Pitted against one of the best hitting teams in the country, Frank Rubio’s name was called upon.
When the sun rose over the O’Connell Center on Monday morning, the infield grass at McKethan Stadium was just starting to look presentable. It was 7:52 a.m., and when it finally peeked over the dome, UF student Kaleb Lewis had to pause. He couldn’t risk messing up his masterpiece by succumbing to the glare.
Quick, UF baseball fans, call your mothers. Wake the children. Light the freakin’ beacons.
As the ball flew over the infield and dumped into center field, JJ Schwarz held just the handle of his bat. He looked perplexed.
Austin Langworthy awaited the full count pitch from Vanderbilt’s Kyle Wright.
Tim Tebow’s first taste of minor league ball can be considered successful or unsuccessful depending how you look at it.
Despite a rough start to the season for the UF baseball team, which holds a 22-11 record with 21 games left, former Gators are trying to make a name for themselves in the pros.
After four straight games of misery against the Gators, FSU shortstop Taylor Walls tried to avoid another loss. He did so by leading off the game with a home run to right field.
There’s a disturbing trend happening to the Gators: too many one-run games.
Needing clutch outs to preserve a sweep-avoiding win, coach Kevin O’Sullivan turned to the loser.
Dalton Guthrie bobbled the relay throw.
Kevin O’Sullivan has never lost to Stetson in his 10-year tenure as Florida’s head coach.
Jackson Kowar watched and hoped. He needed the bunt to roll foul. He waited for it to roll foul. But it teetered right up against the third-base line and ended up fair.
Brady Singer struck his way out of trouble in the first inning of Saturday’s game, and from there, the junior never let up.
It was almost as if Mike Rivera knew what was coming his way.
Even after Florida’s 4-1 win over Florida State on Tuesday — its ninth win in the past 10 games against the rival — Kevin O’Sullivan couldn’t help but reference UF’s most recent loss.
JACKSONVILLE — It should’ve been a sign.
Not much has come easy away from McKethan Stadium for the Gators.
Nelson Maldonado turned, took two steps and stopped. He’d seen this before, and he knew there was nothing he could do.
It started with a hard ground ball to LSU shortstop Kramer Robertson, who tried to throw out UF’s JJ Schwarz at first. It started when the throw beat him but pulled first baseman Jake Slaughter into Schwarz’s running lane, leading to a collision. It started when Slaughter dropped the ball, allowing Schwarz to tap first base safely.
Solutions by The State News
