The first pitch Taylor Gushue saw in his collegiate career was a fastball high and just a tad away.
A freshman catcher who graduated early from high school in December to be a part of the Gators this spring, Gushue swung and immediately had a good feeling.
"When I hit it I was like, ‘I hit that kind of good,'" he said. "I put my head down and started running and I heard everyone scream. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just hit it out.'"
Gushue's second-inning home run was No. 1 Florida's first hit of the game and evened the score at one. It would turn into the foundation of a 7-3 victory over No. 25 Cal State Fullerton (0-1) on a night when the nation's top-ranked team benefitted from a heavy freshman presence.
Three first-year players started for the Gators (1-0) in Friday night's season opener. Gushue got the nod at designated hitter, while Casey Turgeon started at second base and Josh Tobias began the game at third base.
"All the players that were in the starting lineup [Friday night], they earned it in the fall or in the early spring, in Taylor's case," coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "They're all going to be good players. The most important thing is we have depth."
For six innings, Florida's lineup showed glimpses of all the things it can do offensively. There was the Gushue home run, coupled with senior right fielder Preston Tuckers' sixth-inning shot. There was an RBI double by Turgeon, who overcame some early nerves to turn in a solid performance. However, the Gators still found themselves heading into the seventh inning deadlocked with a Titans team that had pestered them with three runs on four hits.
"I did not sense any panic in the dugout," O'Sullivan said. "It was kind of neat to see because I didn't know how they would respond to a 3-3 ballgame through six. They knew those last nine outs weren't going to be easy."
After getting 5.2 innings from starter Hudson Randall, Florida turned to lefty Steven Rodriguez and some small-ball offense to finish off Fullerton.
Tobias started the bottom of the seventh showcasing his speed with an infield single. After back-to-back walks to Turgeon and shortstop Nolan Fontana, the Gators broke the tie when a Koby Gauna pitch hit Daniel Pigott on the left forearm to force in a run. The onslaught continued with a Tucker RBI sacrifice fly and back-to-back RBI singles by Mike Zunino and Brian Johnson.
"The nerves settled in and we got the barrel on the ball," Tucker said.
Rodriguez (1-0) claimed the win for the Gators, pitching 2.1 innings without allowing a run on one hit with three strikeouts. Fellow stopper Greg Larson worked the ninth inning in 14 pitches.
"If the game's close, we can put three or four guys in who we know won't give up a run," O'Sullivan said.
Right-hander Dylan Flora got the start for Cal State Fullerton and worked over Florida batters for six innings. Other than a few mistakes, he was largely kept the Gators off balance, but Tucker knew that an inexperienced bullpen was for the taking once Flora exited.
"Luckily we grinded out some at-bats, got him out of there and got to their bullpen," he said.
Freshman righty Jose Cardona (0-1), who lasted just one-third of an inning and was credited for three earned runs, took the loss for the Titans. An opening-night record crowd of 5,356 attended the game at McKethan Stadium.
Freshman Taylor Gushue rounds the bases after belting an opposite-field home run on the first pitch of his first college at-bat during Florida's 7-3 win against Cal State Fullerton on Friday.
