Wyatt Langford ties Florida single season home run record
The name Wyatt Langford will live in the Florida Gators history books forever. The sophomore from Trenton, Florida launched a solo home run in the ninth inning of a losing effort in the Gainesville Regional Championship. The homer was Wyatt Langford’s 26th of the year, tying Matt LaPorta who hit 26 as a sophomore in 2005.
Langford came to the University of Florida as a catcher and corner infielder. He spent nearly the entire season as Florida’s bullpen catcher, notching just four pinch-hitting appearances as a freshman. Langford came back as a sophomore a different player. He moved to the outfield where he worked himself into an above average defensive player.
“Think about that. He only had five or six at bats last year. Tonight he ties the school record with one of the all-time Gator greats, Matt LaPorta. He has a chance to go play with Team USA this year,” Kevin O’Sullivan said of Langford. “If I’d have said that last year after the summer, that this guy has a chance to hit 20-plus home runs and that he was going to have a chance to play for the USA team, that would be crazy. What a great story.
Langford finished the season leading the Gators in batting (.355), OPS (1.166), runs (73), hits, (91), triples (3), slugging (.719), home runs (26), and on-base percentage (.447).
Langford’s crooked smile was no problem
The home run came in the final inning of the final game of the season. In Langford’s first at bat, one that came more than eight hours before his home run, he dribbled a ball down the line that would go for an infield single. After two quick outs, Langford took off for second. The sophomore slid safely head first to swipe his seventh bag of the year.
He was slow to get up and a UF trainer came out to check on him. After a short delay Langford returned to second and continued playing the game. What nobody knew at the time is that when Langford slid into second his face collided with Peyton Graham’s knee and loosened two of his teeth.
When the game was forced into a weather delay the trainer and Langford came to O’Sullivan with one of the stranger requests he’s ever heard during a baseball game.
“Today he slides into second base, he had two teeth that needed to be put back into place. I didn’t even know. I thought he had dirt in his eye. We had the rain delay and the trainer asked if we could take him to the dentist because his teeth had to get put back in place,” O’Sullivan recalled. “I didn’t even know. He was sitting right behind me the whole game and never said a word. He’s tough. He’s tough.”
Langford will go down in history as one of the most prolific home run hitters in Florida history. He should also go down as one of the toughest to put on orange and blue.
