When UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan and his players were asked which freshman impressed them the most during the preseason, one name surfaced time and again - Preston Tucker.
The freshman slugger got off to a slow start in his first year as a Gator but showed again on Tuesday why his big bat merited so much preseason hype.
The left-handed first baseman went 4 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs and drew a walk in his other plate appearance, lifting UF (20-11) to a 12-7 victory against visiting Bethune-Cookman (15-16).
"He's always hit. He's probably hit since he was four years old. He's a natural hitter," O'Sullivan said. "What he's doing right now, we're not totally surprised, to be honest with you. That's why we recruited him. He's a guy we've been bragging about since Day 1."
Tucker's 2-run opposite field bomb in the first inning put the Gators ahead 3-1 early, and after the Wildcats battled back to tie the game at 6 in the top of sixth inning, he again gave UF the lead with a two-out single that drove in Daniel Pigott.
Tucker's combined stat line from Tuesday night's game with Bethune-Cookman and Sunday's finale with Vanderbilt reads: 7-for-8 hitting, 4 runs, three home runs and nine RBIs. In the last two games, four of his at-bats have given the Gators a lead.
"I was being overaggressive. I guess you could say I was swinging at bad pitches," Tucker said of his change in approach. "I was going up there guessing, looking for anything to hit, and now I'm waiting on one pitch, and once I get it, I'm hitting it."
O'Sullivan frequently used Tucker as the designated hitter at the beginning of the season, but the freshman has become the everyday first baseman and has been hitting in the No. 5 spot in the lineup. His .347 average ranks second on the team behind only junior Matt den Dekker, and his four home runs are tied for the team lead with den Dekker and senior Avery Barnes. His 28 RBIs are the most on the team.
As a team, UF is averaging 8 runs a game over their last eight contests, and the top of the order has been especially consistent.
O'Sullivan found his leadoff hitter when he moved den Dekker to the top of the lineup, and it now seems that he has found his No. 2 hitter as well. Pigott has hit behind den Dekker in each of the last three games and logged his first career home run in the first inning against the Wildcats on Tuesday.
While the offense is flourishing, the defense and pitching continues to be a weak spot for UF, who will face off with UCF tonight at 6:30 in McKethan Stadium.
Mike Mooney, who committed two errors against B-CU, and Josh Adams have been the two shortstops for to this point in the season, and though the pair has combined for 20 errors on the season, O'Sullivan says he's sticking with the duo at shortstop.
"It's probably going to be one of those guys unless we can call somebody up from Triple A," he said.
Senior starter Patrick Keating continued his struggles on the mound, letting up 6 runs on seven hits in his 5 1/3 innings of work.
The right hander has been moved out of the weekend rotation and is being used primarily in relief and as a mid-week starter.
"It's not his stuff, it's just his location," O'Sullivan said. "Better location, better results. It's as simple as that."
