It's never easy replacing a legend.
Luckily for the Gators, first baseman Brandon McArthur doesn't expect to. The senior only hopes to serve as an adequate replacement for Matt LaPorta at first base, not the 20 home runs LaPorta slammed last season.
"LaPorta was obviously a big-time offensive player for us," McArthur said. "But it took guys getting on base for him. We're taking a whole different aspect, we have a lot of speed and we've learned how to hit in various ways. One guy's not going to replace him."
The Gators, with speed all over their lineup, figure to transition well into a "small-ball" type of offense. The biggest adjustment they face is McArthur's move from second and third base, where he's played his entire career, to first. His teammates expect the switch to be smooth.
"He's a real intelligent guy," sophomore second baseman Clayton Pisani said. "He picks things up quickly, and he's athletic enough to play anywhere. He used to play middle infield and did a great job there. It takes a different skill set to play at first, but he's looked great."
McArthur, who missed all but one game last season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, admits that the change was difficult initially, but he has adjusted to his new role.
"When I made the adjustment in the fall, there were a lot of new things to learn," McArthur said. "The coaching staff was a big help teaching me everything they knew. They gave me a lot of knowledge. And as time has passed, I've been able to adjust and get into the right frame of mind."
Sophomore Cole Figueroa, who hit 11 home runs and drove in 50 runs last year, returns as the starting shortstop. Senior Jon Townsend will be at third base, where he started 40 games last year. Sophomore Hampton Tignor is slated to open the season at catcher.
The biggest hurdle for the Gators may be establishing cohesion. Though most of them have played multiple games together, Townsend feels there is still room to grow, especially for a team with just five seniors. It's here that the late start to the season will help the Gators the most.
"We have a lot of young guys that are going to have to step up and play," Townsend said. "It's like that everywhere, but that definitely helped us out. The only way to get completely comfortable with each other is by playing other teams, but obviously practice time helps everyone get more cohesive as a group. It helps us all learn our roles."
Though scrimmages and practices may help build team chemistry, the Gators are itching to play an opponent who isn't wearing orange and blue.
"It's been a long off-season," Townsend said. "It's been a long wait. We're tired of beating up on each other. We've used the practice days to fine-tune our skills as much as we can, but I just want to get out and play. I can't remember the last time I was this excited to start a season."
