Pitching and defense were supposed to be the Gators’ foundation this season.
One half of that equation took a significant hit on Wednesday as the program announced that No. 2 starter Karsten Whitson would be out indefinitely with shoulder fatigue.
Perfect Game’s Kendall Rogers reported Thursday that Whitson will miss the 2013 season after undergoing a procedure performed by Dr. James Andrews.
No. 17 Florida begins the 2013 season against Duke tonight at 7 at McKethan Stadium. Jonathon Crawford will start Friday night. The other two weekend starters have little experience on the mound at the college level. Sophomore Justin Shafer will start on Sunday, and freshman Tucker Simpson will take Whitson’s spot on Saturday.
Shafer, who played primarily in the outfield in 2012, was conserving his arm prior to earning a spot in the weekend rotation.
“I still spend most of my time in the field,” Shafer said on Jan. 31. “I just take it easy throwing wise since I’ll be pitching more, so I don’t throw as much in practice. I just hit, and when we’re playing in the scrimmages, I toss it in. I don’t really throw.”
Before spring practice, the plan had been to use Shafer in relief and call him in from the outfield as needed. As a freshman last year, Shafer threw just six innings and struck out seven batters with a 4.50 ERA. He made 44 starts as a designated hitter or outfielder.
But Shafer was dominant in spring scrimmages. O’Sullivan said Shafer retired 36 of the 38 batters he faced. Still, O’Sullivan plans to continue to use Shafer in the outfield when he isn’t on the mound.
“We like two-way players,” O’Sullivan said. “Justin didn’t pitch a whole lot last year, because frankly, we didn’t need him to. But he’s earned his starting role.”
O’Sullivan said the weekend rotation UF will use against Duke is not permanent.
O’Sullivan will evaluate his starters through the season’s first few weeks. He hopes to settle on a rotation before Southeastern Conference play begins in a three-game series against Kentucky on March 15.
The 6-foot-6 Simpson was the No. 1 right-handed pitcher and the No. 4 overall player in Alabama in the class of 2012.
In addition to a fastball, Simpson throws a curveball, a slider and a changeup. As a high school senior in Oxford, Ala., he posted an ERA of 1.89 and struck out 149 batters in just 83 innings.
“He’s around the zone,” O’Sullivan said of Simpson’s control. “Probably the most important component: he’s very competitive. He’s pitched in some big games. He’s been a guy who’s been on the national scene for quite some time. He’s certainly ready for this challenge.”
Simpson, a freshman, has already developed a reputation within the team.
“He’s a goofy kid,” sophomore second baseman Casey Turgeon said.
O’Sullivan admitted that Simpson is known for playing jokes but said the freshman will have the right mentality on Saturday.
“Once you cross the white line, he’s competitive,” O’Sullivan said.
Contact Josh Jurnovoy at jjurnovoy@alligator.org.
Sophomore Justin Shafer bats during Florida’s 6-2 win against Georgia Tech in the NCAA Gainesville Regional on June 2, 2012, at McKethan Stadium. Shafer notched a three-RBI homer during the sixth inning in Florida's 4-3 NCAA Regional loss to Austin Peay on Friday in Bloomington, Ind.
