Deacon Liput stands firm at third base while a teammate steps up to bat.
At a preseason scrimmage for the No. 1 Florida baseball team, the freshman is working to stake his claim on a roster riddled with Major League prospects.
The ball flies straight toward him.
Without hesitation and with laser focus, Liput extends his arm, dips down and makes a swift grab with ease as head coach Kevin O’Sullivan claps in approval from the third-base dugout.
While the hype surrounding the Gators is because their loaded junior class — from pitchers Logan Shore and A.J. Puk to outfielder Buddy Reed and first baseman Peter Alonso — the production from Florida’s top-ranked freshman recruiting class will be the deciding factor in the Gators’ quest for the program’s first national title.
"Over the course of the last five or six years, you’ve seen us play a lot of freshmen," O’Sullivan said. "We’re not afraid to do that. We don’t consider our freshmen — of course they’re going to have a learning curve so to speak, but the fact of the matter is we signed them to come in here and play, and I expect them to have good years."
Year after year, O’Sullivan continues to refuel and reload. This year might have been the best job he’s done in his nine years with the Gators.
On the mound, O’Sullivan brought in pitching duo Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar, a future one-two punch in the making.
Singer, a second-round draft pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in June’s MLB Draft, already has a fastball in the mid-90s and a mental toughness that O’Sullivan has praised throughout the preseason.
"It’s electric," O’Sullivan said of Singer’s pitching. "You guys have seen it and you will see it this year. He’s 94, 95 with a changeup and a slider, so it’s pretty impressive for a freshman."
Kowar, a 6-foot-5 righty out of Charlotte, North Carolina, has the potential to be a middle-inning reliever and occasional midweek starter early in his career.
In the field, Liput and Perfect Game All-American Jonathan India are expected to start at second and third base, respectively. The freshmen infielders posted a .400 batting average against the Gators’ pitching staff in fall ball, a nearly impossible feat even for Florida’s veteran batters.
Outfielder Danny Reyes, infielder Blake Reese and pitchers Michael Byrne and MacGregor Hines all have the potential to see playing time early in their careers.
When the Gators open against Florida Gulf Coast at 7 p.m. under the lights at the Mac, their quest to return to Omaha begins.
For the juniors, it’s more than likely their final go-round before taking their talents to the professional level.
But in order to have a solid final year, the rookies will need to play like veterans.
Jordan McPherson is a sports writer. You can contact him at jmcpherson@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @J_McPherson1126.
UF freshman Brady Singer pitched during a Florida preseason scrimmage on Jan. 29, 2016, at McKethan Stadium.
