There’s a troubling trend developing right now with the Florida baseball team.
After its first two Southeastern Conference series, the middle of the order — hitters 3-4-5 — is not producing up to its capabilities. The combination of JJ Schwarz, Peter Alonso and Deacon Liput has struggled in the six games the Gators have played in the SEC.
The trio is a combined 14-for-71 with a .197 batting average after the Gators’ series against Missouri and Kentucky. To make matters worse for those three, they struck out a higher rate than they walked — 14 to 12 — while only driving in nine runs.
Granted, it's almost halfway through the regular season already, so of course there’s going to be more scouting done on all three. Pitchers are finding weak spots in their hitting zones.
But still, they are too talented to be constantly getting under the ball and striking out. Liput and Schwarz in particular have shown great plate discipline this year, but it seems like they’ve gotten away from it a little bit.
Maybe they're pressing a bit at the plate and it’s causing them to have long swings.
In any case, Coach Kevin O’Sullivan and his staff do a great job of watching film and seeing what’s wrong with every individual at-bat for each player.
The coach did it with Alonso earlier in the season, and it led to a tear during which Alonso hit above .400 at one point.
He’s still hitting .348 on the season, which is still really good, but Alonso may be regressing to the mean at some level.
But now, O’Sullivan needs to meet with those three to see if they can break out of their slumps. He did it with Nelson Maldonado and it’s paid dividends for the freshman. He leads the team with a .409 batting average in SEC play after struggling for the first third of the season.
In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if O’Sullivan already met with Schwarz, Alonso and Liput on the plane ride back from Lexington on Sunday. That's how desperately he needs them to produce.
And it can start today, as No. 2 Florida takes a game off from SEC play to face No. 12 Florida State tonight at 6 in Jacksonville. The Gators won the first meeting 6-0 in Gainesville, with the middle of the lineup going 4-for-12.
Schwarz had three of the hits during the game, but it was Alonso who had the biggest hit among the trio, cranking a two-run home run to left.
All three reached base, with Liput walking and reaching on an error in the sixth inning.
If Florida wants to reach the heights it set out to reach before the season started — winning the College World Series and a national title — the players at the heart of the lineup must break out of their funk.
And with O’Sullivan at the helm, it’s only a matter of time before they do so.
Luis Torres is the alligatorSports online editor. You can contact him at ltorres@alligator.org and you can follow him on Twitter @LFTorresIII.
JJ Schwarz jogs off the field during Florida's 5-4 win over UNF on March 9, 2016, at McKethan Stadium.
