After Dalton Guthrie recorded the final out for Florida in its sweep over Dartmouth, his teammates couldn’t help but praise how the Big Green played during the three-game series.
For three straight games, Dartmouth gave Florida all it could handle. If it wasn’t for a Buddy Reed walk-off home run in extra innings on Saturday, or Thomas Roulis’ error on Sunday, a winless Dartmouth team might’ve found itself beating the No. 1 team in the country.
But Florida overcame the adversity it faced this weekend and ended up sweeping Dartmouth.
"I think it was good honestly, for us," UF catcher Mike Rivera said. "Especially these young guys, too. It gets us ready for SECs as well."
The Gators have a huge target on their backs, one that comes with the territory of being the top-ranked team in the country. Dartmouth played Florida like it was competing in the College World Series, giving UF its best shot, and it almost succeeded in pulling off a couple of upsets.
"It was a really good weekend for us. We had to battle from behind," coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "It was a good challenge for us."
Now, with Dartmouth in the rear-view mirror, Florida (12-1) begins a midweek series against UNF tonight in Jacksonville at 6. The Gators will send Dane Dunning to the mound with the intention of having him pitch deep into the game.
Dunning pitched just 3.1 innings, throwing 71 pitches in his last start on March 1 against UCF, an eventual 9-5 win for Florida.
"I’m looking forward to him getting back out there and maybe extend him a little bit, get him in the second half of the ball game," O’Sullivan said.
Dunning and Florida will have to be ready for the Ospreys (6-6) — UNF doesn’t often play teams of Florida's caliber in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
While the Ospreys have a .500 record, they have four hitters with a .300 batting average, with senior catcher Keith Skinner leading the team with a .439 hitting clip.
UNF will be ready for Florida, with O’Sullivan expecting a capacity crowd at Harmon Stadium.
But if there is one thing the Gators learned from their series against Dartmouth, it's that they have to be ready for everyone’s best shot.
"I see this as something we can build off of," Reed said. "Can’t take any team for granted. … We’re going to come back on Tuesday and for the rest of the year with a chip on our shoulder knowing that everyone is going to give us their best effort.
"We’re the No. 1 team in the country right now. And we’re going to have to reciprocate and do the same thing."
Contact Luis Torres at ltorres@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @LFTorresIII.
UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan meets with the opposing team's manager before Florida's 8-4 win over FGCU on Feb. 20, 2016, at McKethan Stadium.
