The rise of Kyle Mullaney is in full effect.
The sophomore, who spent most of last season in the bullpen before ending the season as the Gators' Friday night starter, begins the season as the ace of UF's staff.
Mullaney was 4-2 with a 4.25 ERA in five starts last season.
The right-hander, knowing there would be more pressure on him this season, spent the off-season developing a change-up he feels makes him a much more dangerous pitcher. Mullaney is hoping the change-up will be a strong change of pace from his fastball and curveball.
"If you want to start, you have to have three pitches that you can throw for strikes," Mullaney said. "Now that I do that, I think I'll be a lot more affective."
Coach Kevin O'Sullivan, who has a strong pedigree as a pitching coach, helped Mullaney develop his change-up throughout the off-season and said Mullaney "would not be starting Friday if he didn't have three pitches."
Junior Patrick Keating, who appeared in 21 games last season, will be the Gators' Saturday night starter. Freshman phenom Tommy Toledo will start on Sundays.
Toledo was chosen in the third round of the MLB draft last year by the San Diego Padres. Toledo spent the summer mulling his options but ultimately decided he needed a bit more seasoning before he joined the professional ranks.
O'Sullivan's history with pitchers didn't hurt either.
"He told me he was going to help me with a lot of different stuff this year," Toledo said. "He said he'd help me develop a couple more pitches, and I felt that I needed to get a little bit bigger."
O'Sullivan sees a lot of potential in Toledo but warns that the team can't be dependent on any one pitcher.
"You can't rely on one or two guys," O'Sullivan said. "I've played this schedule multiple times; I'm used to it. It's not a one- or two-guy deal. It's an eight- or nine-guy deal. We're going to need eight or 10 really good pitchers."
A big adjustment for the Gators' pitching staff, which posted a woeful 5.27 ERA last season, will be catcher Hampton Tignor being charged with the responsibility of making pitching calls. The pitchers will be allowed to pass on his call, but it is still a change for them.
"It's been a learning process," closer Josh Edmondson said. "We've all got to be learning the hitters' different tendencies. It's going to be a challenge, but it'll be a plus in the long run."
The Gators' pitching style will also change this season. O'Sullivan wants a faster-paced, more aggressive style that will hopefully leave UF ahead in the count as often as possible.
Improved play from the pitching staff will be the key ingredient to improving on last season's 29-30 record.
"If there's one question on this team, it's pitching," O'Sullivan said. "I've been pretty outspoken about it. We're pretty good, but we're not there yet."
