Deacon Liput’s freshman year can be described as the fun part of a roller coaster.
First, there was the high.
Florida’s stocky second baseman’s blazing start last year included a team-best 21-game on-base streak during which he tore the cover off the ball to the tune of a .392 batting average.
From there, though, it was mostly downhill.
Liput struggled mightily down the stretch as SEC pitchers began to exploit his weaknesses at the plate. He chased balls out of the strike zone both at his eye level and at his ankles, hitting just .216 over his last 47 games and finishing the season hitting .270.
“I was striking out on the same curveballs in the dirt and just stuff like that,” he said. “I wasn’t really making any adjustments.”
Now, as the Gators open the season tonight against William & Mary, Liput is bringing a new look to his stance and approach to avoid a similar slump like the one he encountered his first year.
The difference: A leg kick.
Liput, who has owned a wide stance nearly his whole life, narrowed his stance by shifting his feet closer together, and he implemented a stride to do two things: produce more power and help his timing.
During his time in the Cape Cod League last summer, the results began to show in time.
Through his first 11 games, he hit .178 with just two extra base hits.
But his final 15 games saw the 5-foot-10 second baseman notch six extra base hits — two of which were home runs — to go along with a .400 average.
It was exactly the type of success Liput was looking for heading into his sophomore season.
“The more reps I got, the better I got at it,” Liput said. “It was a little difficult, but I got the hang of it after a little bit.”
For coach Kevin O’Sullivan, the hope is that Liput’s modifications will bring some much-needed power to a UF lineup that lost Peter Alonso, who hit more than a fourth of the team’s home runs last season, to the draft.
While Liput managed just three homers last year, O’Sullivan said his second baseman led the team in the category during fall and early spring scrimmages.
“I think he’s got more leverage,” O’Sullivan said. “I think he’s going to hit for more power, more home runs.”
But despite O’Sullivan’s high expectations for Liput, he isn’t feeling the pressure. His role, in his words, is simple: “Stay within myself.”
Contact Patrick Pinak at ppinak@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @pinakk12.
Deacon Liput bats during Florida's 10-4 loss to Mississippi State on April 9, 2016, at McKethan Stadium.
