Tale of Two Teams: Why Does Florida Baseball Disappoint in Unranked Games?
Florida baseball is undefeated against ranked teams this season. Remaining perfect against ranked teams this deep into the year is an impressive accomplishment, especially in the SEC. But through 34 games, the Gators sit at 25-9, and aren’t ranked.
What gives?
Of the top 25 teams in the country, 10 have a worse winning percentage than Florida (.735), but the quality of their losses is what maintains a higher ranking than that of the Gators.
Florida’s process has been the same all season: win some ranked matchups, get on a roll and then lose to a team that probably didn’t even expect to finish within five runs of a win coming into the game. The problem isn’t necessarily batting. Florida averages 3.4 runs per loss, and has four players hitting above .300. What’s causing the collapse is the enigma that is the Gators pitching staff.
In losses, Florida’s pitching allows an average of 6.3 earned runs. In all but two of the losses, every single one has been earned by a pitcher. Leads blown in the eighth, flurries of walks and a variety of pitching combinations have all led to the Gators playing down to opponents.
The issue? There’s no trend and there’s no answer. Florida doesn’t have pitchers that particularly stand out in each of the losses.
In fact, every loss has featured a different variation of pitchers, ranging from four to six guys on the mound in a single game. Sometimes Liam Peterson, who leads the Gators in strikeouts, will post a stinker against a team like UAB, where he walked five batters and earned four runs — the latter a statistic he leads for Florida. Even Aidan King, the Gators’ ace who leads in ERA, was credited with a 6-2 loss to High Point and a 8-4 loss to Alabama.
The situation gets even more baffling when looking not at who’s starting, but who’s relieving. The Gators only have two true starters, Peterson and King, who have only appeared in games they started. Past that, it’s chaos. Coach Kevin O’Sullivan will toss anyone on the hill when the Gators are in a fight against a weaker opponent.
In their 4-3 loss to Jacksonville a week ago, the Gators threw out Cooper Walls in the eighth inning, who has started seven of his 10 appearances. Walls isn’t a reliever, much less a closer. The Gators went into that inning up 3-1, and left down 4-3. Once again, the mystery of the Gators pitching lineup led to another collapse.
When things get tight, Florida’s throwing mud at a wall and hoping it sticks. In their most recent 5-2 loss to Ole Miss, the Gators pulled a band of players from the bullpen after Russell Sandefer pitched seven scoreless innings. Four pitchers and five earned runs later, the Rebels finalized their sweep at Condron Family Ballpark.
Florida pitchers just can’t find rhythm in games they’re supposed to dominate. Fingers could be pointed at conditioning and the bullpen being exhausted after ranked wins, but there’s plenty of talent on the roster.
In losses, Gators relievers average only 0.97 innings pitched per outing. Fans can’t buy popcorn at the concession stand without missing an entire appearance on the bump. When adversity strikes in unranked games, it’s a complete toss up of who the Gators will put on the mound to relieve.
Florida’s pitching staff seems like it’s still trying to find its identity 34 games into the season. The Gators just can’t put the puzzle together in tune-up games, and have clearly struggled to identify a set gameplan against supposed punching bags.
So who really knows what’s next?
The Gators take on No. 4 Georgia in Athens for a weekend series starting Friday. At this point, the Gators playing the underdog looks more promising than being the favorite.
Category: Baseball, Feature Sports News, Gators Baseball
