Assessing the Relievers as Kevin O'Sullivan Looks to Build 'Circle of Trust' with Gators' Bullpen

Reliable options have emerged, but the Florida Gators are still looking for the last trustworthy pieces for its bullpen.

Jackson Barberi has shined in his role as Florida's closer. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Florida Gators baseball head coach Kevin O'Sullivan used a movie reference to explain what he needs out of his bullpen moving forward.

"We talked about it before the game, but they're too young to know the movie 'Meet the Parents.' The circle of trust with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. That's kind of where we're at," O'Sullivan told Florida Gators on SI on Wednesday.

The "circle of trust" in the 2000 film, starring De Niro as overprotective father Jack Byrnes and Stiller as Greg Focker, who is dating Byrnes' daughter, refers to Byrnes' mistrust towards Focker with a "once you're out, you're out. There's no coming back," explanation.

O'Sullivan is looking to build that with his bullpen, which has a few reliable options and others who are still looking to define their roles for 2026.

"We're getting to a point during the season where we're trying to figure out who we can trust and who we cannot trust, and it's getting closer," O'Sullivan said.

Ol' Reliables

Jackson Barberi continues to impress in his role as the Gators' closer. Replacing Liam Peterson in the fifth inning of Friday's win over Miami, the sophomore righty allowed just two hits and walked just one batter in 3 1/3 innings of no-run. He struck out three batters to complete Florida's victory.

Ricky Reeth and Ernesto Lugo-Canchola have established themselves as two of the top bullpen arms, with Reeth, usually the first arm out of the pen, recording nine strikeouts in eight innings of work, and Lugo-Canchola, the top lefty reliever, allowing just seven baserunners in 33 batters faced with 11 strikeouts.

Ernesto Lugo-Canchola has emerged as Florida's top lefty reliever. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on S

Luke McNeillie and Russell Sandefer will be two more expected contributors once fully healthy (both could pitch over the next two games of the Miami series). From there, Florida is still working towards figuring out who they can use.

We Shall See

Of the other pitchers who have taken the mound in relief — Billy Barlow, Eli Blair, Jackson Hoyt, Caden McDonald, Christian Rodriguez, Schuyler Sandford and Joshua Whritenour — Sandford and Whritenour appear to be the most trustworthy at the moment.

Whritenour, limited to just 3 1/3 innings across three appearances, is coming off a steller performance against FIU on Wednesday, where he struck out three batters in two innings with no baserunners.

"We've been waiting to see that. That's what it looked like the whole preseason, at least in the fall," O'Sullivan said. "Boy, his stuff was electric. He was around the zone. For me, that's the biggest bright spot of the day, from a pitching standpoint."

Florida pitcher Joshua Whritenour, seen here against UAB, had a big performance against FIU on Wednesday. | Cyndi Chambers/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sandford, meanwhile, has allowed three hits and just one earned in in 5.2 innings pitched with six strikeouts, consistently earning praise from O'Sullivan after outings.

However, Barlow, Blair, Hoyt, McDonald and Rodriguez are still looking to establish reliever roles. Barlow has found value as a midweek starter, while Blair has only pitched in two innings, allowing three hits with two strikeouts. While limited in appearances, being a lefty creates value for Blair as Florida looks for a second southpaw out of the bullpen behind Lugo-Canchola.

Meanwhile, Hoyt, McDonald and Rodriguez have struggled, but McDonald's ability as a two-way player and valuable in-game experience from a year ago make him an intriguing option to keep an eye on.

Caden McDonald has intrigue as a two-way player for the Gators. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Hoyt, battling with Blair to be the second reliable lefty, has struggled in his early Gators career, allowing six earned runs, five hits and two walks in just 1 1/3 innings pitched. His most recent outing — two hits, four earned runs, one walk and one hit batter while recording zero outs against FIU — left a lot to be desired. Still, Florida trusts he will be reliable moving forward.

"That was just a little disappointing with Jackson, because he's been throwing the ball good in preseason, and he's got a good arm," O'Sullivan said on Tuesday. "But obviously, tonight was not indicative of what we think of him. So he's gonna have to move on and move beyond this outing."

Rodriguez, meanwhile, has only two appearances, but is also coming off a struggling effort with two hits, one hit batter and two earned runs while retiring no batters on Wednesday against FIU.

Rest of the Way

Using just Barberi on Friday, Florida has plenty of options for Saturday's and Sunday's games against the Hurricanes. Considering Miami's offensive prowess this season, now is as good as any opportunity for some members of the bullpen to make their cases for more innings.

"Certainly, it's gonna be a good series. They're very talented," O'Sullivan said. "We got a great deal of respect for them. It'll be a great measuring stick of where we are right now."