After a heartbreaking extra-inning upset at the hands of Florida Atlantic, Florida’s bats look to reignite as Florida Ballpark hosts its third consecutive weekend series.
The Gators, now 6-3, won their five previous games before the Wednesday loss.
As the team assembles for another three-game home stand, the microscope rests the hardest on three Florida players.
Third-year left fielder Jacob Young teeters on the verge of history. Young recorded a hit in each of the last 27 games to sit two games shy of Tim Olson’s program record. He could set a new school record in Sunday’s game.
He batted a team-high .395 through Florida’s first nine games and paced the Gators with 17 hits and seven doubles. He clinched a sweep over Samford Feb. 28 with a walk-off RBI single.
“He’s been swinging the bat really good, and he’s been our most consistent hitter,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said after Wednesday’s game. “He’s just a really good baseball player, and I appreciate his effort.”
Florida’s top pitcher Tommy Mace lived up to the title of team ace in his first two starts. Mace sits 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP in a team-high 11 innings on the mound. He allowed a .162 batting average with just six hits and one run across his first two outings.
Mace struck out 19 of the 37 batters he faced, including 11 in a six-inning shutout performance against Samford. Only one other Florida pitcher recorded more than eight on the year.
Shortstop Josh Rivera stood out as well, though not for the same reasons as his two teammates.
Rivera started the year with six hits in the opening series against Miami. Since then, he owns just two in his last 25 plate appearances. His batting average plummeted to a team-low .205.
His fielding drew ire as well. Rivera listed an error in five of Florida’s first nine games, including a pair of blunders on Wednesday. His 10th inning miscue eventually allowed the winning run to cross home plate. Rivera’s .824 fielding percentage is the lowest on the team after the third-most chances (34) through opening two weeks.
FAMU is hardly Florida’s stiffest competition. The Rattlers sit 0-8 in 2021 after sweeps at the hands of South Florida and Stetson. The Rattlers scored either one or zero runs in five of those losses.
No FAMU batter accumulated more than four RBIs so far, and the team batted a measly .177 through their first eight games. The Rattlers fare no better on the mound as only one pitcher with a 2021 start boasts an ERA south of 7.84.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Contact Ryan Haley at rhaley@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @ryan_dhaley
Ryan Haley, a UF journalism senior with a sports & media specialization from Jacksonville, Florida, is Summer 2022's Engagement Managing Editor. He grew up playing a bunch of different sports before settling on golf, following Rory McIlroy and all Philadelphia sports teams. He also loves all things fiction, reading, watching shows and movies and talking about whatever current story or character is in his head.
