When he signed with the Gators in November 2008, the scouting report on Austin Maddox warned fans of opposing Southeastern Conference teams.
Prepare for power. Lots of it.
And the 230-pound freshman has not disappointed. From his towering batting practice blasts in the preseason to his team-leading 17th home run in Tuesday’s 9-3 win against North Florida (29-23), Maddox has asserted himself as the No. 4 Gators most feared power hitter.
“From day one I wanted to come in here and help my team as much as possible,” Maddox said. “I feel like I’ve done that pretty well.”
Maddox pulled a 1-1 pitch deep to left field for a two-run shot in the fifth-inning Tuesday. The blast extended UF’s already comfortable lead to 7-1 and broke the school record for home runs by a freshman.
“I didn’t expect to come in here and do that,” said Maddox, who went 4 for 4 before being pulled in the sixth amidst a blowout. “… It feels good to break the record.”
Maddox struggled last weekend against Georgia. He said his elbow irritated him after being hit by a pitch on Friday, and he batted just 1 for 10 in the Gators’ (38-12, 20-7 Southeastern Conference) sweep.
“It feels good building some confidence coming into this weekend,” he said, referring to the matchup between UF and South Carolina.
The Gators and Gamecocks will square off in Columbia, S.C., with the SEC East title on the line. In preparation for the weekend, coach Kevin O’Sullivan elected to use six pitchers, none of whom threw more than 32 pitches.
The most notable performance on the mound came from sophomore Tommy Toledo, who made his first start since suffering facial fractures March 14 against Charleston Southern. Toledo made his first appearance since the injury as a reliever last week against FAU.
O’Sullivan limited Toledo to 30 pitches, but Toledo said he enjoyed getting to start again.
“It was pretty fun,” Toledo said. “I was out there with the guys in (batting practice) the whole time. I knew I was only going to throw a couple of innings, but it was just like normal. I felt fine.”
Toledo allowed three hits in two scoreless innings. Then O’Sullivan turned to some unfamiliar faces in the bullpen.
Chas Spottswood, Michael Heller and Matt Campbell combined to allow three earned runs in five innings. Nick Maronde also struck out two in a scoreless frame.
“Going into the game, we wanted to try to get through it and use some other pitchers who haven’t pitched in a while,” O’Sullivan said. “It was great to get Maronde back out there. I thought he was outstanding tonight.”
UF will take on South Carolina Thursday at 7 p.m.
