Takeaways From Gators' Series Win Over Rival Miami

Here's what we learned from the Florida Gators series win over rival Miami

The Gators series win over Miami showed us a lot | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated.

Stop me if you have heard this before:  Kevin O'Sullivan’s Florida Gators have won a weekend series against Miami.

Despite a deflating Sunday loss bringing the Gators undefeated season to an end and tying the all-time series vs the Hurricanes, Florida’s first real test of the year was handled with ease.

Other than the pitching breakdown in the last game of the weekend, the Gators looked and played like one of the best teams in the nation, cruising to the 4-1 week record I said was needed. While they still come in outside the top five in most baseball rankings, it is safe to say Florida again looks like a prominent contender in college baseball heading into conference play in the coming weeks.

Here are three takeaways from the series victory and Florida’s 11-1 start.

Bobby Boser Is the Cornerstone of Florida’s Lineup

If I was to guess who would be the biggest transfer player the Gators brought in over the offseason, Bobby Boser likely would have finished third. Now, he has not only been the best portal performer by far but also maybe the best Gators hitter all together.

Over the weekend, Boser was the spark of Florida’s offense, hitting .454 with two home runs and four RBIs. His impact was felt all over the field, including some impressive plays at both third and second base as well as multiple stolen bases.

So far this season, Boser has already established himself as the cornerstone of Florida’s lineup and the most consistent and impactful bat on the team. Over the first 12 games, he has reached base in everyone on top of getting a hit in all but one. As well, he leads Florida in hits, runs scored, RBIs and walks.

Though the depth of Florida’s lineup is impressive, and Brody Donay continues to break out, it feels clear that Boser will be the bat Florida will rely on throughout the year.

Gator’s Bullpen Is Stronger Than Given Credit

While it was popular to panic about Florida’s bullpen after eight allowed runs on Sunday, the overreactions have shadowed just how improved Gators pitching has looked this year.

As many learned last season with the Gators struggling pitching, college bullpens can be extremely thin and finding trustworthy arms can take all the way up till Omaha. Yet this season, Florida already seems to have some solidified arms out of the pen.

Combined, Florida relievers to throw over two innings on the year have an ERA of 3.51 so far. To compare, only one reliever for the Gators last season finished under this number.

After a year where Florida had maybe two or three relievers they seemed to trust, this season feels very different.

On top of an already somewhat proven Luke McNeillie and Billy Barlow, all of Alex Philpott, Aidan King and Frank Menendez have seemed to be trusted arms so far this year. As well, young names such as Jackson Barberi, Cade McDonald, Christian Rodriguez, Matthew Jenkins and Niko Janssens give the Gators extreme potential depth.

Though we have yet to see who can be trusted in conference play, it looks as if last year's kryptonite for O’Sullivan’s Gators could be a strength this season.

Aidan King Is A Future Friday Starter

While multiple names have found success out of the bullpen, freshman Aidan King has had one of the most impressive impacts on the year so far.

Over the weekend, King was thrown into the fire in his first serious innings after Pierce Coppola left Saturday’s matchup with an apparent injury. The Freshman didn’t flinch, going 3.1 innings allowing just one hit and striking out three Miami hitters on his way to his second career victory.

On the week as a whole, King pitched 6.1 innings, allowing just one hit and two baserunners while striking out seven batters. On top of picking up his first two career victories, he was named the SEC pitcher of the week.

After an incredible start to his career, where King has just a 0.87 ERA while holding a 10.69 K/9, the young flamethrower seems headed for a spot atop Florida’s rotation in the future. He also seems to be the first option to replace a Florida starter if an injury occurs.

For now, expect King to be one of the biggest arms out of the pen for the Gators, yet he will remain an incredible insurance plan in case Florida ends up needing a new pitcher to fill their rotation.

What Is Ahead

Over the last week before conference play, Florida will have to avoid overlooking some tough opponents before a rivalry-filled upcoming schedule.

In the midweek, Florida will play two opponents with a combined record of 18-4, followed by a more relaxing weekend series against 0-6 Harvard.

On Tuesday, the Gators will head to Orlando to take on the 8-3 UCF Knights. UCF is coming off a huge weekend series win over rival USF and holds a five-game win streak over the Gators, their longest streak in series history.

As well, Florida will host another in-state school in FAU on Wednesday, who holds a 10-1 record on the year.

While the schedule has a perfect trap-game formula of tough matchups being played right before one of the biggest weeks of the Gators season, Florida has shown they are good enough to finish the week 5-0, and that should be the expectation.