Florida Gators Keep High Ranks after Losing Pitching

Florida Gators righthanded pitcher Tommy Mace

Tommy Mace always shown promise therefore his constant improvement through his career proved it. He started out as a freshman in the bullpen. He finished with 26 games pitched with six starts and posted a 4.16 ERA in 62.2 innings. In his pitching debut against Seina he pitched a scoreless inning.

He progressed into a starter in the same season due to his constant improvement in his pitch selection. He had a 3.00ERA in his six starts. Tommy allowed nine earned runs in 27 innings with 18 strikeouts and four walks. In his first career start he went 3.2 innings giving up one earned run on two hits. His best start as a freshman was in the SEC tournament when he pitched seven innings against LSU with one earned run on three hits.

In Tommy Mace’s sophomore season he became the starter every weekend series. He finished the season with a 8-5 record over 16 starts. He took over the Friday night starter role after week four. His ERA was a high 5.32 on 89.2 innings pitched but also recorded 74 strikeouts. He pitched his first complete game against Alabama on March 29 allowing one run on three hits and seven strikeouts. Tommy had seven quality starts which paved his way to his pitching career.

This season was Tommy Mace’s Junior season. He made four Friday night starts finishing with a 3-0 record and a 1.67 ERA. His best performance was against South Florida where he pitched seven scoreless innings giving up two hits. Tommy’s best achievements was allowing two hits and one run in seven innings with eight strikeouts against number one ranked Miami.

Pitcher Jack Leftwich

Jack Leftwich started his career as a bullpen pitcher and followed the same path as Tommy Mace. As a freshman he pitched in 24 games with 12 starts which led him to a 4.20 ERA with 81.1 innings pitched. He was outstanding in the bullpen due to his 1.78 ERA in 25.1 innings. His efforts in the bullpen didn’t go unnoticed therefore he became a starting pitcher. He was ranked 10th among all SEC freshman by limiting opposing hitters bat .231 against him.

In Jack Leftwich’s sophomore season he made 13 weekend starts and posted a 5.31 ERA over 62.1 innings. His final three starts he posted a 1.77 ERA with four earned runs in 20.1 innings and 21 strikeouts.

Jack Leftwich had a number of honors in his 2019 sophomore season. He was named to the NCAA Lubbock all regional team, SEC pitcher of the week on May 20th, and made the SEC academic honor roll.

In his Junior season he made four Saturday starts and posted a 4.15 ERA over 21.2 innings due to the cancellation of the season. His best outing was South Florida taking a perfect game into the seventh. He also had six innings against number one Miami allowing one run on four hits and six strikeouts.

Florida should be fine

Even though the Gators will lose Mace and Leftwich to the draft they should have plenty to stay competitive. The rotation will be led by lefthander Hunter Barco and the bullpen will pull up talent to the starting rotation.

The 2021 season will be different in recruiting due to this years Covid19 pandemic. There will be a record high in high school talent transitioning to college due to a revised draft. The Florida Gators have had a good handle on recruiting for pitchers in the last few years therefore they should be fine for the upcoming season.

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