Inconsistency has prevented the Gators from putting out a consistent lineup.
UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan still can’t pencil an everyday starter at either of the corner-outfield spots 28 games into the season because of streaky play.
Kamm Washington, Tyler Thompson, Daniel Pigott and Jonathan Pigott have all had opportunities to win the two open outfield jobs but haven’t been able to do so.
As No. 8 Florida (21-7, 6-3 Southeastern Conference) begins an eight-game road trip tonight against Tennessee (15-15, 2-7 SEC), O’Sullivan would like to come home with the problem resolved.
“A couple of those guys are going to have to separate themselves in the outfield,” he said. “It would be nice to just write in a lineup that you stay with. I’m waiting for one, two or three of those guys just to separate.”
None of the candidates for the position have started more than 18 of the team’s 28 games due to inconsistent hitting. The four players vying for a starting spot have combined for 60 strikeouts, which means just less than one-third of the team’s punchouts are coming from the two corner-outfield positions.
In the beginning of the season, O’Sullivan would choose who would start by pitching matchups. If a lefty were starting, righties Daniel and Jonathan would be in the lineup. But if a righty were on the mound, lefties Washington and Thompson would be penciled in.
“Going lefty on lefty is kind of a tough thing to do. It comes down to mental makeup,” Washington said. ”You can’t chase pitches out of the zone. I feel like it’s on my part to take more initiative with that.”
That method has changed.
After Thompson struck out four times last Friday against Vanderbilt, Daniel got the start Saturday and Sunday in left field for the struggling lefty. He went a combined 1 for 6 in those games, but he did smack a home run Saturday while also racking up three RBIs against mostly right-handed pitching.
However, the up-and-down trend continued. In the Gators’ next game against Jacksonville on Tuesday, Daniel went hitless in his one at-bat as a pinch hitter.
“They are showing glimpses, we are just trying to look for some consistency,” O’Sullivan said.
But O’Sullivan has a plan to combat his team’s problems in the outfield, and it could make its debut tonight against the Volunteers.
If third baseman Bryson Smith returns to the lineup tonight, as expected, for the first time since suffering a dislocated finger on March 20, O’Sullivan plans to shake things up.
Sophomore Preston Tucker, who usually plays first base, will move to right field to make way for freshman Austin Maddox, who has played third in Smith’s absence, at first.
“We’ve talked about that since day one, but it looks like that may happen as soon as Bryson is healthy,” O’Sullivan said.
These moves would allow Florida to keep Brian Johnson as the designated hitter. But more importantly, it provides a temporary fix at one of the corner-outfield spots as Tucker would be moving to right field.
“Whether we stay with it is totally up to the players,” O’Sullivan said. “But that is certainly a change that we are looking at.”
