Gators Starting to Sputter, Other Takeaways from Series Loss to Texas A&M

For the second straight weekend, the Florida Gators lost the series on the diamond. Despite taking the opening game of the series, the Gators put up little resistance to the Texas A&M Aggies in Games Two and Three.

Here are three takeaways from the defeat to the Aggies.

Gators Struggles Continue in Games Two and Three

For whatever reason, Florida has come up short in the second and/or third games of their weekend series in recent memory. They lost the final two against Auburn, Game Two to Georgia and Game Three to Ole Miss over the past three weekends.

That disappointment persisted against Texas A&M, dropping Saturday and Sunday’s contests to the Aggies. Despite tallying at least eight hits in both, the bats failed to bring in runs against the Texas A&M arms, totaling five runs across 18 innings.

Additionally, the long ball plagued the Florida pitching staff in both games.

In total, Florida surrendered six to the Texas A&M offense. Four of those six came in Game Two, which helped the visitors grab an 8-4 win. The other two in the finale supplied breathing room for the Aggies on the way to a 5-1 victory.

Florida was pushing to host a regional, but if the inconsistency outside of series openers continues, then it is hard to imagine that coming to fruition.

King Stamps Himself Among Frontrunners for SEC Pitcher of the Year

Unsurprisingly, King outdueled his counterpart in Game One. He tossed eight innings of two-run baseball against the Aggies, striking out six and walking none. The righty controlled the zone throughout the night and commanded his fastball well.

“I mean, it's a really good lineup, so for him to do what he did and to but I can't say too many great things about him, because it was just an awesome performance,” Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.

King’s work this season has been exceptional. He boasts a 1.78 ERA over 60 ⅔ innings and has struck out 61 batters while walking just 13.

The longevity over his last four outings has also been valuable for the Gators. He has completed six innings in each of the last four against Ole Miss, Georgia, Auburn and Texas A&M. During that same span, King struck out 28 batters, walked only four and went 4-0.

It is no surprise that King’s name is in the mix for the conference Pitcher of the Year award, and he may well be the frontrunner.

Caden McDonald Proves His Worth

The redshirt sophomore was a surprise inclusion on Friday, taking up the designated hitter role in the lineup over catcher Cole Stanford. McDonald made the most of his opportunity, too, finishing as one of the Gators' best bats in the series.

“The underlying message is, as you continue to work hard and you're a good teammate, and when you get your opportunity, things like this tend to happen,” O’Sullivan said. “I'm pleased with him.”

He finished Friday’s contest 3-for-4, with one home run, one double and two RBI. Then, in the following game, he added his second career home run, launching a ball over the left-center field for his only hit of the game. He finished his weekend off going 1-for-4 at the plate and grabbing the only RBI on the day.

McDonald’s emergence this weekend is key if the bat continues the way it did on the weekend. Florida has struggled to field dangerous hitters outside of Kyle Jones, Brendan Lawson and Ethan Surowiec, which makes McDonald even more important moving forward.

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