Daniel Pigott is looking forward to tracking down line drives to left field this season without the threat of clanking into a chain-link fence.
With a new padded outfield wall being one of the offseason renovations to McKethan Stadium, Florida’s three senior outfielders will have an added comfort they have seen in other Southeastern Conference parks for years. But after watching Pigott for three seasons, Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan doesn’t believe it makes that much of a difference to his left fielder.
“I don’t think it’s changed his approach,” O’Sullivan said. “If it was a brick wall, I think he’d probably give it his best effort.”
These comments aren’t uncommon for Florida’s coach when he talks about Pigott. In 2011, the left fielder from Ormond Beach raised his batting average to .331 from a .268 clip the previous season and stole a team-high 15 bases on 19 attempts. After watching Pigott go undrafted in June, O’Sullivan said he knows how important the senior will be to this season’s national championship aspirations.
“He’s going to have a big year, and he needs to for us to be as good as we want to be,” O’Sullivan said.
Offensively, Pigott could be poised to have his best season yet. When discussing this year’s batting lineup, Pigott talks about a group of players hardened by experiencing multiple trips to the College World Series. He knows that his own approach has improved by being thrown into an array of big moments, and he sees it in his teammates as well.
Pigott went on a tear to end the 2011 season. He batted .389 with 16 runs and 10 RBI in Florida’s 16 postseason matchups, including a 2-for-4 mark in the victory against Vanderbilt that sent the Gators to the College World Series finals.
“He epitomizes everything we look for in a player;” O’Sullivan said. “He just kind of does his thing.”
As a senior, Pigott doesn’t jump into leadership bravado as much as others. But he said he has helped freshmen like outfielder Cory Reid adjust to the pressures of playing for No. 1 Florida.
Pigott has admitted he was disappointed when he was not drafted in 2011, and now the opportunity of a final season in Gainesville has snuck up on him.
“Everybody tells you it goes by real quick, but then all of a sudden it catches up,” he said. “So yeah, it’s kinda crazy.”
After seeing the SEC for three years, Pigott’s preparation for a new opponent in 2012 reverts back to the padded wall. While it gives McKethan Stadium an added look of professionalism, it also gives UF outfielders something to adjust to.
“It’s got a little more bounce to it, but we’ve been working on that,” Pigott said. “By the time the season comes around, we’ll know it like the back of our hand.”
