Florida baseball was a sure thing last season.
As was Austin Maddox closing with games on the line.
He started the year with eight scoreless outings. Maddox finished with a 2.44 ERA and 12 saves.
Now he has moved on to professional baseball, and Florida needs to find a closer.
Candidates include sophomores Justin Shafer and Johnny Magliozzi, as well as juniors Daniel Gibson and Keenan Kish.
“I love being in those situations having to close out games,” Shafer said. “I love pressure situations. If they ask me to do it, I’ll do the best I can.”
Coach Kevin O’Sullivan had a number of relievers at his disposal late in games in 2012. The formula never changed.
Starters Hudson Randall, Brian Johnson and Jonathan Crawford gave way to a dominant bullpen. Greg Larson and Steven Rodriguez then set the table for Maddox.
Roles were defined last season. With a young group of pitchers, the third starter spot open and a void at closer, roles have yet to be determined.
What is certain are veterans like Gibson and Kish will be leaned on heavily. O’Sullivan said he wants a competitor on the mound closing out games.
With two weeks until the season opener against Duke on Feb. 15, a variety of pitchers are competing to be the guy to take the mound in the ninth frame.
“There’s guys here that are ready to step up into those roles and ready to take advantage of the opportunities,” Gibson said.
Shafer splits time on field: Don’t expect to see Shafer unleash his arm in a scrimmage anytime soon.
With an increased pitching role, the versatile sophomore is more careful.
“I just take it easy throwing-wise since I’ll be pitching more, so I don’t throw as much in practice,” he said.
Shafer arrived at Florida as an infielder from Lake Wales High. He moved to the outfield after centerfielder Tyler Thompson suffered a torn ACL during the opening weekend of conference play in March.
“He hadn’t played a whole lot of outfield,” O’Sullivan said. “I thought he got better as the season wore on. This year, he is totally different. He is a really good defender.”
At the plate, he hit .284 while batting at the bottom of the lineup. His 44 starts last season are tied for second among returning players.
He’ll be in the middle of the lineup once the season starts. Shafer expects more off-speed pitches from opposing pitchers, but a year in the SEC and a summer in the Cape Cod League prepared him well.
“The biggest thing about being here one year is knowing what to expect,” Shafer said. “You see a lot of people you are going to face hitting-wise, and as a freshman, you don’t know what to expect pitching-wise. You get here, and it is kind of overwhelming with everyone throwing 90 mph, and you are like, ‘Wow,’ every day, seeing that. Getting used to that, you know what to expect everyday in and out with SEC pitching.”
Third starter spot up for grabs: Projected first-round picks fill the first two slots in Florida’s starting rotation.
Jonathon Crawford and Karsten Whitson continue where last year’s starting staff left off. The two earned second- and third-team preseason All-American honors from Baseball America on Thursday.
UF’s third starter has yet to be selected.
“We just don’t know who it is yet,” O’Sullivan said. “Probably by next weekend we will have a much better idea. There are some guys vying for those weekend spots right now, but we still have a few more scrimmages to go to confirm that.”
Contact Adam Pincus at apincus@alligator.org.
Jonathon Crawford celebrates after pitching a no-hitter against Bethune-Cookman on June 1 at McKethan Stadium.
