His first attempt was clocked at 3.9 seconds, his second was around the same, and his third was a bit slower.
After showcasing his quickness from home plate to first base in the Southeastern Conference Championship, Buddy Reed claimed he could do it even faster, even though any time less than four seconds is already classified as exceptional.
"Yeah, I think I got clocked at a 3.8 in the fall," Reed said. "Maybe a 3.7.
"But in the beginning of the year… I didn’t run as hard as I possibly could."
The same can be said of the Gators.
As No. 4 seed Florida prepares for its NCAA Regional matchup against Florida A&M on Friday at 7 p.m., the Gators are just now reaching their peak, evidenced by the team's performances over their last four games.
Florida's pitchers combined for a 1.59 ERA while its offense averaged 7.5 runs per game, and UF's defense committed just two errors.
The Gators hadn’t recorded numbers like those since the team's four-game winning streak in early April, when Florida defeated Stetson and swept South Carolina, both of whom failed to qualify for a Regional.
Even junior Harrison Bader, who had been struggling on the road all season, saw his fortunes turn around in the SEC tournament. Bader hit a leadoff home run in the first inning against Vanderbilt last Sunday.
"I don’t know when it really started," coach Kevin O’Sullivan said of the team’s improved play. "…I think that we were just sputtering along most of the year and, not quite sure what it was, maybe just the lack of consistency. Some guys would pitch good one weekend and then not good the next weekend. We’d swing the bat so good one weekend and then we might go cold the next weekend. I’m not quite sure.
"But the last 15 games or so, we’ve been sharp on all parts of our game."
Florida (44-16) will carry its momentum into Friday's matchup with FAMU (23-23), a team UF lost to last year during the regular season, and a team that cracks the top-50 in just one of NCAA baseball’s statistical categories: hit batters (35).
Freshman JJ Schwarz has almost twice as many RBIs (60) as FAMU RBI-leader Ryan Kennedy (34). The Gators also lead the Rattlers in runs (397 to 211), home runs (52 to 20) and ERA (3.30 to 4.38).
But after four straight losses in its last two Regional appearances, Florida isn’t taking anyone lightly.
"We’re not gonna come out flat this time around," Reed said. "We’re definitely gonna play with a chip on our shoulder and show the NCAA committee and everyone else that we’re the team to beat."
Follow Ian Cohen on Twitter @icohenb
Buddy Reed swings at a pitch during Florida's 9-4 win against Tennessee on March 15 at McKethan Stadium.
