There was something different about Buddy Reed.
It may have been the smile stretched across his face, planted there after his blooper to left-center field sealed Florida’s series-opening victory against Miami just twenty minutes earlier.
It may have been his voice, still shaking from the excitement of his first career walk-off.
Or it may have been the glasses he was wearing for the second consecutive game, after starting the season 1-for-14 without them.
"He’s certainly been swinging the bat a lot better since he got (them)," coach Kevin O’Sullivan said on Thursday.
The coach’s words are justified. Since swapping his contacts for glasses, Reed has gone 11-for-24 with five RBIs.
When No. 6 Florida faces Stony Brook tonight at 7 to open a three-game series, Reed will keep them on, even if he hinted at a larger reason for his improved play.
"I think I was trying to do too much, just cause it’s a new season, new year, new players, new fans, and I think I got out of who I was in the moment," he said.
Shortstop Richie Martin admitted that everyone felt pressure early in the season, especially in the three game series against then-No. 8 Miami. Now, Martin said, the next step is learning from it.
"You’re gonna get in those situations where the pressure and the intensity is gonna turn up," he said. "So to be able to be in those situations, it’s gonna help us further down the road."
But first, UF (7-1) hosts Stony Brook (2-4) tonight, a team that advanced to the College World Series in 2012.
The Gators will start right-hander Logan Shore for the first time since the sophomore left the mound with an injury after throwing just ten pitches against Miami last Friday. A.J. Puk will start on Saturday after allowing two walks, three runs and four hits in 2.1 innings last week.
But the Gators’ brightest spot has been their batting order, especially with the emergence of leadoff man Dalton Guthrie, who has a .353 batting average this season.
"We knew he was a good player, with his maturity level and his baseball instincts," O’Sullivan said. "I mean, even his outs are productive."
And with Reed’s glasses helping him into a hitting groove, Florida is expecting an efficient offensive outing this weekend.
"I didn’t know why he didn’t have them earlier, to be honest with you," O’Sullivan said of Reed’s glasses. "I guess hindsight is 20-20."
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Buddy Reed looks to bunt during Florida's 4-0 win over Maryland.
