After five consecutive losses, the sky was looking awfully close to the ground if you were a fan of the No. 25 Gators.
Three wins in four days can do wonders for your depth perception, as the sky is, in fact, not falling on UF.
"We kind of hit a rough skid there and we had to pick it up this week," third baseman Jon Townsend said. "We've still got a long way to go and a tough weekend ahead of us. We've got to keep our heads up."
UF's pitching staff was thrashed during the skid, allowing an average of 8.8 runs per game.
Those struggles appear to be a distant memory after Kyle Mullaney looked like the ace he always intended to be, throwing six innings in Tuesday's win over North Florida. Stephen Locke and Travis Lawler combined for 6 2/3 innings in Wednesday's victory, easing the strain on a weary bullpen.
With the pitching staff not being overextended - and not having to use players like Dustin Bamberg and Matt den Dekker as pitchers - in midweek games for the first time in a few weeks, coach Kevin O'Sullivan is relieved to have fresh arms entering this weekend's three-game series against Arkansas (17-14, 3-8 Southeastern Conference).
The Gators (23-10, 8-4 SEC) and Razorbacks begin the series Friday night at 6:30.
O'Sullivan has spent large portions of the season creating small goals for his pitchers in an attempt to relieve the pressure on players who may attempt to do too much.
"We're trying to use it as a positive," he said. "We're saying, 'All you have to do is give us six outs,' or 'All you have to do is give us three outs tonight.' We're trying to use it as a positive, because it is what it is."
The Gators have responded in their last three games, allowing just seven runs in that stretch, making it as much a moral victory as another notch in the win column.
"We've been grinding it out and getting wins," shortstop Cole Figueroa said. "That's what good teams do, they grind out wins even when they're not playing their best baseball. It's kind of what our pitching staff needed, getting some confidence back in the bullpen."
UF's schedule eases up a bit after this week.
The Gators will have to play five games in a week just one more time this season, when they face Florida Gulf Coast in a two-game series on April 29 and 30, followed by a weekend series at South Carolina.
For the moment, UF is staying focused on an Arkansas team it considers to be as dangerous as any other in the conference, despite its unimpressive record.
"They're the type of team that will sneak up on in the SEC," Townsend said. "You can't overlook anyone when you're playing in this league."
McARTHUR PRACTICES: First baseman Brandon McArthur began his comeback from a torn anterior cruciate ligament Thursday. The senior wore a brace on his right knee, which he injured last week against North Florida. McArthur fielded ground balls with Clayton Pisani, who is starting in his place.
