Mike Zunino got the Gators’ offense going last Saturday night.
Knotted in a 1-1 tie against Georgia Tech, Zunino got a fastball at belt level to lead off the top of the fourth. Zunino “hit the top of the ball and was able to backspin it out” for a go-ahead home run to deep center field.
The junior catcher’s long ball spurred 20 UF runs in the next 15 innings.
“It was a big emotional lift for us when you’re in the middle of the order like that,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Mike’s home run was a big emotional lift for our team.”
As the nation’s home-run leader with 71 this season, Florida boasts one of the nation’s most productive lineups. While NC State ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with just 22 homers surrendered this season, the Wolfpack believes their bats will help them keep up with the Gators.
“I know that they’re the No. 1 team, I know everything about them,” N.C. State coach Elliott Avent said. “We’re as good offensively as we’ve been all year.”
Florida did plenty to maintain its power-hitting reputation during the NCAA Gainesville Regional. Zunino hit two home runs during the weekend, including his team-leading 18th Sunday.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft lined a frozen rope to the left-field bleachers to give the Gators a 7-0 lead against the Yellow Jackets in the bottom of the second Sunday.
“I was looking for a good pitch to hit and tried to put a good swing on it,” Zunino said. “It was one of the better, well-hit ones this year.”
Preston Tucker added a home run in the top of the ninth last Saturday. With Nolan Fontana on first, Tucker hit a 1-1 pitch to deep right field. His 15th homer of the season crossed Stadium Road in the air and landed at Keys Residential Complex on the UF campus.
Casey Turgeon even took a turn as the slugger last weekend. Named the NCAA Gainesville Regional’s Most Outstanding Player, Turgeon’s fourth home run of the season was a three-run shot to put Florida ahead 4-0 Friday.
“For anybody on their team to go opposite field like that, that’s impressive,” Bethune-Cookman coach Jason Beverlin said Friday. “For [Turgeon] to do it, it’s very impressive. It really is. That’s as good as he’s going to hit a ball. There’s no doubt.”
While the Gators’ strength comes from their power bats, they showed they could manufacture runs without hitting baseballs over the fence last weekend. Florida scored 16 of its 25 runs on non-homers.
However, the Gators’ most encouraging offensive development last weekend was clutch hitting. Florida registered 16 two-out RBI during the weekend, including 11 Sunday.
“With two outs, with this kind of lineup we have, you know anything can happen,” Tucker said. “Just try to get somebody on. See what happens.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
Mike Zunino (3) celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run against Georgia Tech in the NCAA Gainesville Regional on June 2. Zunino had two of Florida’s four homers during the weekend.
