Dave Tollet called the Florida Gators the best college baseball team he had ever seen. No. 1 Florida had just completed a sweep of his Florida Gulf Coast team in Gainesville to earn its 13th-straight victory last March.
Now almost a year later, the roles have reversed. Florida dropped its first two against FGCU. The Eagles have outscored the No. 13 Gators 16 to 5.
The Gators weren’t the team hitting triples in the gaps or home runs onto the parking lot beyond the left field bleachers.
Florida’s core hitters of Casey Turgeon, Justin Shafer, Zack Powers, Vickash Ramjit and Taylor Gushue underperformed during the first two games.
They’re batting a collective .222 at the plate.
Right-hander Ricky Knapp dominated the Gators on Friday with a six-hit shutout. Left-hander Brandon Bixler, with his unorthodox pitching motion, kept Florida off-balance with his changeup and curveball.
Bixler earned the victory in five innings of work Saturday afternoon.
“Whenever you lose Mike Zunino in a lineup, I think your offense goes down a little,” Bixler said. “(Preston) Tucker, they had, too. That’s another big bat. When you lose either of them, it’s going to hurt you.”
Florida came out this weekend aggressive. Coach Kevin O’Sullivan made moves on the bases in the early going.
The Gators just couldn’t solve the Eagles left-handed duo of Bixler and R.J. Brown. Brown spelled Bixler for four innings of relief on Saturday.
Smart plate appearances were in short supply. Justin Shafer followed a Casey Turgeon single in the fourth with a first-pitch pop out to first base.
O’Sullivan wanted more from his middle of the order guys.
“Those guys have to hit for us and they will, but right now we are having trouble scoring runs,” O’Sullivan said. “We have to grind this out and have better at-bats.”
Tobias tumbles at first: Injured right-hander Karsten Whitson watched from the dugout in a blue Gators baseball shirt and gray shorts.
A black sling stabilized his right shoulder. He’s done for the season. For a minute, he didn’t look like the only player with a serious injury.
Designated hitter Josh Tobias tripped on first base while beating out a bunt attempt for a hit to lead off the seventh.
The subdued McKethan Stadium crowd became even quieter as Tobias rolled twice and clutched his left ankle.
O’Sullivan hustled from the dugout to check on Tobias. Athletic Trainer Pat Hassell helped the sophomore walk off the field.
Brady Roberson recorded his first career hit pinch-hitting for Tobias in the ninth.
O’Sullivan didn’t know how Tobias was after the game. Powers has platooned with Tobias at third this season.
“Josh is fine,” Powers said. “Just a slightly twisted ankle. He’ll be fine.”
Hanhold takes the hill: Preparation makes perfect for freshman right-hander Eric Hanhold. He’ll make his first collegiate start on Sunday in the series finale.
Hanhold won’t be on the mound without first-hand knowledge of the opposing hitters. He’s Tucker Simpson’s roommate. The two have shared what they’ve seen from Florida Gulf Coast this weekend.
Simpson allowed two earned runs in 4.2 innings on Saturday. This marks the earliest Florida has used two freshmen in the starting rotation since 2010 when Brian Johnson and Hudson Randall faced Mississippi State in Gainesville.
“He’s really talented,” Simpson said. “I’m sure he will come out tomorrow and give us a great start.”
Contact Adam Pincus at apincus@alligator.org.
Sophomore Justin Shafer bats during Florida’s 6-2 win against Georgia Tech in the NCAA Gainesville Regional on June 2, 2012, at McKethan Stadium. Shafer notched a three-RBI homer during the sixth inning in Florida's 4-3 NCAA Regional loss to Austin Peay on Friday in Bloomington, Ind.
