HOOVER, Ala. - Getting sent home is a lot easier to take when you know you'll be staying there for an NCAA regional.
Despite its 1-2 performance at the Southeastern Conference Tournament, No. 9 UF (39-20) should feel pretty confident that it will host a regional next weekend. Thanks to a solid regular season and a No. 6 RPI ranking entering the tournament, the Gators have likely earned the right to host one of the NCAA Tournament's 16 regionals.
They have the potential to make it to the College World Series, but if they don't make some improvements, they'll be staying home permanently rather than advancing to a super regional.
"We can't come out as flat as we did today, because these games are so valuable," third baseman Brandon McArthur said. "Our goal is to get to Omaha, and we can't sit back and let it slip by. We can't give the other teams outs as the games go on. Two more losses and our season is over."
To avoid those two losses, here are a few areas UF needs to straighten out:
Pitching Depth: Stephen Locke has become the team's ace, and while he's experienced and cool under fire, he isn't the kind of dominant pitcher the Gators would like to have leading the way. He relies a lot on curves and changeups, and behind him, there are a lot of freshmen. Anthony DeSclafani and Nick Maronde are the current No. 2 and 3 starters, but neither of them go very deep into games. That has to change for UF to avoid wearing out the bullpen, and Patrick Keating needs to keep the momentum he created in two solid relief outings in Hoover.
Spread the Power Around: The Gators need to have powerful hits throughout the lineup, and as it stands, there's potential for that now. The real problem is that the best hitters on the team are seldom clicking at the same time. The postseasons of any sport are dictated by who gets hot at the right time. Avery Barnes, Jonathan Pigott and Preston Tucker are all on fire, and UF needs Josh Adams, Brandon McArthur, Matt den Dekker and Buddy Munroe to step up and be more consistent in the coming weeks. If that happens, the Gators will have a formidable offense. If not, they'll sputter.
Limit the Errors: As UF found out during the SEC Tournament, making errors is a quick way to kill momentum. The Gators lead the SEC in errors, and the six they committed in two games against Arkansas played a huge role in their demise. A lot of this falls on shortstop Mike Mooney, who needs to be more consistent. Mooney made a few great plays in the tournament, but the routine plays and throws need to be automatic this time of year.
Take Advantage of the Breaks: Sometimes the ball bounces your way, sometimes it doesn't. In Hoover, the ball mostly bounced UF's way, and the Gators didn't capitalize. Arkansas was without its best hitter, an umpire was hit with what would have been an RBI single for the Razorbacks on Wednesday to save a run, and the Razorbacks shuffled their lineup to a freshman-heavy set for Friday's game. A perfect example of how things went was when McArthur hit a deep fly to right on Friday, the right fielder flat-out missed it, and McArthur was thrown out at third after he tried to stretch the double, against third-base coach Craig Bell's call. When things go their way in the tournament, the Gators need to make the best of it.
