The sun stayed home on Thursday. A brisk sub-40 temperature combined with the occasional raindrop made for a dreary day of baseball at McKethan Stadium.
Despite the weather and a sub-.500 record from last season, the No. 23 Gators had reason for optimism.
Injuries healed, and the underclassmen that went through growing pains in 2013 were another year older. Besides redshirt junior right-hander Karsten Whitson being back from a shoulder surgery that sidelined him all of 2013, the biggest storyline 15 days away from the opener is the health of Florida’s infield.
“We’re really confident. We came in second in [conference play] in fielding percentage,” third baseman Josh Tobias said.
“We literally have the same infield back, and we don’t make a lot of errors, which is what you focus on in practice.”
Casey Turgeon, who notched a .268 average in 2013, mans his usual second base while shortstop Richie Martin, first baseman Zack Powers and Tobias round out the infield.
Martin, who hit .300 in his freshman season, suffered a fractured right index finger on March 3, taking away Florida’s most consistent hitter for 20 games while Turgeon shifted over to shortstop. The lineup shuffling made it difficult for an undermanned Gators team to get in sync.
“We’re going to lean on them. They’re our veterans,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Obviously Richie is only a sophomore, but he played in just about every game he was able to last year other than the games he was injured. Josh and Casey are now juniors, and we’re going to lean on them. Defensively, we should be really solid in the infield.”
New faces, same place: Watching the Gators practice just two weeks before the Valentine’s Day opener involved layering up to combat the cold and checking a numbered roster to figure out new players.
Of the 35 Gators listed, 17 are either freshmen or transfers. Florida, at least until the season opener, is a living Abbott & Costello sketch for anyone willing to brave the cold. Who is on first?
Left-hander A.J. Puk, one of those freshmen, will play first and pitch. Puk, who wears No. 10, lifted a fastball off left-hander Danny Young for a solo home run into the bullpen during Thursday’s scrimmage.
“I don’t think there is a true senior on our roster. [Leadership is] going to be from us juniors and redshirt juniors. I’m looking forward to it,” catcher Taylor Gushue said. “It’s going to be exciting. We don’t have all the answers to the test, but we sure got a lot of them.”
Tobias hits the weights: A rash of injuries, from a broken hand at the end of his freshman year to a broken toe last season, hindered the switch-hitting Tobias from contributing on a consistent basis. Tobias increased his power at the plate by revamping his swing and adding muscle to his frame.
He was bench-pressing 140-pound dumbbells during a team workout on Wednesday. The grind hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“He’s always been really strong,” Gushue said, chuckling. “I don’t know. When we get in the weight room he just becomes a different animal. He just gets after it. He’s really strong. I know over break he put in a lot of good work. It has really shown now.”
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Josh Tobias dives back to first base to avoid being picked off during Florida’s 8-3 loss against Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 23, 2013. Tobias suffered a broken toe last year but is healthy to start the 2014 season.
