This is a look at the Florida Gator baseball roster for 2010. I’ll do a quick synopsis then break down all the positions. The Gators return 20 players from a season ago. Ten pitchers with varying amounts of work and five field players who saw significant playing time last season will be available for head coach Kevin O’Sullivan (7).

They welcome in the number one ranked recruiting class in America (I know, it seems like a theme these days), Coach O’Sullivan’s second straight top five class. Ten players are from Florida, which is one of the best baseball recruiting states in the nation (hmm this also sounds familiar). The freshman breakdown was five pitchers, three infielders of which one was a JUCO, two catchers, and an outfielder. Several will see immediate playing time, broken down in the position by position analysis below. You can see the official roster here.

Pitching

Unlike pro baseball where a guy is a starter and only a starter unless desperation calls, and a reliever vice versa, generally pitchers get work in both departments throughout the year in NCAA baseball. Since the season was lengthened again and there are few weeks with two mid week games, I expect that to be especially so this season. From the looks of it, UF has a loaded pitching staff. I will start however, with pitchers projected to be starters.

Three of the four starters with 10 or more starts in 2009 are back. All three are sophomores. Here are their 2009 numbers:

RHP Anthony DeSclafani (16): 6-3, 4.98 ERA, 21 APP, 11 GS, 65.0 IP, 63 H, 40 R, 36 ER, 16 BB, 47 SO, 11 (2B), 7 HR, .247 B/Avg

LHP Nick Maronde (26): 3-1, 4.40 ERA, 21 APP, 11 GS, 61.1 IP, 62 H, 42 R, 30 ER, 18 BB, 59 SO, 9 (2B), 2 (3B), 10HR, .255 B/Avg

LHP Alex Panteliodis (24): 6-5, 4.38 ERA, 22 APP, 10 GS. 63.2 IP, 82 H. 37 R, 31 ER, 16 BB, 43 SO, 15 (2b), 2 (3b), 10 HR, .324 B/Avg

Also returning as a sophomore is Tommy Toledo, who sat out last season with a shoulder injury and took a medical redshirt. As a freshman in 2008 his numbers are comparable to the other three except for his high number of walks. I couldn’t find his allowed hits breakdown (i.e. # of 2B, 3B, HR).

RHP Tommy Toledo (13): 4-4, 4.40 ERA, 15 APP, 11 GS, 59.1 IP, 60 H, 36 R, 29 ER, 32 BB, 30 SO, 2.65 B/AVG

Toledo will start Friday’s season opener. Freshman LHP Brian Johnson (35) will start Saturday’s contest. He has impressed the coaching staff in his short time on campus. Freshman RHPs Hudson Randall (11) and Steven Rodriguez (32) will also be in the mix to start a game here or there, or step up should one of their sophomore teammates stumble. Something to remember all year will be that this is a VERY young team overall, especially starting pitching.

These young guns should give head coach Kevin O’Sullivan a lot of flexibility to mix it up each week to fit the opponent. With potentially four righties and three lefties able to be used as starters, UF won’t have to worry whether a team is lefty or righty dominant at the plate. They should be able to start 3 straight guys from one side if necessary. Panteliodis excelled at keeping runners close, as he had 6 of the teams 10 pickoffs a year ago, so he is a good fit against teams that like to run.

Also returning, listed by number of appearances, are:

So. RHP Greg Larson (37): 3-2, 3.45 ERA, 29 APP, 1 GS, 31.1 IP, 33 H, 17 R, 12 ER, 18 BB, 16 SO, 4 (2B), 3 HR, .284 B/Avg

Sr. RHP Jeff Barfield (28): 2-1, 4.50 ERA, 16 APP, 7 GS, 46.1 IP, 47 H, 26 R, 23 ER, 15 BB, 40 SO, 9 (2B), 1 (3B), 9 HR, .258 B/Avg

So. RHP Justin Poovey (21): 2-1, 5.73 ERA, 15 APP, 3 GS, 33.0 IP, 46 H, 21 R, 21 ER, 13 BB, 18 SO, 4 (2B), 1 (3B), 4 HR, .343 B/Avg

Jr. LHP Kevin Chapman (29): 1-0, 2.38 ERA, 11 APP, 1 GS, 11.1 IP, 16 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 5 SO, 2 (2B), .343 B/Avg

Sr. RHP Clint Franklin (49): 2-0, 3.00 ERA, 9 APP, 15.0 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 5 SO, 2 (2B), 1 (3B), .196 B/Avg

Sr. RHP Chas Spottswood (23): 0-0, 12.00 ERA, 5 APP, 6.0 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR, .423 B/Avg

This group of guys will see plenty of action out of the bullpen, giving UF some older players and some stability. The other two freshman pitchers are RHP Ben Brown and RHP Michael Heller. Two newcomers who are a sob story waiting to happen (I mean that in a good way, like NCAA regional on ESPN feature piece) are Junior RHPs Grant Abadal (30) and Matt Campbell (29), who both played for the 2009 UF club baseball team and walked on in the fall. If either guy is able to contribute in the next two seasons, what a great story that will be.

POSITIONAL PLAYERS/OFFENSE

Infield

The headliner/face of the team/guy everyone will know by year’s end for this team is 1B Preston Tucker (25). Coming off a freshman season where he was named a freshman All American, co-SEC freshman of the year, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman Hitter of the Year, Tucker was named to the Golden Spikes watch list (baseball’s Heisman) coming into this season. Twice last season he hit the hardest ball I’d ever seen hit in a baseball game.

He lead the team in the following categories: .364 batting average, a school record 85 RBI, 15 homers, .628 slugging percentage, 152 total bases, 27 multi hit games, and 23 multi RBI games. He is currently entrenched at first base where he posted a .992 fielding percentage last season (if you look at the official UF roster, he is listed as 1B, every other infielder is listed as INF). He is our best player who every pitcher should fear and will hit third.

No scrub himself is “It just seems like his fifth year” Junior 2B Josh Adams (2). A former freshman All American himself, Adams posted his second straight All SEC performance in as many seasons last year. It was the first time a Gator had made consecutive All SEC teams in over a decade. The last guy to do it was one of the greatest players to every wear the Orange and Blue, who you just might have heard of, named Brad Wilkerson. Adams hit .342 with 52 RBI and 8 HRs himself, while also leading the team with 40 walks and a .440 on base percentage. He will probably hit second.

Manning the hot corner will be JUCO transfer Bryson Smith (1). Smith was named the 2009 American Baseball Coaches Association’s Division I player of the year playing for Young Harris College in Georgia. He hit a ridiculous .467, had 90 RBI, and hit 21 HR. He helps add some serious pop to the lineup this season. He will probably hit fifth,

Battling for the shortstop position is two freshmen, so I don’t expect this one to be decided even after opening weekend. Nolan Fontana (4) and Cody Dent (20) will battle until one gets hot or the other gets cold. Fontana gets the start on opening night. Neither one of these two should crack the top six spots in the lineup, so they won’t have too much pressure on the offensive side.

Two other players who might see action in the infield are Soph Jerico Weitzel (12) and Jandy Rosabal (5).

Outfield

Commanding the outfield is the ever graceful CF Matt den Dekker (17). A two time SEC defensive team member, den Dekker has great range and the ability to make the spectacular play look easy. He was second on the team in runs scored, walks, and steals last season with 63, 34, and 17 respectively. He was plagued by a slump down the stretch last season and finished with a .296 batting average. He will most likely start off the season in the leadoff spot.

den Dekker’s outfield brethren will most likely be the brothers Pigott. Pigott the Elder, senior Jonathan (9), should start in left field. He got hot down the stretch and had big hits for Florida throughout the post season earning All SEC tournament honors. He finished with a .357 average to go along with 32 RBI, 31 runs, and 6 homers, all career highs. His spot in the lineup should be secure, but where is yet to be determined. He was all over the card last year and could hit first, second, sixth or seventh depending on how the lineup shakes out.

Pigott the Younger, sophomore Daniel (8), is in a battle with Tyler Thompson (18) for the right field spot. Both saw action in plenty of games last year with Daniel making 35 starts in 51 appearances and Tyler making 10 starts in the 44 games he appeared in. The bat will probably decide this one, which has me leaning to a two Pigott outfield. Pigott the Younger hit .301 last season, while Thompson hit .235.

The other two guys battling for some playing time are freshman Kamm Washington (14) and Paul Wilson (31). Wilson is the 4^th new junior on the team. He comes over from the Gator football team where his football career was derailed by injuries. He hasn’t played ball since his junior year of high school, but as a former high school track runner, he might see a role as a pinch runner since he must have speed.

Catcher

The best position battle, and deepest spot on the team. A traditionalist might peg senior Hampton Tignor (22) as the starter, having started 46 of the 89 games he has played in. Or perhaps sophomore Ben McMahan (15), who played in 18 games last season and saw significant playing time in the Cape Cod Summer league last summer. Or even Austin Maddox (10) who was on Baseball America’s 2009 High School All American team, was a three time Florida all state selection in high school, and played for the USA U-18 and U-16 national teams.

However, it appears freshman Mike Zunino (3) has gotten the first chance as he gets the nod opening night. No scrub, Zunino was a Florida all state selection last season as well. Maddox’s bat is too potent to keep out of the lineup however, and he will start the season as the designated hitter and may see time at either right field or 1B, and possibly bat fourth. McMahan and Tignor should both play this weekend as well.

Lineup

From what I can gather, the lineup will start the year:

1. den Dekker CF (L)

2. Adamas (2B)

3. Tucker (1B)

4. Maddox (DH)

5. Smith 3b (R)

6. D. Pigott LF (R)

7,8,9: some combination of J. Pigott (R), Zunino (R), and Fontana (L).

With a bench of eight players: three outfielders in Thompson (L), Washington (L), Wilson (L) , three infielders in Dent (L), Rosabal (R), and Weitzel (L) , and two catchers in Tignor (R) and McMahan (R).

With plenty of lefty bats on the bench O’Sullivan is once again left plenty of options. I have a feeling this is going to be a good team this season, but it sets up even better for next year. This team is incredibly young accross the board and could be in for a great two year run.