Jackson Kowar came into the top of the seventh inning with a 4-0 lead in Tuesday’s game against Jacksonville.
The Gators were cruising, and coach Kevin O’Sullivan wanted to get his freshman some much-needed work out of the bullpen.
But Kowar ran into trouble.
He allowed one run in just two-thirds of an inning, leaving the bases loaded before O’Sullivan made his second trip of the inning to talk with Kowar on the mound.
He signaled for another righty.
Dane Dunning made the trip from Florida’s bullpen and onto the mound to face Parker Perez.
The pressure was on.
One bad pitch and Jacksonville could’ve taken the lead.
But Dunning didn’t fold under the pressure. He threw one pitch and forced Perez to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the Dolphins’ threat.
"He’s feeling very confident where he’s at right now," O’Sullivan said after the game on Tuesday. "And you can tell. Bases loaded first pitch, he throws a ground ball. He’s not trying to miss bats. He’s going right at hitters. He’s in a good place right now."
Dunning has quickly become a weapon for the Gators. His versatility is unmatched by anyone else on the pitching staff.
After starting four games before Southeastern Conference play began, the Fleming Island native knew his starts would be at a premium with three potential first-round picks in Florida’s rotation.
So with limited options and opportunities, he made the ultimate team sacrifice for a pitcher. Dunning met with O’Sullivan and made his intentions to move to the bullpen known.
O’Sullivan agreed, and it’s paid off.
Dunning has made four appearances out of the bullpen in SEC play and has excelled in his new role. He’s tossed nine innings, struck out nine batters, allowed two runs and scattered five hits. Dunning threw three innings against Texas A&M on Saturday, picking up his second save of the season and his first in conference play.
"He’s been phenomenal," junior right-hander Logan Shore said. "He’s come out of the pen and done a great job through the last few weeks."
O’Sullivan is a situational-management mastermind. Throwing out Dunning to start during the midweek series was all a part of his plan. Florida is going to go deep into the postseason, and giving Dunning starting experience this year bodes well for the Gators.
"I think Sully was just trying to get him a few starts in there if he does need to start down the road when we get to Super Regionals or the World Series, or something happens with one of our starters," Shore said.
With No. 1 Florida (28-3, 7-2 SEC) welcoming No. 5 Mississippi State (21-8-1, 6-3 SEC) this afternoon at 5:30 to start a three-game series, O’Sullivan has three chances to throw out the MVP of the Gators’ pitching staff.
And it’s not Shore, Alex Faedo, A.J. Puk or Shaun Anderson.
It’s Dane Dunning.
Luis Torres is the alligatorSports online editor. Contact him at ltorres@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @LFTorresIII
Dane Dunning pitches during Florida's 7-2 win over Jacksonville on April 5, 2016, at McKethan Stadium.
