Kevin O'Sullivan talks Florida sweep of South Carolina
· Yahoo Sports
Florida baseball head coach praised his team's all-around performance in a 13-3, seven-inning, run-rule victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday.
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O'Sullivan was happy with starter Cooper Wall's performance and delighted with veteran Luke McNeillie after a second straight good outing. Limited usage of the bullpen means Florida is well-equipped for Tuesday's midweek matchup with Stetson, O'Sullivan explained.
After two games of sputtering offense, Florida's bats lit up for 13 runs in the final game of the series. Brendan Lawson and Cash Strayer led the charge, and O'Sullivan is complimentary of both. The only aspect of the game he wasn't happy with was Florida's defense, which has struggled over the past two weekends. Cleaning things up defensively is a priority for the team moving forward.
Here's everything O'Sullivan said after Sunday's win.
Kevin O’Sullivan on the Cooper Walls' performance
“I thought he threw the ball good. They just put some good swings on the ball. After we scored three in the bottom of the second, the top of the third was really efficient and he was really good. That's what you need on Sunday. You just need strikes.
"I thought he threw the ball better. And obviously Luke (McNeillie) — that's two really good outings in a row for him, so I'm really proud of him.”
O’Sullivan on the offensive production
“We got hits up and down the lineup from everybody except for Blake (Cyr). But Blake got on base twice with two walks. We gave Karson (Bowen) the day off today, and the big swing of the day was Cash’s grand slam, and Brendan’s home run as well. So it was a good day for us and it really helped our pitching.
"We didn't have to even entertain bringing Ernie (Lugo-Canchola) in to face one lefty. We had shut down Barberi — he was going to be done for the day. Didn't really want to use Whritenour if we didn't have to because he threw 40-some pitches on Friday. So it worked out perfectly pitching-wise, and it sets us up good for Tuesday.”
O’Sullivan on scoring early
“We talked about it. It's amazing how the wind can affect your offense. I think the biggest thing I'm proud about with this team — other than the way we pitched this weekend — was we found a way to win in different ways on Friday and Saturday, and then today was a different day offensively.
"That's the key to a good team, being able to manufacture runs in different ways depending on the elements.”
O’Sullivan on defensive improvement
“The big thing we're going to continue to work on is our defense. It's not from a lack of fundamentals. It's not from a lack of reps. I don't know if it's just a lack of concentration at times. Maybe guys are taking their at-bats out on defense. Maybe they're not thinking one pitch ahead.
"I'm not quite sure what it is, but we're definitely going to have to clean that up moving forward.”
O’Sullivan on the dugout warnings after Brendan’s home run
“I think they didn't like the bat flip, but there were some things that were said before that stirred up our dugout. Both teams got warnings and that was that.”
O’Sullivan on the team staying composed after warnings
“We talked about that the other day. When you get warnings, if anything happens, you're ejected. And then it's not just a one-game ejection, it's multiple. So we got the team together again, talked about it, and the chirping obviously came to a stop at that point.”
O’Sullivan on Luke McNeillie escaping the bases-loaded jam
"He came in a tough spot there. Got to a 3-2 count and made a good pitch. I can't say enough good things about how he pitched today. That's two in a row now. Florida State was the last time he pitched, and he was outstanding, and then tonight he was too.”
O’Sullivan on Lawson’s offensive ability
“He's just a special player. He never gets excited in the box — he's calm. You can see when he takes a swing and fouls a ball off, he walks around the plate and collects his thoughts. He doesn't chase very much at all. He's very comfortable hitting with two strikes. He's a really smart hitter. He's one of the best hitters we've had come through here.
"That's saying a lot because we've had a lot of big leaguers come through here. He certainly stacks up there with some of the best we've ever had.”
O’Sullivan on Lawson’s approach against left-handed pitching
"He does use the whole field, which sometimes kind of shocks me that teams shift on him so much because he can go the other way.”
O’Sullivan on finishing the game early and preserving pitching
“It was a good game. Great to get it over with in seven, so we saved some pitching. Sometimes you go into those Tuesday games, and the Sunday games can be taxing, and you're using a lot of pitchers. But this should set us up fairly well for Tuesday.”
O’Sullivan on Cash Strayer’s production
“I just think, like some freshmen, they kind of hit a wall. They're not used to playing as many games from high school.
"Me not moving him out of the five spot pretty much tells you everything you need to know about how I feel about him. Some guys you move up and down a little bit when they're struggling. I believe he's one of the more natural hitters we have in our lineup.”
O’Sullivan on recruiting hitters from Plant High School
“He can hit. Every single hitter we have gotten from Plant High School has always hit. I'm very good friends with their high school coach, Dennis Braun, and when he calls me and says, ‘Hey, I got this guy that can really hit,’ it's almost like you don't even have to go see the game.
"We do, of course, but he's never been wrong before with us as hitters.”
O’Sullivan on stealing third base more aggressively
“Sometimes I get a little nervous because we've been doing it more with no outs, and one of the cardinal sins is not to make the first out at third. But we're just trying to open it up a little bit more. There might be a game where we make the first out at third, and it costs us a run.
"But right now it's been effective for us. You've got to coach by the book, but sometimes you have to use your instincts as well.”
O’Sullivan on completing the series sweep
“It's South Carolina. It's not like they don't have a good program. You saw the last guys they threw out there were 94, 96, they're older. We were just able to handle the middle of their order pretty well this weekend. Our guys executed the pitch plan. They've got some guys in the middle of the order who can hit.
"I know they juggled their lineup today to see if they could get a spark. A lot of it has to do with our pitching, honestly.”
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida baseball quotes Kevin O'Sullivan on South Carolina sweep