina this past weekend.
Moving down just one spot in the rankings may seem like a light punishment, but No.4 Vanderbilt was swept by unranked Tennessee while No.7 Arkansas (previously No.5) was swept by unranked Georgia.
Florida (31-10, 11-7 SEC) is tied for third place in the SEC East standings.
Gator Country provides three key takeaways from Florida’s winless weekend.
NO OFFENSIVE RHYTHMÂ
Florida mustered just 18 hits across 25 innings at the plate against South Carolina pitching, combining for a batting average that sits below the Mendoza line (.197). Despite the low offensive numbers, the Gators had chances to put up more runs this weekend but failed to find the big-time hits. Florida left 18 runners on base, including 14 in the first two games alone.
The Gators hit just 2-14 (.142) with runners in scoring position, 5-30 (.166) with two outs, and 7-42 (.166) with runners on base last weekend. Florida’s leadoff batter reached base 10-25 (.400) times, an impressive figure against a great pitching ballclub. However, the Gators weren’t able to find the timely hits in order to push across more runs.
LINEUP CHANGES?
Florida’s offense has been fairly average against SEC pitching, ranking 9th in the league in batting average (.258), 8th in on base percentage (.363), 7th in hits (156), and 7th in runs scored (123). However, the Gators power is still showing up, ranking 2nd in home runs (35), trailing only South Carolina.
I think it’s time for Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan to make some changes to the Gators’ lineup in an effort to maximize offensive production.
The first thing I would do is give graduate transfer outfielder Richie Schiekofer a chance to win the starting job in right field.
Florida’s regular starting right fielder, Ty Evans, is hitting .219 across 37 starts and is just 4-49 (.081) against SEC pitching.
Sckiekofer is 8-35 (.229) at the plate this season but is a proven player at the power-five level. SEC pitching is far superior to the Big Ten, so this experiment may not work out, but it’s worth a try at this point in the season.
Matt Prevesk is another option in right field, but his struggles against left-handed pitching draw some concerns for me moving forward.
I would also move BT Riopelle down in the order. He’s pretty much consistently hit in the four hole despite batting just .192 in SEC play while striking out in 53% of his at bats. A drop in the order may benefit the veteran catcher, much like it did for freshman Cade Kurland earlier in the season.
Freshman Luke Heyman is someone that Kevin O’Sullivan may decide to move into the four hole. The Longwood, Florida native is hitting .359 this season without much of a drop-off against SEC pitching. Heyman has delivered in clutch situations all year long, blasting seven home runs in just 78 at bats.
POOR COMMANDÂ
Florida’s command was awful in every game of the series, walking a combined 24 batters across 23 innings pitched against South Carolina. You aren’t going to beat many SEC teams with those numbers, especially against one of the better hitting teams in the country in South Carolina.
Talent hasn’t been the issue with the Gators pitching staff in 2023 as Florida ranks 7th in the country in strikeouts per nine (11.2 K/9).
However, Florida ranks 186th in walks per nine (4.96); you can’t give teams in the SEC that many second chances.
Florida’s pitching staff ranks 8th in the SEC in earned run average against SEC hitting, which isn’t that bad considering how many free passes they have provided to opposing teams.
LHP Jac Caglianone could lose his Sunday starting role if his poor command continues. He walked six batters in his three innings pitched on Sunday afternoon.
The Gators will need a collective effort from their starting pitchers and relivers to fix the command issue in 2023.
FINAL THOUGHTS
South Carolina was better than Florida in all three phases of the game. The Gamecocks found timely hits, often times taking advantage of Florida’s free passes. They also pitched and played incredible defense all series long. You can make a strong argument for South Carolina deserving to be the No.1 team in the country.
There’s plenty of time for the Gators to gain back some momentum before the NCAA tournament rolls around.