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HOMEGROWN TALENT! That’s the key for the three state powerhouses in football – Florida, Miami and Florida State. Well, the same is true in two other sports as well – baseball and softball. Coach Pat McMahon’s UF baseball team is well stocked with Florida talent, with five of his 42 players from the Sunshine State. Coach Karen Johns’ softball team is also well represented with Floridians, with five of 21 players.
McMahon grew up in Jacksonville, played and coached in Florida before spending 18 years on the staff at Mississippi State. He came home in 2001 to coach the Gators.
“There’s a great pool of baseball talent in Florida,” he said. “They are taught the game by outstanding high school and junior college coaches. We know the players are good. That’s why we commit to recruit from the surrounding areas and then expand.”
Johns says the same is true in softball. “This state produces a lot of good players,” said Johns, who came here in 2001 after serving as an assistant at Alabama and South Carolina. “Fortunately, it’s not hard to get people to want to come to a school like UF.”
While both benefit from the resources in Florida, they still have to perform a balancing act to continually put such high-caliber teams on the field.
In baseball, McMahon has to field a team with only 11.7 scholarships for the entire roster. “It’s not like other sports.” He said. “No one has a full scholarship. At best, someone might be getting a 30 percent scholarship, and have to find other ways to pay the balance.”
That means McMahon has to follow a very complicated formula to field a team. He has to consider his needs on the field, and weigh that against the recruitment done by professional baseball. Major league teams can sign players straight out of high school, as they finish junior college or at the end of their junior year. Often, a player being counted on by a college team is signed away by a major league organization.
Johns has a similar juggling act to contend with, although she can do it with 12 scholarships for her squad. Additionally, she takes advantage of other scholarship opportunities, like the Bright Futures program. With a team grade point average of 3.32 last semester, it’s likely she has some players who qualify.
In both cases, maintaining a strong team is important. Baseball and softball are among the elite of UF athletic teams, and these coaches intend to keep it that way.
McMahon lists winning as one of many goals for his team, along with academic excellence, respect and enthusiasm. The ultimate goal is to be one of eight teams in Omaha at the end of the season, so they are in the position to win the college World Series.
To be there, McMahon believes it will take leadership from his more experienced players. Senior Ben Harrison from Key West and junior C.J. Smith from Tampa, both thought long and hard about professional baseball before deciding to return. McMahon looks to them along with seniors Matt Maley from Miami, Ben Hedgecock from Tampa, Lee Roberson from Georgia, Bo Dring from Bradenton and Matt Cresap from Tallahassee, to be the leaders on this team.
For Johns, the ultimate goal is the same, only the location is different – Oklahoma City. She looks to her captains, senior Mylin Prieto from Cooper City and junior Mandy Schuerman from Riverview, to lead the way.
With all the Florida talent on both squads, don’t be surprised if we’re watching the softball team in Oklahoma City come May and the baseball team in Omaha in June.
Remaining Home Baseball Schedule
March 1 Northwestern
March 5 - 7 Purdue
March 12 - 14 Brown
March 17 Army
March 19 - 21 Arkansas
March 24 Dartmouth
Mar. 31 Florida State
April 2 - 4 Georgia
April 23 - 25 Vanderbilt
April 30 Auburn
May 1, 2 Auburn
May 12 Florida State
May 14- 16 Mississippi
Remaining Home Softball Schedule
March 6 - 7 Kentucky
March 20 - 21 Arkansas
March 30 -31 Auburn
April 3 – 4 Georgia
April 10 - 11 South Carolina
April 20 Bethune-Cookman
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