The flashes have been there. UF has proven capable of catching fire offensively this season.
Florida scored 16 runs against Duke in its third game of the season and six runs in each of its two victories in a series win against Miami during the first weekend in March.
The Gators must rediscover that spark if they want to get another win against an in-state rival.
When Florida (8-9) hosts fifth-ranked Florida State (15-0) tonight at 7 at McKethan Stadium, it will look to find its collective stroke at the plate after losing a weekend series at home against Indiana.
"We need to swing the bat better," sophomore Justin Shafer said. "We didn’t have a good weekend hitting. All of us. It happens, but we just got to get better."
In Sunday’s loss, Florida’s position players were unable to work counts.
UF had 37 plate appearances, with a batter getting to a three-ball count just five times.
And when they did get favorable counts, the Gators failed to take advantage of them.
"We got into some offensive counts," O’Sullivan said of his team’s at-bats on Sunday.
"Two of the three double plays we hit into, we had offensive counts. If you get to a 2-0, 3-1 count, you got to do some damage. You can’t miss those pitches."
In Friday’s and Sunday’s losses to Indiana, UF put together consecutive hits only twice.
In the third inning of Friday’s 4-1 defeat, senior utility fielder Cody Dent and sophomore second baseman Casey Turgeon led off with back-to-back singles, but Florida ended the frame with no runs and the bases loaded.
The Gators had five straight batters reach base in the eighth inning of their 7-4 loss on Sunday via four singles and a walk, which led to four runs.
But the four-run comeback was not enough to climb out of a 7-0 hole against the Hoosiers.
First baseman Vickash Ramjit does not believe anything needs to change with Florida’s plate approach.
The Gators’ batters just have to execute.
"Just not miss pitches when we get them," Ramjit said.
"Missed a lot of pitches when we had the chance, and it went against us."
Weaver starting:
O’Sullivan said on Sunday that he expects the Seminoles to start sophomore right-hander Luke Weaver tonight.
In three appearances against the Gators in 2012, Weaver struggled.
He surrendered five runs in 5.1 innings, but struck out five of the 10 batters he faced in a 6-3 UF win in Tallahassee on April 10.
Weaver has an ERA of 0.64, allowing only one run in 14 innings this year. In his two midweek starts this season, Weaver has gone six innings in both outings while striking out 17 batters without issuing a walk.
"He’s got a good arm," O’Sullivan said. "It’s a rivalry game. We have to compete."
Contact Josh Jurnovoy at jjurnovoy@alligator.org.
Senior Vickash Ramjit swings during Florida’s 7-4 loss to Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 24 at McKethan Stadium. Ramjit is batting .302 with two home runs and 12 RBI this season.
