Showing posts with label Florida Gators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Florida Gators. Show all posts

Monday, April 22, 2013

HI NOTES: One Great Game, Tepesch OK

GAME DAY

♦ Mizzou's RPI ranking (according to BoydsWorld.com, rose from  149th to 117th over the past week.  The Tigers' Strength of Schedule rose from 12th toughest to 8th in the nation.  Missouri is one of two SEC teams in the top 10 of Strength of Schedule.  The other is Florida.
Strength of Schedule Top 10
  1. Washington
  2. Florida
  3. Southern California
  4. Hawaii
  5. Loyola Marymount
  6. Oregon
  7. UCLA
  8. Missouri
  9. Miami
  10. California
♦ 'Iron Man' Jake Walsh propels Missouri baseball to Sunday victory (Columbia Missourian)
The Tigers hit the ball hard all day Sunday, recording two more hits in nine innings than they had the day before in 15.

But even with the offense clicking, the focus was on Walsh after the game. Missouri junior catcher Dylan Kelly even had a nickname for the weekend warrior.

"The Iron Man, I guess you guys can call him or whatever, because he pitched Friday, Saturday and Sunday," Kelly said. "I thought today was his best day. He came out firm with the fastball, mixed pretty well, we got out when we needed to and he forced contact. He’s a great pitcher we have.” ...
♦ MU baseball wins finale vs. Florida (Columbia Tribune)
Missouri is tied with Tennessee (5-13) for 12th in the SEC standings — though the Volunteers own the tiebreaker — and are one game ahead of Georgia (4-14). Auburn (6-12), which visits Simmons Field for a three-game set beginning Friday, is one game ahead of Missouri. Kentucky and Texas A&M — who both remain on Missouri’s schedule — are two games ahead at 7-11. The bottom two teams do not make the SEC Tournament.

“I think everybody’s starting to calm down a little bit, starting to settle into some roles,” said Pearson, who was 6 for 13 with four RBI in the series. “We understand what it’s like to be in the SEC now and face all this top-notch competition. I think we’re starting to settle down and play a lot better ball than we have been playing.” ...
The Tribune article has several great photos from the game, including a shot of Keaton Steele's great 5th inning catch

♦ Missouri snaps Florida’s eight-game winning streak (The Independent Florida Alligator)

Florida fell behind for the third straight game against Missouri. Unlike the previous two contests, Sunday’s series finale ended in UF’s first loss in two weeks.

The Tigers (12-23, 5-13 Southeastern Conference) plated two runs off right-hander Tucker Simpson in the first inning on Sunday afternoon at Taylor Stadium in Columbia, Mo., to snap the Gators’ (22-19, 10-8 SEC) eight-game winning streak...
MISSOURI BASEBALL IN THE MAJORS

 ♦ Nick Tepesch expects to make next start Thursday at Minnesota (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Nick Tepesch felt a little soreness in his right wrist the morning after taking a liner off it, but he expects to make his next scheduled start Thursday at Minnesota.

The 24-year-old right-hander planned to play catch before Sunday’s game, but the big test will come Monday when he throws a bullpen session in Anaheim. If that goes well, the Rangers won’t have to skip his turn in the rotation.

“It feels all right now,” said Tepesch, who was diagnosed with a contusion on his right wrist...
♦ Tepesch’s injury scary in more ways than one (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Montero’s liner through the box appeared to skip off Tepesch’s arm and barely lost any momentum as it bounced into the outfield. Washington and medical chief Jamie Reed all but sprinted to the mound to check on their pitcher.

“He really wasn’t saying anything,” Washington said later. “He wasn’t showing any emotion at all. He’s a tough kid. ‘He said, ‘Let me finish the inning,’ but there was no way I was going to let him do that.”

In the clubhouse later, under prodding, rookie Tepesch showed the damage the ball had done.

“I’m all right,” he announced. “It’s a little sore, but not too bad. I think it scraped me a little more than made solid contact, I guess.”

Scraped would be one description, but a more accurate one might be that the back of Tepesch’s wrist looked as if something had bitten a small, bloody chunk from it...
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Sunday, April 21, 2013

HI NOTES: Tepesch Injured, Tigers Don't Gator Done

MU IN THE MAJORS


♦ Grimm, Tepesch look to step up in Harrison’s place (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Texas Rangers pitcher Justin Grimm wasn’t pleased to hear the news that Matt Harrison will have back surgery and will be sidelined longer than expected.

“It’s a shame,” Grimm said. “He was a key piece to the pitching staff and an unbelievable guy too.”

But Grimm is also aware that Harrison’s setback gives him more of an opportunity to prove himself. Same goes for Nick Tepesch, as the two rookies are expected to stay in the rotation for the foreseeable future...
♦ Tepesch leaves game after taking liner off arm (mlb.com)
Rangers starter Nick Tepesch had to leave Saturday's game in the second inning after getting hit on the right arm with a line drive off the bat of Mariners catcher Jesus Montero.

Tepesch had retired the first two hitters of the inning and five of the first six batters he faced before Montero smacked a line drive up the middle. The ball hit off Tepesch's pitching arm just above the wrist and ricocheted into center field for a hit.

The ball left a bloody gash on Tepesch's arm. Trainer Jamie Reed, manager Ron Washington and trainer Jamie Reed were headed toward the mound even before Montero was finished rounding first base.

Tepesch tried to stay in the game and threw several pitches as a test. But the Rangers decided instead to bring in reliever Derek Lowe. Tepesch ended up throwing 21 pitches...

GAME DAY

♦ Missouri baseball lags in SEC (The Maneater)
Missouri is averaging 4.18 runs per game.

The Tigers currently have the lowest on-base percentage and are also the cellar dwellers in number of hits, runs and RBIs in the conference. To get to the next lowest team in each of these categories, Missouri would have to swat 68 hits, plate 45 runs and drive in 30 RBIs...

GAME 2: 4-3 Loss

♦ Florida beats Missouri in 15 innings (Columbia Tribune)
Steele's unexpected relief outing — he threw 109 pitches — forces Jamieson to start freshman Alec Rash today. He said he had planned to start Steele.

"Hopefully, he can come out and get us to the middle of the game," Jamieson said of Rash, who has a 4.57 ERA.

If not, Missouri could suffer yet another SEC sweep...

♦ Missouri third baseman Shane Segovia continues to struggle in loss (Columbia Missourian)
It was Missouri third baseman Shane Segovia’s shot at redemption. A base hit in the bottom of the 15th inning Saturday would make it all OK.

The ball he bobbled half-an-inning earlier that lead to Florida’s go-ahead run wouldn’t matter.
...
The night before, Missouri head coach Tim Jamieson pinch-hit for Segovia in the bottom of the ninth, a decision that haunted him after his replacement, Jake Ivory, struck out looking.

“I second guessed it,” Jamieson said. “Even though Shane’s struggling, he probably was still the best option at that point.”...

GAME 1: 8-6 Loss

♦ Missouri pitcher Zastryzny blames himself in loss to Florida (Columbia Missourian)
Friday’s shellacking was the second in as many weeks for Zastryzny, a sore subject after the loss to Florida.

“That’s two weekends in a row they’ve scored more than five runs for me and I couldn’t get the ‘W,’ ” Zastryzny said. “That’s gonna change. I’m not gonna let that happen ever again.”
...

♦ Tigers fall as UF knocks out 18 hits, 10 with two outs (Columbia Tribune)
"What we talked about: 'A lot of balls weren't hit very hard, but you guys have gotta make pitches in those situations,' " Missouri Coach Tim Jamieson said. "A lot of times, we were just one pitch from getting out of the inning. We score six runs, 12 hits offensively on a Friday night, you'll take that — in any conference. We had to stop the bleeding. We didn't do it on the mound."..

MU IN THE MINORS

♦ Will Kyle Gibson Make it to the Majors in 2013? (Rant Sports)
So far this season at Triple-A, Gibson has a 0-2 record over three starts with a 4.11 ERA with 16 hits, seven runs and three walks compared to 15 strikeouts over 15.1 innings. The strikeout rate and strikeout to walk ratio still seems to be solid, but Gibson’s ERA is cause for concern. There had been a belief that Gibson was still struggling with his command, which was resulting in his high ERA, but his ability to average a strikeout per inning still provides optimism that Gibson has regained his pre-injury form and may be ready for a promotion to the majors in the near future.

I am concerned with Gibson’s high ERA and I believe that he will need to lower the ERA to around 3.00 if he wants to be promoted to the majors. If Gibson is having a tough time getting hitters out consistently at the Triple-A level, despite his high strikeout rate, than a promotion to the majors will not cure this problem and only make it worse. Gibson must find a way to get hitters out in other ways besides striking them out and when he does, he will be a dominant pitcher at the big league level...
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Friday, April 19, 2013

SEC Weekend: Florida Gators @ Mizzou

♦ Be sure to check out Sam Nasci's Mizzou Matchup preview of the Florida Gators here at SimmonsField.com

♦ Also check out our off-season South By Southeast posts about South Carolina Baseball:

♦ And for you Gator fans coming into Columbia, MO, for the weekend, check out The SEC Fan's Guide to Mizzou Baseball for everything you need to know.




♦ Movin' On Up: Recent Surge has Gators Back in Hunt (GatorZone)
With the victory over South Carolina, the Gators moved into a second-place tie in the East with the Gamecocks, both 8-7 in league play, a half-game ahead of fourth-place Kentucky (7-7).

The bloopers that were caught early in the season are dropping. The pitching rotation is starting to take shape and the gloves have tightened up. Those wide-eyed freshmen are starting to feel like they belong and playing more like they did when Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan recruited them.
...
Finally getting their head above .500 is a feather in those special caps they wore Saturday, but the Gators remain an unfinished product and there's more work to do if they want to get back to the NCAA postseason.

"I think we're starting to grow up,'' O'Sullivan said. "It certainly showed this week."...
♦ Red-hot Gators baseball team back in the postseason picture (Orlando Sentinel)
The once-reeling Florida Gators baseball team suddenly is red hot heading into the second half of the SEC season.

The Gators have won five straight games against ranked opponents, capped by a 15-4 rout of South Carolina, the College World Series winners two of the past three years.

Florida (19-8, 8-7 SEC) is now tied for second place in the SEC East with the Gamecocks and has a winning percentage above .500 for the first time since February.

While a fourth straight trip to the CWS is unlikely, the Gators are positioned to slip into the NCAAregionals. Other than a series in early May at West Division leader LSU, Florida has faced the upper-echelon teams of the SEC.

The Gators' bats finally have come to life in the past two weeks, highlighted by a 10-run sixth inning Saturday. Florida scored three runs or fewer in five of seven SEC losses and 13 games overall this season...
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Thursday, April 18, 2013

MIZZOU MATCHUP: Florida Gators


Head Coach: Kevin O’Sullivan 
(243-120 in 6th season as Florida Head Coach)

Taylor Stadium
Friday @ 6 PM CT
Saturday @ 2 PM CT
Sunday @ 12 PM CT

Missouri (12-20, 4-11 SEC) vs. Florida (20-18, 8-7 SEC)

This weekend the Tigers take on the Florida Gators, who have gotten on a roll lately. Last weekend they swept nationally ranked South Carolina, and with the win on Tuesday at Florida Gulf Coast, they have now won six games in a row. The Gators are 14-13 at home, and are tied in second in the SEC East standings.

Position Players
Although the Gators have been a solid club as of late, their bats are a definite weakness on their team. As I compile this lineup, I don’t remember an SEC foe that has hitters that have averages this low. They only have two guys hitting above .300, but they do have five players that have hit three homers.

Casey Turgeon and Richie Martin both see time as the leadoff man, but lately it has been more of Turgeon’s job. Turgeon’s OBP is at .356, which isn’t the highest it could be for a leadoff man, but adds some power with his three homers. The sophomore was named to Baseball America’s All-Freshman team in 2012 as a second-teamer.

Martin seems like the person who should not be in that leadoff role. His .318 OBP is not idea for somebody at the top of an order, but he does contribute speed. He has yet to be thrown out in three stolen base attempts. The thing that he does not have is Turgeon’s power. The freshman has only two extra base hits so far this year (both doubles), which keeps his slugging percentage under .300.

Catcher Taylor Gushue is improving on his 2012 freshman campaign, showing much more productivity at the plate. Last year, he was barely above the Mendoza Line, but now he is contributing with a modest .277 batting average. The thing that stands out about Gushue is his patience at the plate. He has drawn a team leading 19 walks which put his OBP at .380, and also leads the team in RBI with 22.

The team’s leading hitter so far is right fielder Justin Shafer. Hitting cleanup, Shafer is batting a team leading .322 which is made even more impressive by the fact that he leads the Gators in extra base hits with 17, five more than the next highest total on the team. He is one of four Florida players yet to miss a start this year, and is the only one of those to have only committed one error this year.

Senior first baseman Vickash Ramjit is the other Gator hitting over .300 this year, as his role in the lineup could be the most important, as the hitting really drops off after the five spot in the order. Ramjit is one of the guys with three homers this season, and he is right behind Gushue on the RBI total with 21. His speed has been a slight issue so far as he has been caught stealing on all three attempts that he has had.

Projected Lineup
2B Casey Turgeon (L) .268
CF Richie Martin (R) .272
C Taylor Gushue (S) .277
RF Justin Shafer (R) .322
1B Vickash Ramjit (R) .316
3B Josh Tobias (S) .233
RF Connor Mitchell (L) .189
LF Harrison Bader (R) .284
SS Cody Dent (L) .205

Pitchers
The Gator rotation is not as powerful as what the Tigers have seen in the SEC so far in 2013. They do not have a single pitcher who has more K than IP, which could bode well for the Tigers if they can put the ball into play. Jonathon Crawford has been the Friday starter this season for Florida, and he is trying to build off of his last outing, which was a win against South Carolina. In that game, he threw 6.2 IP, scattered 7 H, while striking out 5.

After Crawford, the rotation gets slightly shaky. It seems that lately it has been Danny Young getting the ball on Saturdays, and in his four starts this season, he has put up a solid 3.51 ERA, which striking out 17 in 25.2 IP. His batting average against is high though, and the Tigers will have to take advantage of this and be swinging the bats to not let the southpaw get into a groove.

Sunday has been slightly inconsistent with their starters as well, but Jay Carmichael was on the bump last week and while he only went 1.2 innings, he gave up 1 ER. He has to get out of trouble though as he did give up two hits and two walks.

Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday: RHP Rob Zastryzny (2-6, 3.67 ERA) vs. RHP Jonathon Crawford (2-5, 4.17 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Brett Graves (0-5, 5.24 ERA) vs. LHP Danny Young (1-3, 3.51 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Alec Rash (2-1, 4.57 ERA) vs. RHP Jay Carmichael (3-1, 2.60 ERA)

Matchup Wrap-up
If there were a weekend for the Missouri bats to have a breakthrough, this would be it. The Gators have been shaky at times with their pitching and the Tigers will have to take advantage of that. Mizzou’s starting three have really settled down over the past couple weeks and they definitely have to capability of shutting down this Florida lineup.

Other SEC games this weekend (all 4/19-21):
(3) LSU @ Alabama
Texas A&M @ (12) Arkansas
Auburn @ (16) Mississippi State
(2) Vanderbilt @ Georgia
(17) Kentucky @ (18) South Carolina
(21) Ole Miss @ Tennessee

Rankings from Baseball America
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