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Friday, March 29, 2024

Florida limps into home series with undefeated Hurricanes

<p>Sophomore Austin Langworthy moved from the leadoff spot to No. 7 in the Gators' lineup Tuesday against North Florida. He finished 1-for-3 with a single and a run scored.&nbsp;</p>

Sophomore Austin Langworthy moved from the leadoff spot to No. 7 in the Gators' lineup Tuesday against North Florida. He finished 1-for-3 with a single and a run scored. 

A promising beginning to the season for No. 5 Florida baseball has quickly evaporated as the Gators (3-2) dropped both of their mid-week games to inferior in-state programs.

South Florida and North Florida shut down the Gators’ hitters and gave its young pitching staff fits, as USF stifled them 6-1 on Tuesday, and UNF followed with a 7-1 victory in Gainesville on Wednesday.

UF will need to regroup rapidly before it welcomes another in-state opponent, the Miami Hurricanes (4-0), to McKethan Stadium for a three-game series this weekend. It starts tonight at 6:30.

Under first-year head coach Gino DiMare, Miami has breezed through the first four games of its season, outscoring opponents 46-11 and winning each game by an average of almost nine runs per contest.

Florida’s veteran bats failing early on

The Gators’ lineup features a good nucleus of returning starters from a season ago.

Unfortunately, the production has been non-existent through the first five games of the year.

Florida’s core of vets — senior designated hitter Nelson Maldonado, junior right fielder Wil Dalton, junior left fielder Austin Langworthy and senior second baseman Blake Reese — has combined to go just 12 for 62 at the plate.

Langworthy in particular hasn’t lived up to expectations so far, sitting at 2 for 20 with seven strikeouts heading into tonight’s game.

“We just have to continue seeing pitches, and try to get our timing right,” Maldonado said after Wednesday night’s game. “We just gotta stay patient and relaxed and continue to work.”

The team’s minimal production extends further than just experienced players as Florida’s overall batting average is just a measly .203.

Miami’s bats have been scorching.

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The Hurricanes have scored 46 runs compared to Florida’s 18 through four games and have six players with at least 11 at-bats averaging better than .300.

Sophomore infielder Alex Toral already has four home runs on the year. UF, as a team, has one.

UF’s three-day rotation looks to stop the bleeding

A bright spot UF hopes to lean on against the Hurricanes is the weekend rotation that helped it sweep Long Beach State last weekend.

Junior right hander Tyler Dyson will get his second start tonight, looking to improve his control that left him at times his first time out.

Dyson allowed only one earned run, but his four walks caused UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan to pull him after just 3.1 innings of work.

Dyson’s fortunes with control will need to improve on the mound in his second outing, otherwise a young bullpen may be thrown into the teeth of a UM batting lineup full of confidence.

UF’s other members of the rotation, sophomore right-handers Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich, both had stellar first starts. They combined to allow just three runs in 13 innings of play.

Both of them will face a stiffer challenge when they take the mound this weekend.

Miami will throw out Friday starter, junior RHP pitcher Evan McKendry, tonight to build off of his first appearance of 2019.

McKendry struck out eight batters in six innings of work in UM’s season opener against Rutgers.

Follow Evan Lepak on Twitter @evanmplepak and contact him at elepak@alligator.org. 

Florida's veteran corps of junior left fielder Austin Langworthy (pictured), senior designated hitter Nelson Maldonado, junior right fielder Wil Dalton and senior second baseman Blake Reese has combined for 12 for 62 at the plate this season.

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