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Friday, March 29, 2024

Gators opened SEC weekend with several conference newbies

Nearly half of the Gators’ roster never played in an SEC game until the weekend

<p>Hunter Barco delivers a pitch during the matchup with Jacksonville, March 14, 2021. </p>

Hunter Barco delivers a pitch during the matchup with Jacksonville, March 14, 2021.

As the first crack of the bat rang throughout Florida Ballpark on SEC Opening Weekend, so did the bundle of excitement and nerves that encompasses baseball in March. 

In the first inning with two outs, Nathan Hickey whizzed a double down the left-field line. The hit marked the first for the Gators in SEC play this year, and Hickey’s first against a conference opponent in his second year on the team. 

Nearly one year ago, the Gators baseball team sat in the clubhouse at Alfred A McKethan Stadium and prepared to open SEC play against Georgia. Then, the world stopped, and so did baseball. 

Florida didn’t play a single SEC game that spring. 

This year, the Gators hosted SEC Opening Weekend against Texas A&M. The series marked the first time Florida faced a conference opponent since its one-game battle against Georgia Nov. 1. It became the first full three-game SEC series the team played since May 2019. 

The SEC often features the highest level of competition in college baseball. This week, the top-four ranked teams belonged to the SEC. Nearly half the team experienced the SEC’s intensity for the first time. 

Last season’s freshmen, dubbed “COVID freshmen,” it’s a belated start to a rite of passage they lost. To this year’s, it’s a sudden change of pace from what they were growing accustomed to.  

The first few weeks of Florida’s college baseball season included games against out-of-conference and usually unranked opponents. The opening weeks gave the players and head coach Kevin O’Sullivan the opportunity to tinker with the lineup and find a system that works — all in preparation for the start of conference play. 

Due to the extended layoff, O’Sullivan doesn’t have all the answers set for this team. Twenty-two of 39 players on the roster are new to conference play, and the coach took longer to figure out what putting his best foot forward meant for this team. 

First-year freshman catcher Mac Guscette caught for fourth-year starting pitcher Tommy Mace to open SEC play on Thursday night. Guscette hasn’t been the go-to starter behind the plate all season, but he made a name for himself in the conference with his offensive prowess. 

The nerves surfaced, Guscette said, as he squatted behind the plate for the first time, but they soon disappeared as the game went on. So much became obvious after he slapped both a double and a single down the left field line in two at-bats in the same inning. 

“Catching Tommy knowing he’s been through this, it kind of helped me, he talked me through it,” Guscette said. 

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Hickey, first-year freshman second baseman Colby Halter and COVID freshmen right fielder Sterlin Thompson, shortstop Josh Rivera and starting pitcher Hunter Barco also made the starting lineup in their SEC weekend debuts. 

O’Sullivan said he spoke to his players, specifically the freshmen, to ensure they knew what this part of the season brings. After some early blunders, O’Sullivan said things need to improve. 

“There’s a certain way you have to play in the SEC, and they have to trust me on this,” O’Sullivan said.

Mace isn’t a stranger to SEC competition. Still, the right-hander said he understands what the series means for the 22 who are. For Mace and fellow fourth-year starting pitcher Jack Leftwich, SEC Opening Weekend is an opportunity to showcase their talent and a big reason why they chose to come back. For the younger players, it’s more about novelty and excitement. 

“All the freshmen and the covid freshman, it's the first time they’ve ever played an SEC opponent and they’re excited,” Mace said. 

Four first-and-second-year freshmen started Thursday, five started Friday and six started Saturday in the opening weekend series. Although the lineup consisted of many SEC newbies, the team managed to sweep the Aggies. 

Those new to the SEC carried themselves as if they were seasoned veterans. At the plate, Guscette was nothing short of a star. The catcher went 7-12 with 3 RBIs on the weekend. 

Sunday’s pitching staff consisted of two athletes who never threw in a SEC game. Barco gave up nine hits and two earned runs and dealt nine strikeouts across six innings. Transfer athlete Franco Aleman cleaned up with a two-hit, one-run three-inning save. 

“Guys know how important, how the SEC is, and guys take care of their business,” Mace said.

The first series of conference play ended, but 27 remain on the schedule. For the first time in more than a year, the Gators tasted SEC play. 

Contact Sara Kate Dyson at skatedyson@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @sarakatedyson

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