Coach Kevin O’Sullivan invests a lot of time developing his pitchers.
And early in the year, his goal is to ease his staff back into the intensity.
That’s why UF’s trio of starters— Logan Shore, Dane Dunning and A.J. Puk — were limited to no more than 76 pitches in Florida’s three-game sweep of Rhode Island.
And it’s also why O’Sullivan decided to take out Brett Morales after six perfect innings in UF’s 13-3 victory against USF on Wednesday.
Morales retired 18 consecutive batters to start the game against the Bulls, striking out a career-high seven.
But while the thought of a perfect game or a no-hitter circled around, O’Sullivan had the bigger picture in mind.
"A lot of these guys are prospects," O’Sullivan said. "To have the glory for one night is not worth jeopardizing getting hurt. Could he have done it? Maybe. But the good doesn’t outweigh the bad in that situation for me."
And with Florida starting a three-game series against Miami tonight at McKethan Stadium, O’Sullivan will up the pitch count slightly — about 10 pitches, he said — to see how his pitchers respond.
"There’s no exact science to it, but I think from a coaching standpoint, there needs to be some sort of accountability," O’Sullivan said. "This isn’t anything new. I’ve always tried to do the best I could with trying to follow a gameplan, so to speak, with building their arms up."
And Shore is going to be the first to take on the increased workload when he takes to the mound tonight.
Shore was only a minor factor during Florida’s three-game series against Miami in 2014.
The then-freshman pitched just 1.2 innings of relief in the Gators’ lone win of the three-game series — a 6-4 victory in Coral Gables, Florida — in his second career UF appearance.
Miami’s lineup is not one Shore plans to take lightly.
The Hurricanes are hitting .341 as a team through five games and have outscored their opponents 51-19.
But after tossing five scoreless innings against Rhode Island, the sophomore right-handed pitcher is ready to continue his early success.
"They’ve got a lot of pop in their lineup and a lot of lefties," Shore said. "It’ll be a difficult out to face, but I think if I execute and do what I know how to do, I’ll be alright."
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
