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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Florida’s four sophomores anchor the pitching staff

<p>Sophomore Jordan Butler is growing comfortable with his role in the Gators pitching staff. "Whatever they need me to do, start midweeks, close it out, come in mid-game ... it doesn’t matter to me, just that we win the game,” he said.</p><p><span> </span></p>

Sophomore Jordan Butler is growing comfortable with his role in the Gators pitching staff. "Whatever they need me to do, start midweeks, close it out, come in mid-game ... it doesn’t matter to me, just that we win the game,” he said.

 

The future of Florida’s pitching staff is here.

One year ago, throughout opening weekend, the Gators baseball program saw a glimpse of its next generation when four members of the class of 2017 appeared on the bump.

Coach Kevin O’Sullivan called on his freshmen out of the bullpen four times. And four times they trotted out to the mound and executed.

The focus that weekend was naturally on the MLB prospects that would lead UF to its fourth-straight College World Series appearance. Juniors Jackson Kowar, Brady Singer and Michael Byrne were stellar on the mound that weekend, and throughout their careers as Gators.

But in their stead came four freshmen: first Jordan Butler, the next day Jack Leftwich and then, lastly, Tommy Mace and Hunter McMullen.

Those four freshmen pitchers threw a total of five innings in relief, struck out nine batters and allowed just three hits and zero runs when the opening weekend series against Siena came to a close.

A promising start, to say the least. But could O’Sullivan lean on them once SEC play began? Or in Omaha?

The answer was an overwhelming yes.

Butler, Leftwich, Mace and McMullen saw the third-most time on the mound for any of O’Sullivan’s 11 freshman classes as Florida’s head coach. They were the smallest group of the top three.

They amassed more strikeouts than any other freshman class of pitchers during that time. All with 24 starts and three saves between them.

Now sophomores, Mace and Leftwich move into the coveted role of weekend starters, replacing the now departed Kowar and Singer, while Butler and McMullen attempt to fill the void left by Byrne as the de facto closer.

***

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Butler knew Mace from their hometown. He knew Hunter from travel baseball. And he has roomed with Leftwich for two years now.

He’s the odd man out as a lefty and two-way player, but he’s what brings players from four different high schools across the state together.

Butler and Mace are both from Tampa, and McMullen and Leftwich weren’t far away in Ocala and Orlando, respectively. Their play on the diamond grabbed the attention of Florida’s head coach.

O’Sullivan said he knew he was signing a strong class back in 2017, and the numbers support that sentiment.

In Leftwich, Mace and McMullen, the Gators signed the No. 1, No. 5 and No. 18-ranked right-handed pitchers in Florida, per Perfect Game, whereas Butler was the No. 15 left-handed pitcher. They all had decorated careers at their respective high schools, but this talented crop of UF pitchers almost never came to be.

Three of the four were drafted in the 2017 MLB Draft, yet they all opted to honor their commitments to Florida.

“We didn’t really know each other too much but we started to learn that ‘Hey, this is our class, this is who we’re gonna be,’” Mace said. “And we need to be close and work with each other to go to Omaha and hopefully win a national championship.”

In their freshman campaigns, they fell just short, losing in the College World Series.

The goal is to ultimately return to Omaha and win a national championship as the 2017 team did before them.

Much of that responsibility will fall on the shoulders of the pitching staff. Although the Gators are ranked in the top 10 in every major preseason poll, one of the main knocks on the team is youth and, therefore, inexperience.

Youth is a valid criticism as it applies to the sophomore pitchers, but inexperience is not.

***

It’s not often a freshman has pitched in every major postseason situation. That’s exactly what Leftwich did.

“I’ve pitched in Omaha, pitched in Regionals and Super Regionals,” Leftwich said. “That just makes the game easier, and now I know what I need to do to be successful this year early on and just help the team win.”

Leftwich started 12 games, had a total of 24 appearances and posted a 5-5 record last season. Despite starting in half of his appearances, he was second on the team in saves.

Pitching in relief helped him with his starts.

“Whenever you get called from the bullpen, you just got to get ready and get going, and you can’t think,” Leftwich said. “It used to take me a few innings to warm up and get ready, but now if I’m going into a game, since I was relieving, I can just throw strikes right away.”

His days of coming out of the bullpen are likely over, as he moves into the Sunday starter role. He’s most excited about figuring out his weekly exercise routine.

Between his affinity for working out and doing yoga, Leftwich said it was sometimes difficult not knowing when he would pitch. Now, his role will allow him to prepare for his starts and find time to hit the weights and the yoga mat.

He keeps up with this habit, which began his senior year, by using an app on his phone.

“I also think it’s good for your mental health too, like the focus, because sometimes yoga’s a little hard,” Leftwich said. “So you have to be locked in, and that’s how you have to be when you pitch.”

He’s not only prepared to start, but he expected the promotion.

“Last year I wanted to be in the starting rotation right away, and I ended up being at the end a little bit,” Leftwich said. “I expected that, that’s what I worked for.”

He attended TNXL Baseball Academy for his final two years of high school, taking online classes and preparing for the demanding regimen of a collegiate – and potentially professional – baseball player.

“I would train everyday, so that’s what I was working for,” Leftwich said. “I just felt that that prepared me more than any other pitcher ‘cause I had done all the workouts and basically had a college schedule.”

***

Breathe in. Breathe out.

When Tommy is on the bump, that’s the tactic he employs to calm his nerves.

Mace emerged from the bullpen in some big spots in the 2018 postseason. Now, he’ll be doing most of his work as the Saturday starter.

Cracking the starting rotation has always been his goal.

“It still hasn’t really set in, it won’t set in until I throw a couple games in the SEC in the weekend rotation, but right now it’s still up for grabs,” Mace said. “I mean, a freshman could take it.”

To avoid that happening and to put the ball where he wants to every pitch, Mace focuses on one thing above all else: his heart rate.

“In a game your heart rate starts to elevate and that’s where you can lose track of where you’re throwing the ball,” Mace said. “So if I slow my breathing, slow my heart rate and just relax and focus on what pitch I need to throw, I know I can compete against any hitter in the SEC.”

Last season it appeared that Mace was able to control his heart rate relatively well, posting a perfect 5-0 record and the third-best strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.75) on the team behind only Singer.

Mace learned from Kowar and Singer that consistency is the most important part of the game for a starting pitcher. And he said that’s what he has to focus on if the Gators are to return to Omaha. Other than his heart rate, of course.

***

The odd man out could be the go-to guy out of the bullpen and even at the plate.

Butler plays some infield and occasionally hits. But Mace expects him to be the heir to Byrne as closer.

“I think he has the attitude that he’s not scared of anything, and I think he’s gonna do really good in the bullpen. I think he’ll kinda take place of being our closer this year,” Mace said of Butler.

Leftwich compared Butler to Byrne saying that the former closer was “just a different animal, and I think Jordan’s a little bit like that.”

O’Sullivan didn’t go as far as saying Butler was the designated closer, mentioning that it’s “certainly by committee.”

But he did say that Butler would be the first out of the bullpen on Friday nights.

“Even though he’s only a sophomore, he’s got more experience than anyone in the bullpen right now,” O’Sullivan said.

Of the four sophomore pitchers, Butler allowed the lowest ERA (4.10) and the lowest batting average (.203), and his 31 appearances were the third-most in the SEC and the most by a freshman. His six wins are the most by a Florida freshman since 2015.

As one of just three left-handed pitchers on the roster – there are 16 right-handed pitchers – Butler’s presence on the mound is worth more than just a fresh arm out of the pen.

When asked about his expected role, Butler didn’t let on that he would be the go-to guy late in games. Rather, he’s comfortable continuing to be a Swiss Army knife of sorts.

“Whatever they need me to do, start midweeks, close it out, come in mid-game, I mean I don’t know, it doesn’t matter to me, just that we win the game,” Butler said.

And not just on the mound.

At the plate, Butler hit .308, albeit in just 13 at bats, with two RBI and five walks. His contributions there and on the mound led to him being named to the 2018 Freshmen All-American team by Collegiate Baseball.

“Wherever they need me I’m gonna be,” Butler said. “If they need me at first base I’ll go to first base, if they need me to pinch hit, I’ll pinch hit.”

***

Despite McMullen’s lack of experience last season, his former roommate on the road and fellow reliever thinks he can perform whenever called upon.

“Hunter throws really hard, he throws like 98 with incredible sink,” Butler said. “So I think he’s gonna be really good this year either out of the bullpen, midweek, whatever they need him to do.”

McMullen had the least experience of any of the four pitchers last year, primarily out of the bullpen. He expects to remain in his reliever role and occasionally start midweek games. McMullen started twice last season and had 17 total appearances.

With experience in both roles, McMullen recognizes the importance of starters being able to rely on the relievers to finish the job late in games.

“Just helping our starters out however we can, allowing them to not have to go super deep in the ball games and having a reliable bullpen that we can sit on so that our starters can be a little bit less fatigued,” McMullen said of the bullpen’s role this season.

No one did that better than Florida’s all-time saves leader (35), and McMullen recognizes the gaping hole that Byrne’s departure for professional baseball left in the bullpen. But McMullen believes he and the other relievers will be able to step up this season.

“Anyone in our bullpen is capable of doing the same stuff that Byrne did,” McMullen said “Maybe not as many saves as that, but I think we can definitely lock it down run-wise and definitely help the team get the win.”

***

At an MLB pipeline like Florida, the next crop of talent is never far behind.

Two years ago, the freshman class included Singer, Kowar and Byrne. Those three eventual MLB draft picks threw less than 100 innings and had less than 100 strikeouts between them.

The 2014 class, which included five future draft picks and was headlined by Logan Shore, A.J. Puk and Dane Dunning, was one of two in the past 11 years to surpass the 2018 freshmen’s inning total with 247.2. They had 194 strikeouts and a 16-11 record.

Leftwich, Mace, Butler and McMullen combined for 219.1 innings, 206 strikeouts and a 16-7 record in 2018.

“Those guys are mature beyond their years, given the opportunities that they were given last year,” O’Sullivan said.

Their coach will give them even more opportunities this year. It’s up to them to deliver.

“What they’ve done their first year and what they’ve been able to do now is not surprising at all,” O’Sullivan said. “If they were not pitching like they are, or were capable of doing, I’d be more surprised that they were not performing up to their abilities.”

Follow Kyle Wood on Twitter @Kkylewood and contact him at kwood@alligator.org.

Sophomore Jordan Butler is growing comfortable with his role in the Gators pitching staff. "Whatever they need me to do, start midweeks, close it out, come in mid-game ... it doesn’t matter to me, just that we win the game,” he said.

 

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