Gators Notebook: Rematch vs. East Carolina, King’s Birthday Gift to Mom, Lawson’s Big Day, More Tidbits
The Gators, following an outstanding start from Aidan King, return to action Sunday afternoon in a must-win game against East Carolina.
CONWAY, S.C. — Aidan King gave his mom, Tracy King, a memorable birthday gift on Saturday. He delivered a clutch performance that kept the Gators’ season alive.
Florida (39-21) advanced for a rematch with East Carolina (34-26) on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m./ESPNU) in its second must-win game of the Conway Regional hosted by Coastal Carolina. The Gators fell behind by nine runs and lost, 11-6, to the Pirates on Friday, which dropped them into the loser’s bracket.
They had no such problem in their 17-2 victory over Fairfield on Saturday thanks to King, a freshman right-hander from Jacksonville who pitched a career-high eight innings. He gave up four hits, one run, two walks and struck out seven in an efficient 94-pitch outing.
“I think his mom was upset that he didn’t finish the game,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “She wanted to run him back out there in the ninth. Tell her I said I’m sorry.”
Mrs. King will get over it. Her son made sure of that.
King retired the final eight batters he faced and improved to 7-2 with a 2.58 ERA in 17 appearances, including 12 starts. King had not pitched in two weeks since his outing against Alabama in the final regular-season series of the season. In the start before that one, he tossed seven shutout innings as the Gators won the series at then-No. 1 Texas.
The performance made a lasting impression on O’Sullivan, who visited the mound in the first inning to help calm King’s nerves. King did the rest.
“He settled down and threw seven scoreless,” O’Sullivan said. “I just knew he was different. That one particular game, I think, really took him to another level. He is just so cool and calm and collected. He fields his position well. He holds runners well. He does all the little things. He is kind of a throwback. I don’t think he had his best stuff. He just finds ways to get outs.”
King’s emergence in the rotation, along with Jake Clement‘s move to the bullpen, has been crucial to Florida’s success in the second half of the season.
Outfielder Blake Cyr, who went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBI against Fairfield, liked Florida’s chances against the Stags with King on the mound.
“He always has his good stuff,” Cyr said. “It’s pretty confident when Sully announces the starting pitcher, and it’s Aidan King. You know what you’re going to get on the mound.”
GATORS-PIRATES PART II
Florida and East Carolina had not played in 31 years before Friday. They will meet for the second time in three days on Sunday afternoon.
The Pirates lost to Coastal Carolina in Saturday’s nightcap, 18-7, and face the Gators in an elimination game. The winner will face the Chanticleers on Sunday night.
Starter Liam Peterson lasted only 1 1/3 innings in Friday’s loss to East Carolina, forcing O’Sullivan to use six relievers to finish the game. But after King’s outing, the Gators are in good shape on the mound.
Left-hander Pierce Coppola (3-0, 1.86, 38 SO, 19 1/3 IP) will start. The often-injured Coppola has eased his way back into the rotation after missing the majority of the regular season and has an opportunity to make an impact with a solid outing.
“I feel like we’ve got the depth to do this,” O’Sullivan said. “I feel like the adversity we’ve gone through this year has kind of prepared us for this. So, we’ll see what happens. We literally got to take it one pitch at a time, one game at a time, like we’ve been doing for a good part of the second half of the year.”
In case you missed it, a closer look at the Pirates:
3. EAST CAROLINA
Record: 34-26 (17-14 vs. American Athletic Conference opponents)
Coach: Cliff Godwin, 11th year
NCAA Tournament: 35th appearance all-time
Season highlight: The Pirates got hot at the perfect time as the No. 6 seed in the American Athletic Conference Tournament. East Carolina knocked off USF twice and defeated Charlotte to reach the championship, where it beat Tulane 8-2 to advance. The Pirates are in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh consecutive season but have never reached the CWS in 34 previous NCAA Tournament appearances. That is the longest current streak in the country.
Player to watch: Infielder Dixon Williams is an MLB prospect who hits and fields with the best in the country. Williams (.296, 13 HR, 48 RBI) has stolen 22 of 25 bases and walked (47) more times than he has struck out (45). Williams can play second or shortstop and is often the straw that stirs the Pirates’ lineup. He was 1-for-4 with a run and RBI in Friday’s win over Florida.
Buzz: The Pirates scored two or more runs in each of the first four innings in Friday’s win over the Gators, taking a commanding 9-0 lead. First baseman Austin Irby went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI to lead East Carolina’s 15-hit attack.
QUOTE OF NOTE I: “I’m seeing it good, that’s for sure. I want to help the team win anyway possible, take good at-bats, and anything I can do to help the team win is where my head is at.” — Gators outfielder Blake Cyr, who is 4-for-9 with two HRs and five RBI in the Conway Regional
QUOTE OF NOTE II: “I do believe, without a doubt, the guys that threw [Friday] who didn’t throw as well as they would have liked to, that they will throw better the next time out.” — UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan on the bullpen
