This weekend, the No. 1 Florida Gators (4-1) host the College of William & Mary Tribe (2-2) for the second series of the season for Florida.
The Tribe went 26-29 and 16-14 in the Colonial Athletic Association and finished fifth in the conference.
William & Mary visits Florida after an 11-inning 6-5 loss at unranked Virginia in Charlottesville.
Charlottesville is no Gainesville though.
The Gators went undefeated in midweek games, defeating Bethune-Cookman and No. 19 UCF by a combined 10 runs.
Florida this season has outscored opponents 33-19 and boasts an ERA three-plus runs less than its opponents.
Probable Starters
Game 1 Friday at 7 p.m.: Gators RHP Hudson Randall (0-0, 4.76) vs. Tribe RHP Brett Koehler (1-0, 0.00)
Game 2 Saturday at 4 p.m.: Gators RHP Karsten Whitson (1-0, 3.60) vs. Tribe LHP Matt Wainman (1-0, 1.50)
Game 3 Sunday at 1 p.m.: Gators LHP Brian Johnson (0-0, 0.00) vs. TBA
Three Burning Questions
1. How many at-bats does Brian Johnson get this time around?
He hit .307 last season and is an early candidate for the John Olerud Award, which is given to the nation’s best two-way player.
Last weekend, the decorated junior stepped up to bat a grand total of four times. This was the lowest number among all position players who played significant innings in 2011.
Johnson started at first base on Friday, didn’t get in the lineup on Saturday and was the Florida starting pitcher on Sunday.
He doesn’t have a problem giving teammates his at-bats.
“We have a good team,” Johnson said after his Sunday start. “You are going to have to pick and choose when you are going to hit and when you’re not. That is up to our coaches. I have full trust in our coaches and they know what they are doing. Whatever they decide is what’s best for the team.”
In two games vs. B-CU and UCF, Johnson had seven at-bats with three RBIs.
2. How will starters do with increased pitch count?
The target last weekend was around 70-75 pitches. Coach Kevin O’Sullivan said after Sunday’s loss to Fullerton, the pitch count hinges on his pitchers.
“It all depends on how their arms come back and how their arms feel the next couple days,” O’Sullivan said. “You try to get 80-85 or so, but really see how their arms come back in the next couple days.”
A greater pitch count should mean more innings for the Florida pitchers. No starter completed six innings for the Gators against Fullerton.
3. When will Tucker break the record?
One RBI.
That’s all senior Preston Tucker needs to break former Florida superstar Brad Wilkerson’s school record of 214.
Tucker tied the mark in the 8-0 shutout of UCF on Wednesday. After the Tuesday win vs. B-CU in which Tucker hit the game-winning single, Tucker was asked how aware he was of the potential record.
“Not really until someone kind of reminds me about it,” he said.
Who is William & Mary?
– The College of William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Va. It was founded in 1683, which is 170 years before the University of Florida (1853). Today, William & Mary has an enrollment of 7,800. Florida currently has more than 50,000 students.
– The Tribe has made two regional appearances in school history (1983 and 2001). William & Mary started playing baseball in 1893. Its all-time record is 1,359-1,519-12.
– As a team, the Tribe returns 23 of 28 players from last season.
– William & Mary assistant David Miller starred at Clemson from 1993-1995. The Cleveland Indians selected him in the first round of the 1995 MLB Draft. Clemson is the same school Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan worked at as an assistant from 1999-2007.
– As a team in 2011, the Tribe hit 19 HR. Florida catcher Mike Zunino hit 19 HR by himself.