What a difference a year makes. No. 23 Florida yearned for consistent innings in 2013. Ace Jonathon Crawford had a down year by his standards. Karsten Whitson never saw the field, and Bobby Poyner occasionally saw the mound as a midweek guy or middle reliever.
Now, Poyner can say he's an opening-night starter. The junior left-hander notched a career-high five strikeouts in 5.1 scoreless innings for Florida to earn a 4-0 home victory against Maryland (0-1) Friday night. He had first-pitch strikes to every one but four of his 21 hitters and escaped jams in the second and fourth innings.
Poyner (1-0) held No. 7 Florida State to one run in a start last season in Tallahassee. He's pitched in the College World Series and has been a constant in Florida's bullpen the previous two seasons. Poyner starred for the Orleans Firebirds in the esteemed Cape Cod League this summer where he registered a 1.71 ERA in seven starts and developed a sharper slider.
"He was very valuable for us. I think when he went off to the Cape last summer and had all of that success, it took his confidence to another level," Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "He's been a great leader. He's taken some of these young guys underneath his wing. There's a lot of factors that go into deciding who is going to start opening night. He's pitched well and he's done a lot of things right."
That veteran moxie was on display when Poyner found himself in the windup with runners at second and third after giving up a single and a double to lead off the second. Poyner struck out the two-straight hitters, intentionally walked one and then punched out No. 9 batter Andrew Amaro to end the inning. He fist pumped as he ran off the field and as the McKethan Stadium opening-night crowd of 4,026 fans erupted.
Facing a runner on third with one out in the fourth, he kept Maryland off the board by striking out Michael Montville and inducing a ground ball from Anthony Papio to second baseman Casey Turgeon.
"It was awesome. Coming from an older guy, there were no nerves from him," freshman left fielder Ryan Larson said. "He was pounding the zone. He went right at them."
Junior right-hander Ryan Harris and sophomore left-hander Danny Young combined for 3.2 hitless innings and continued the efficient pitching effort. Excluding an intentional walk, Florida pitchers allowed two free passes and three hits.
The pitching overshadowed an up-and-down effort from the offense that experienced first-night jitters and a low-90s fastball from Maryland right-handed starter Jake Stinnett that befuddled Florida all night.
While three starters didn't reach base, the freshman trio of Larson, designated hitter Pete Alonso and centerfielder Buddy Reed fueled a three-run third inning for the Gators. Alonso led off the inning with a single up-the-middle off an 0-2 fastball from Stinnett. Reed reached on a walk. Leadoff batter Richie Martin followed with a single to load the bases with one out and give Larson quite the opportunity to knock in his first run.
The left fielder, starting for the suspended Harrison Bader, brought in two runs with a dribbler to Maryland third baseman Jose Cuas who gloved the ball to catcher Kevin Martir only to have Martir drop the toss and send the ball trickling behind him.
The wacky sequence culminated in Reed living by his motto of "Never stop running." He rounded second and third to slide home seconds after Alonso.
His athleticism comes from his mom who ran collegiate track at Buffalo in upstate New York. He lettered in hockey, soccer and baseball for St. George's School in Rhode Island. O'Sullivan has raved about the former Texas Rangers 35-round pick.
Reed possesses all the tools major-league scouts drool about. He has the arm and the switch-hitting bat, but it was his legs that got it done for Florida. Larson, concentrating on beating a throw to first, never saw what happened on his first-career RBI.
"I got to first and Buddy comes around. I was like, 'Whoa. He's fast. Fast," Larson said.
Maryland and Florida traded zeros on the scoreboard before Gushue drove in Martin in the eighth for his second RBI on the night.
Young, who tossed two innings for his first-career save, struck out Blake Schmit to complete the first season-opening shutout for UF since 2006. The shutout wouldn't have been possible had Poyner not prove his mettle in the early going.
O'Sullivan surprised the junior on Tuesday by naming him the opening-night starter. The junior didn't disappoint in the first game christening the program’s 100th year of competition.
"I was not expecting the ball on Friday night, but I took it in stride, and tried to make the best of it," Poyner said.
Boy, did he ever.
Follow Adam Pincus on Twitter at @adamDpincus
Bobby Poyner pitched 5.1 innings in No. 23 Florida's 4-0 opening night victory over Maryland.
