Florida baseball (21-12) seems to take two steps back for every one step forward it makes this season. Coming off a series win over No. 2 Arkansas, the Gators put up a measly two hits against FSU on Tuesday and have little time to correct things before a weekend series with Vanderbilt kicks off over the weekend.
Conference play, in particular, has been rough for Florida with the Gators holding a losing record (5-7) against SEC foes. If the Gators are going to climb back up the rankings and turn into a top-10 team before the postseason, a few things need to change.
UF’s young pitching staff is the main area of concern with question marks in both the starting rotation and the bullpen. The offense is less problematic with a .292 team batting average and top-five ranking in homers, but there are still things to clean up as made evident on Tuesday.
A little more consistency at the plate should allow for some leniency on the mound, but [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] hasn’t found the right formula to go with just yet.
Here’s a look at four areas that Florida needs to improve on if they are going to be competitive down the stretch: