Tag: Garrett Milchin

What’s next for Florida baseball: A post-mortem of the 2022 season

Buckle in, Gators Wire’s 2022 Baseball Season Recap is finally here. We dive into all 35 players one by one and go over where they stand after the season.

The Florida Gators’ 2022 baseball season ended Monday with a 5-4 loss in the regional finals of the NCAA Championship Tournament against Oklahoma. The year was filled with ups and downs, but being six outs away from a Super Regional berth isn’t too shabby for a team with 16 new players on the roster.

Pitching was a bit of a disappointment early on, but a few freshmen started to stand out from the bunch. That depth allowed the Gators to make a deeper run than most expected in the playoffs and finish the year 42-24.

Conference play was a bit of a struggle. UF finished the regular season .500 against the SEC, including series losses to Georgia (sweep), LSU, Tennessee (sweep) and Vanderbilt. A 9-3 finish against the weaker members of the conference (Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri and South Carolina) allowed Florida to finish with a respectable record, but things didn’t really turn around until Texas A&M beat them via the mercy rule.

After that 10-0 loss, Florida played like the team it needed to be all year. It even got legendary performances from the likes of Carsten Finnvold, a freshman who hadn’t seen game action since April when he got the start against Tennessee in theSEC Tournament.

Then there’s the offense. At times, the veteran group didn’t back up the young pitching staff as it was expected to. Jud Fabian was a disappointment down the stretch, hitting just .185 against the conference and going 1-for-30. To his credit, Fabian struck out 10 times less than he did a year ago in about 40 more plate appearances. Walks were also up considerably, so his eye definitely improved despite the low average.

On the other side of things, Wyatt Langford made a complete transformation over the offseason and became one of the best leadoff guys in baseball. He led the team in most major offensive categories and tied Matt LaPorta’s 2005 school record of 26 homers in a season.

There’s a lot to celebrate about with this team, and a lot to address moving forward. Many of them have played their final games in the Orange in Blue, and others are just starting to tell their story.

What will the team look like next year? There’s only one way to properly answer that question and it’s long-winded. Feel free to jump to the sections that interest you the most as we break down the team position by position.

Game Preview: Florida faces off in regional rubber match against Oklahoma

These Gators sure have a flair for the dramatic, huh? Florida baseball faces off with Oklahoma for the third time in three days to determine which club heads to the Super Regionals.

Florida took care of both Central Michigan and Oklahoma on Sunday to force a third and final game with the Sooners on Monday to decide which team continues their season in the Super Regional round of the NCAA Baseball Championship Tournament.

The Gators won’t have [autotag]Carsten Finnvold[/autotag] on the mound Monday to go nine innings against OU, but the freshman’s clutch outing has the momentum firmly on UF’s side. At a certain point on Sunday, the Sooners looked perplexed as they continued to pop up Finnvold’s high 70s to low 80s stuff without changing their swings. That kind of funk carries over in a tournament like this, especially as pitching depth gets stretched further and further.

After using both [autotag]Timmy Manning[/autotag] and Finnvold on Sunday, Florida is essentially out of starters with decent experience. [autotag]Anthony Ursitti[/autotag] gave up six earned runs the last time he was on the mound against Alabama, and [autotag]Garrett Milchin[/autotag] hasn’t made a start since [autotag]Nick Pogue[/autotag] took over the No. 3 spot. It might fall on one of them Monday, but the bullpen is sure to work most of the ballgame barring another miraculous pitching performance.

The good news is Florida’s best hitters are hitting. [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] went yard twice in the late game Sunday, and [autotag]Wyatt Langford [/autotag]hit a pair of long balls in the early matchup. That puts Fabian at 24 homers for the year and Langford at 25, which is good enough for the Nos. 2 and 3 spots in the school’s single-season record book.

[autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] has been on another planet since regionals started, hitting 8-for-14 so far through the four games. It also comes right after a 4-for-25 slump in the conference tournament, so [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] is really enjoying having his bat back.

First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT at Condron Family Ballpark on Monday.

Game Preview: Gators looking for revenge vs Vols in SEC Tournament championship

After outscoring Alabama and Texas A&M 20-6 on Saturday, the Gators will play for the SEC Tournament championship against Tennessee at 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday.

Florida baseball was mercy-ruled by Texas A&M on Thursday and there were few at that point who would have predicted a Gators run to the championship game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, but that’s precisely where [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] and Co. find themselves on Sunday staring down No. 1 Tennessee in Hoover, Alabama.

The Gators were swept by the Volunteers at home in late April and the Tennessee players celebrated with some of the football team’s gear. That rubbed Gator Nation the wrong way and had many questioning whether the baseball team wrote a check the football team couldn’t cash come the fall. Before [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s group gets a chance at revenge, the baseball team will get another shot at the Vols and it comes while UF is playing its best ball of the season.

In a split-double header against Alabama and No. 5 Texas A&M on Saturday, Florida outscored its opponents 20-6, including a 9-0 revenge shutout of the Aggies. There’s no guarantee that things carry over from day to day, but the entire lineup is hitting well and, perhaps even more shockingly, the pitching has held up like a College World Series caliber staff would.

The problem is Florida has run deep into its well of pitchers and we’re approaching short-rest territory with plenty of relievers and maybe even a starter. Regionals begin on June 3, so running [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] out there on four-days rest is a bit iffy considering he’ll have to go again so soon. That said, who is left? [autotag]Garrett Milchin[/autotag]? [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag]? Against Tennessee, you want [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] or Sproat, and the former is shut down for the year.

Whoever it is, they’ll need some run support against the best offense in the country. [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] seems to be back to his normal hitting self and [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] continues to make the SEC coaches pay for not naming him to the conference’s First Team. The bottom of the order is also hitting well. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] is the hottest No. 6 hitter in the country right now, and even [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag] is out there blasting home runs in multi-hit games.

Everything is rolling for the Gators right now. They just need to finish it off.

“We’re here,” [autotag]Timmy Manning[/autotag] said. “We might as well win.”

Gators baseball advances to SEC Tournament semifinals with wild win over Alabama

Florida won the early game against ‘Bama (and what a crazy game it was). Now, the Gators get to play the back half of a split doubleheader against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament semifinals.

Florida baseball came out on top of a wild SEC Tournament game against the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday, 11-6.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] did it all, starting with leadoff home runs in the first and second innings. He’d drive in another on a ground out to first base in the third and score the go-ahead run in the sixth after drawing a walk on a full count. The Gators needed every bit of that offense today as [autotag]Anthony Ursitti[/autotag] was anything but sharp in his first collegiate start.

Ursitti gave up Florida’s 4-0 lead in the bottom of the frame on a Dominic Temez RBI single and a Zane Denton three-run homer. He calmed down in the second but ran into trouble again in the third. Drew Williamson hit a two-run homer to make it 6-6, and Ursitti was out of the game shortly after that.

[autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] came in to relieve Ursitti and lasted the rest of the game without surrendering a run. He did get into a jam in the sixth after the Gators took the lead in the top of the inning but got out of it with a pop-up to first base that stranded men on the corners.

The final blows came in the top of the ninth courtesy of the bottom of the Florida lineup. [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] reached on a fielder’s choice scoring Jud Fabian, and [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag] sent a three-run homer to left field to put things out of reach. Ficarrotta stranded two more Alabama players in the ninth to finish off a 91-pitch day.

“Fic, that was phenomenal,” Guscette said. “Me and Fic have been close throughout the years and that was phenomenal. I don’t even know what to say about him.”

[autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] also stayed hot. He drove in a run with a double in the first and finished the day 3-for-4. In fact, Caglianone, Rivera and Guscette might be the best-hitting Nos. 6-8 hitters in the tournament right now. They went a combined 8-for-14.

The win means that Florida gets a few hours to rest before heading back out onto the field against Texas A&M at 5:30 p.m. EDT later on in the day. Tonight’s probable pitchers aren’t posted just yet, but [autotag]Garrett Milchin[/autotag] is a good bet for the Gators. Whoever it is, expect the bullpen to come in early.

The Aggies made short work of the Gators last time around, finishing them in seven innings via the mercy rule in round two of the tournament. Florida’s offense has looked much better in the two games since, though.

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Game Preview: Florida takes on Alabama in SEC Tournament elimination game

The Gators got back on the sticks against Arkansas on Friday and held on to a lead to advance in the SEC Tournament. Next up is ‘Bama.

After managing just one hit against Texas A&M in the second round of the SEC Tournament, Florida baseball got back to business as usual and outscored the Arkansas Razorbacks, 7-5, on Friday. That sets up another loser-goes-home matchup with Alabama on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. EDT for the Gators.

[autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Pogue[/autotag] have already pitched so the Gators are running thin on starting pitchers coming into the game. [autotag]Garrett Milchin[/autotag] was an option, but [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] is going with freshman [autotag]Anthony Ursitti[/autotag] on the bump Saturday. It’ll be the former Canterbury Cougar’s first start at the collegiate level after throwing 18 2/3 innings out of the bullpen over the regular season.

On offense, Sully’s switch-up of [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] and [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] in the lineup seems to be a winner. Fabian played longball for just the second time since hitting three out against USF on May 3, and Riopelle is just too hot to keep in the five-hole.

[autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] have also been red-hot, with the latter driving in the first three runs of the day against Arkansas. Halter, of course, delivered the walk-off against South Carolina in round one and went deep on Friday.

If the bats don’t fall quiet as they did against Texas A&M, the Gators should be able to fight their way into the conference semifinals. That would be a huge boost to the rĂ©sumĂ© going into regional play regardless of the team’s finish in the SEC Tournament.

Florida baseball can’t capitalize on Sproat’s strong outing against Georgia

The Gators are now 1-5 in their last six games against SEC opponents ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Florida will look to prevent the sweep on Sunday after dropping Game 2 of the weekend series against the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday night, 6-1.

Brandon Sproat matched Georgia’s ace Jonathan Cannon for most of the night, but the Bulldogs finally got to him in the sixth for three runs. He finished the night with eight strikeouts. [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] came in to pitch a clean seventh, and [autotag]Nick Ficcarrotta[/autotag] followed him in the eighth. Fic gave up another three runs and put the game out of reach for the Gators with little time to rally.

The final score might have been worse if a bizarre play in the second involving the umpire being hit by a ball that was clearly an RBI base-hit hadn’t resulted in a runner being sent back to third.

The rule states that once the ball hits the umpire, the ball is ruled dead, the batter is given a hit and runners are sent back to their bases unless forced to move up. Since the play had men and first and third, Georgia was robbed of what obviously would have been a run had it not struck the umpire’s foot.

Bulldogs manager Scott Strickland (no, not Scott Stricklin) wasn’t a huge fan of the call and let the umpires hear it in between innings. Eventually, Strickland was tossed which led to an old-fashioned meltdown on the field. It’s hard to see what happened and not side with Strickland on this one, even if you’re a Gators fan. At least he got his money’s worth after being tossed.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] broke up the shutout with a solo home run in the eighth, but the Gators couldn’t muster up much else against Jack Gowen, who pitched three innings in relief for UGA. Florida had several opportunities on the night to score.

Just before Georgia took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, the Gators threatened to score with the bases loaded and no outs. [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] was thrown out at home and the next two batters gave the Bulldogs an easy out with two flyouts.

UF finished the night with eight hits, but none of them came when the team needed them the most. That seems to be the story in conference play so far with these Gators despite the obvious talent scattered around the team.

[autotag]Garrett Milchin[/autotag] gets the start for Florida on Saturday. The Gators are 1-5 in their last six SEC games, so this is a must-win. One run in the eighth inning isn’t going to cut it on any night, and they need to get back to hitting the ball consistently with runners in scoring position.

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Florida baseball: Joshua Rivera’s hot streak stays ablaze in victory over FSU

Florida shortstop Joshua Rivera went three-for-four with three RBIs in his team’s 6-3 victory over Florida State.

Florida shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag]’s bat has caught fire since the Gators started SEC play versus Alabama on March 18 resulting in a team-leading .375 batting average. Rivera stayed ablaze at the plate versus Florida State on Tuesday in Jacksonville, finishing 3-for-4 with three RBIs and just a triple shy of the cycle, to help the No. 14 Gators upset the No. 5 Seminoles, 6-3.

Florida State got the lead-off man on base when he doubled down the left-field line and eventually scored for the first run of the game.

Third baseman [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] beat the shift, singling through the right side in the bottom half. Rivera then tied the game up 1-1 with his left-field double to cement a two-out rally.

Head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] pulled starter [autotag]Garrett Milchin[/autotag] after 2 1/3 innings after allowing five hits and one earned run. [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] relieved him but didn’t fare much better, struggling with his command. He only went an inning, giving up a hit, an earned run and three walks.

Left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] made a pair of web gems in the top of the third inning. FSU third baseman Logan Lacy blasted what seemed to be a three-run shot, but Langford ascended the wall and made the snag to rob Lacy. He also finished the inning, making a sliding grab in foul territory to keep the game tied.

Then Langford pushed across the go-ahead run in the bottom half when he beat out the throw to first base to break up the double play. He scored center fielder [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] who walked earlier in the frame.

Ficarrotta walked a batter with the bases loaded to even the game once more. Subsequently, O’Sullivan signaled for pitcher [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag], who struck out back-to-back hitters to end Florida State’s threat.

Langford hammered a lead-off triple in the fifth and cruised home later when designated hitter [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] grounded out to second base to give Florida back the lead, 3-2. Rivera put the exclamation mark on the contest when he blasted a two-run homer to make it 5-2.

Florida and FSU each traded a run in the late innings to get to the final score of 6-3.

The Gators posted 11 hits in their six-run victory over the Seminoles, and right fielder [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] recorded three hits in the game like Rivera. Florida’s pitching staff also held the ‘Noles to only three runs on nine hits.

It’s a big win for O’Sullivan’s club after dropping two straight at home last weekend to LSU.

Florida travels to Georgia for another weekend series that starts Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT and can be seen on ESPN2.

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Florida baseball meets up with FSU for midweek game in Jacksonville

Florida baseball is hoping to bounce back against FSU after a tough series against the LSU Tigers.

After dropping the weekend series to LSU, No. 14 Florida baseball has a chance to bounce back against the No. 5 Florida State Seminoles on Tuesday.

It’s supposed to be the second meeting of the season between the two clubs, but the March 15 game was postponed due to weather. That means the in-state rivalry will kick off at a Financial Ballpark in Jacksonville where neither club has home-field advantage. Last year’s two-game series was split with each team earning a win in their home stadium.

[autotag]Garrett Milchin[/autotag] is the starter for Florida. His last start came against Florida A&M when he pitched five solid innings, but this will be a much more difficult outing to navigate safely. It also comes at a time of pressure for UF.

The Gators hit below .200 as a team over the weekend, and they’re at No. 23 Georgia for the upcoming weekend series. This team relies on its veteran lineup to work the young pitching staff out of jams, but it’s becoming clearer and clearer that Florida can’t play that style with a shaky starting staff aside from [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag].

Milchin’s experience against Florida State (four starts against the Seminoles in his career) should come in handy. He’s given up a 7-spot and also cruised through six innings of one-run ball against FSU, so he knows he’s capable of taming them.

If he can get some run support early, Florida could take the momentum and use the few solid pieces it has in the bullpen to close it out. The Gators haven’t dropped three games in a row all year, so look for them to give their all to avoid it happening on Tuesday.

The first pitch is at 7 p.m. EDT.

Game Preview: Florida baseball returns home to face Florida A&M Rattlers

Florida baseball returns to Florida Ballpark to face Florida A&M Rattlers on Wednesday for a second mid-week contest.

The Florida baseball team was firing on all cylinders in its 11-2 victory versus North Florida on Tuesday. Coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s pitching staff held the Ospreys to only four hits and his lineup recorded 11 runs on 13 hits, scoring in every inning after the third. The Gators will look to carry that momentum into their game Wednesday against Florida A&M at Florida Ballpark at 7 p.m. EST.

Sullivan’s hitters have answered the bell after the head coach challenged them to step up after a stunning opening-series loss to Liberty, and in their last three games, they have posted double-digit runs versus Georgia State and North Florida.

Colby Halter, BT Riopelle and Sterlin Thompson have led the charge for Florida’s offense so far and hold a batting average north of .400. Then Thompson, Halter and Wyatt Langford have clobbered the most home runs on the team. On the flip side, the Gators’ arms have done a great job in keeping runs off the board. The team boasts a 2.56 ERA through nine games.

Florida’s opponent, the Rattlers are coming off a sweep against Grambling State where they scored at least six runs in each contest but still sit at 5-3 on the young season.

The key for the Gators will be continuing their hot hitting just in case their young arms drop the ball versus Florida A&M.

Garrett Milchin should play a bigger role if he stays healthy in 2022

Milchin’s unlikely return to the field in 2021 was one of the best stories in all of college baseball, and it’s not done being written yet.

Name: Garrett Milchin

Number: 3

Position: RHP

Class: Redshirt Junior (COVID-19)

Height: 6’5″

Weight: 215 pounds

Hometown: Windermere, Florida

High School: The First Academy

2021 statistics:

G GS W-L IP H R BB K ERA WHIP
6 6 2-1 21.2 24 14 3 20 4.98 1.25

Overview:

The No. 11 right-handed pitcher in the nation in the class of 2016, Milchin was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 39th round of the MLB draft out of high school, but he stuck with his commitment to Florida. He saw 19 appearances as a true freshman on the 2017 national title team, coming out of the bullpen in SEC play and starting a pair of midweek games.

In his first career start against Florida State, he threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings en route to a win, and he finished the season with a 3.29 ERA and a 4-2 record. He saw action in the lineup with 26 plate appearances, and though he only batted .182, he hit a home run.

During Milchin’s relief appearance against TCU in the College World Series, he motioned to the dugout to pull himself from the game. An MRI the next day revealed a tear to his ulnar collateral ligament, and he required Tommy John surgery.

The lengthy recovery cost him the 2018 season, but he was set to return in 2019. Then, injury struck again. Milchin re-tore his UCL, requiring another  Tommy John surgery, which held him out of the entire season again. He was still recovering during 2020 and didn’t see any appearances before the season was canceled.

Milchin’s unlikely return to the field came on Feb. 23, 2021, nearly four years removed from his last appearance in a real baseball game. He started UF’s midweek game against UNF, allowing one run in two innings.

He became Florida’s primary midweek starter, and all six of his appearances in 2021 were midweek starts. He managed a 2-1 record and totaled 20 strikeouts compared to three walks. His 4.98 ERA could have been better, but it was an encouraging return to the bump for Milchin. He didn’t see any plate appearances on the season.

Milchin has the option to return to Florida for a rare sixth year of eligibility, and it would be a nice boost for the Gators if he did. At the very least, he’d likely retain his midweek starter role and could push for a spot in the weekend rotation.

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