Josh Tobias Extends Hitting Streak to Eight Games as Gators Sweep Maine
It was another impressive weekend for the #2 Florida Gators (14-2). They allowed just four runs all weekend to sweep the University of Maine (4-12) in the three game series. Logan Shore (3-0) picked up the win Friday night by throwing eight shutout innings in a 5-0 victory. A.J. Puk (3-1) won game two on the mound, 6-1, including a 3.1 inning save from Danny Young. Dane Dunning (4-0) closed out the finale by winning his fourth game this season. Taylor Lewis recorded the save, his fourth of the year.
Josh Tobias hit safely in all three games, as he has increased his batting average to .415, good for second-best on the team. He had five hits over the weekend and has come into his own as a leader being one of only two seniors on the Florida baseball team this season. Tobias has an on-base percentage of .457, despite not having drawn a single walk so far. While he splits playing time more than some of the other starters, Tobias is proving his worth with the bat.
Florida’s lone home run this weekend came from freshman first baseman Christian Hicks. It was Hicks’ first career home run and has him vying for more playing time. We will see how much the 6’4” switch-hitter gets into the lineup once conference games start. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan at least knows he has some depth to work with.
Full team effort
Freshmen continue to have an impact on the Gators’ lineup this season. Dalton Guthrie has become the leadoff man and sits at .333. He has started every game this season and looks to be a candidate to play in every game the rest of the year. JJ Schwarz also has a batting average of .333 but is second on the team with 16 RBI. He has switched between catching duties and the DH role with fellow freshman Mike Rivera. Rivera is hitting .273.
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Without a doubt, the Gators’ leading hitter so far has been Harrison Bader. He has a team-leading .429 batting average, 21 RBI, six home runs, and 14 walks. Bader also leads the team in slugging percentage and on-base percentage. He has been the power that Florida was expecting from Peter Alonso this season. Alonso was injured prior to the start of the season and should return soon. He has a good chance to take over the everyday duties at first base once he comes back.
Pitching has been a huge reason for Florida’s success so far. They have a team ERA of 2.14, giving up on 34 earned runs over 143 innings pitched. Shore has a 0.00 ERA through 19.1 innings, followed by Dunning with a 1.29 ERA after 21.0 innings. Puk leads the team with 19 strikeouts. Combining that type of pitching with just nine team errors defensively, and the Gators should be heavily favored against almost any team they face.
The next game for Florida will be Tuesday night at home as they take on the Fairfield Stags (0-3). Fairfield had its first six games of the season cancelled. They were swept in their opening series by the University of North Florida. The Gators will play the Stags in a two-game series. Game one is scheduled for 7 PM.