Early on this season, coach Kevin O’Sullivan has put a heavy load on his freshman class.
And with No. 2 Florida (16-2) opening up Southeastern Conference play tonight with a series against Tennessee (7-6) at McKethan Stadium, the eighth-year coach will be relying on his first-year players just the same.
“The SEC is obviously a very important part of the season, but it’s not like I’m going to go into the locker room and say ‘these games are so much more important, you gotta change how you play,’” O’Sullivan said. “Just do what you do and stay within yourself and just have good quality at bats and stay calm.”
In the first 18 games this season, seven freshmen have earned a combined 63 starts in Florida’s batting lineup.
They’ve been tested — with three starting all of Florida’s game in its series against then-No. 8 Miami and then-No. 10 UCF and five cracking the starting lineup at least once in the five games.
They have shown their value to the team, recording 82 of the team’s 186 hits and 41 of 116 RBIs.
And they are ready for conference play to begin.
“I’m excited,” freshman and leadoff hitter Dalton Guthrie said. “I’ve heard it gets pretty intense, nothing like I’ve been exposed to in high school.”
Guthrie, who has a team-high 29 hits and nine doubles while pacing all freshmen on the roster with a .358 batting average, said he talked with the upperclassmen on the team about what to expect now that they are in conference play.
“They basically say it’s completely different,” freshman Dalton Guthrie said. “It’s gonna be intense, it’s gonna be nerve-wracking, games are gonna be closer. And I’m just looking forward to good battles.”
Junior outfield Vincent Jackson leads Tennessee with a .400 batting average while slugger Christin Stewart has added three home runs and 12 RBIs for the Vols through their first 13 games.
UT Friday-night starter Bret Marks is fourth in the SEC with a 0.79 ERA.
He’ll face off against UF’s Logan Shore, who is one of five pitchers nationally who has tossed at least 10 innings and still has a perfect ERA.
“We’ve got a great challenge ahead of us,” O’Sullivan said. “Every week is a challenge, no one game is more important than the other. The important thing is to get better and play to the best of your ability and just be as consistent as you possibly can.”
Florida is also expected to get some power back into its lineup with the return of outfielder Harrison Bader.
The junior has a team-best .429 batting average among players with at least 10 at-bats and sits atop the SEC in slugging percentage (.898), on-base percentage (.569), RBIs (21) and home runs (six).
“I’m anxious to get Bader back,” O’Sullivan said. “He could’ve played (Wednesday), but we just felt like in the best interest of our team to give him and extra day or two.”
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
Dalton Guthrie bats during Florida's 22-3 win against Rhode Island on Saturday at McKethan Stadium.
