Road-weary Gators home vs. Vandy

After losing three of their last four baseball games away from Gainesville, the Florida Gators return home to McKethan Stadium this weekend but the competition doesn’t get any easier.

Vanderbilt (23-4) and Florida (18-6) are tied for second place in the Southeastern Conference’s East Division at 4-2, one game behind South Carolina. The Commodores, ranked No. 20 in Baseball America, No. 23 in Collegiate Baseball, No. 17 in USA Today/ESPN coaches and No. 18 in the National College Baseball Writers Association polls, are coming off a three-game sweep of Kentucky after losing two of three in its league-opening series to Alabama.

The Gators, No. 8 in Baseball America, No. 12 in Collegiate Baseball, No. 11 in USA Today/ESPN coaches and No. 9 in the NCBWA polls, is coming off a 7-2 loss to Florida State that followed a 1-2 series at Mississippi.

The Commodores have always been rich with pitching, and this year is no different. Three years ago it was left-hander David Price, who was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft and is now in the starting rotation for the Tampa Bay Rays. Next was Mike Minor, who took over as the ace of the pitching staff for two years before being selected as the No. 7 overall pick during the 2009 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves.

Now, it’s sophomore Sonny Gray’s turn. The right-hander is already a two-time recipient of the SEC Pitcher of the Week, most recently after last Friday’s dominant victory over Kentucky. Gray lasted seven innings, allowing only four singles and three walks, while striking out six. He didn’t allow a runner to reach third base.

Gray is 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA this season. In 40 innings of work, he has recorded 39 strikeouts and allowed 16 walks. He has faced 160 batters this season and only allowed five extra base hits.

Gray will pitch in the series opener Friday night at 6:30 p.m. Florida sophomore Alex Panteliodis will oppose him. The left-hander is 5-1 with a 2.03 ERA. In 31 innings, he has allowed only 20 hits and five walks. Opposing hitters are batting .189 against him. Panteliodis was handed his first loss last Friday night in Oxford when he was the tough-luck loser in a 3-2 loss to Ole Miss. He gave up three runs in the first two innings before recording 15 straight outs.

Junior Taylor Hill will start the 4 p.m. Saturday game for the Commodores. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA in six starts this season. In 36 innings of work, he has allowed 44 hits, 11 walks and recorded 28 strikeouts. Opposing hitters have managed a .317 batting average against Hill this season.

Florida counters with left-hander Brian Johnson. The freshman is coming off a sparkling outing that helped Florida salvage the third game of last weekend’s series at Ole Miss, where he went 5.1 innings, allowing four hits and one unearned run. Johnson is 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA this season.

The Commodores will start sophomore Jack Armstrong Sunday at 1 p.m.. The 6-6, 226-pound right-hander is 3-0 with a 4.70 ERA in six starts this season. He has allowed 40 hits and 11 walks in 30.2 innings this season. He also has recorded 22 strikeouts. The Gators will start right-hander Hudson Randall. The freshman is 2-2 with a 5.00 ERA. Randall was hit hard in one inning of work at Ole Miss last Saturday, and his start was moved back to Sunday after he worked in relief during the loss to Florida State. Randall has allowed 31 hits in 27 innings this season, and the opposition has a .287 average against him.

The Vanderbilt offense is led by sophomore third baseman Jason Esposito. He is hitting .368 and leads the team with five home runs and 32 RBI.

Redshirt sophomore first baseman/designated hitter Aaron Westlake made a strong run at being the SEC Freshman of the Year last season, but he is struggling this year. He is hitting .284 with four home runs and 22 RBI.

The table setters in the Commodores lineup are shortstop Brian Harris and second baseman Riley Reynolds. Harris is hitting .327 with three home runs and 19 RBI, as well as a team-high on-base percentage of .595. Reynolds is struggling to hit .230 this season, but he has worked 16 walks, good for second on the team in that category.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

Conference Overall

EASTERN DIVISION W-L Pct. W-L Pct.


South Carolina 5-1 .833 20-5 .800

Vanderbilt 4-2 .667 23-4 .852

Florida 4-2 .667 18-6 .750

Kentucky 1-5 .167 17-9 .654

Georgia 1-5 .167 9-15 .375

Tennessee 0-6 .000 13-13 .500

WESTERN DIVISION W-L Pct. W-L Pct.

Louisiana State 5-1 .833 21-3 .875

Arkansas 4-2 .667 20-5 .800

Mississippi 4-2 .667 20-6 .769

Auburn 4-2 .667 17-8 .680

Alabama 2-4 .333 17-7 .708

Mississippi State 2-4 .333 14-11.560

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY / April 2


Vanderbilt (So. RHP Sonny Gray 4-2, 2.25 ERA) at Florida (So. LHP Alex Panteliodis 5-1, 2.03 ERA), 6:30 p.m.

Auburn (So. LHP Cory Luckie 1-1, 8.84 ERA) at Alabama (So. LHP Adam Morgan 3-0, 3.55 ERA), 7 p.m. (CSS)

Mississippi State (Fr. RHP Kendall Graveman 1-1, 6.20 ERA) at South Carolina (Sr. RHP Blake Cooper 4-0, 3.32 ERA), 7 p.m.

Tennessee (Jr. LHP Bryan Morgado 2-2, 4.42 ERA) at Mississippi (Jr. LHP Drew Pomeranz 4-0, 1.23 ERA), 7:30 p.m.

Kentucky (Jr. LHP Logan Darnell 3-2, 3.79 ERA) at Arkansas (Sr. RHP Mike Bolsinger 3-0, 3.18 ERA), 7:35 p.m.

Georgia (Jr. RHP Justin Grimm 2-2, 4.71 ERA) at Louisiana State (Jr. RHP Anthony Ranaudo 0-0, 0.00 ERA), 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

SATURDAY / April 3

Kentucky (Fr. LHP Taylor Rogers 3-2, 3.99 ERA) at Arkansas (So. LHP Drew Smyly 2-0, 1.69 ERA), 3:05 p.m.

Vanderbilt (Jr. RHP Taylor Hill 3-1, 2.56 ERA) at Florida (Fr. LHP Brian Johnson 2-1, 3.42 ERA), 4 p.m. (SUN)

Mississippi State (Fr. RHP Chris Stratton 2-3, 3.48 ERA) at South Carolina (Jr. RHP Sam Dyson 2-0, 4.15 ERA), 4 p.m. (CSS)

Auburn (Jr. LHP Cole Nelson 4-1, 3.12 ERA) at Alabama (Jr. RHP Jimmy Nelson 4-0, 1.78 ERA), 5 p.m.

Georgia (Sr. RHP Jeff Walters 0-2, 9.38 ERA) at Louisiana State (Jr. RHP Austin Ross 3-1, 4.54 ERA), 5 p.m. (FSN)

Tennessee (Sr. RHP Stephen McCray 2-3, 1.89 ERA) at Mississippi (Sr. RHP Aaron Barrett 6-0, 2.13 ERA), 5 p.m.

SUNDAY / April 4

Vanderbilt (So. RHP Jack Armstrong 3-0, 4.70 ERA) at Florida (Fr. RHP Hudson Randall 2-2, 5.00 ERA), 1 p.m. (SUN)

Georgia (So. RHP Michael Palazzone 3-2, 7.48 ERA) at Louisiana State (TBA), 1 p.m. (CSS)

Tennessee (So. LHP Steven Gruver 1-1, 4.76 ERA) at Mississippi (TBA), 2 p.m.

Mississippi State (TBA) at South Carolina (Sr. RHP Jay Brown 1-0, 3.38 ERA), 2 p.m. (ESPNU)

Kentucky (So. RHP Alex Meyer 4-2, 6.15 ERA) at Arkansas (Jr. RHP Brett Eibner 2-2, 2.28 ERA), 2:05 p.m.

Auburn (TBA) at Alabama (TBA), 3 p.m.

TUESDAY / April 6

Jacksonville at Florida, 6:30 p.m.

Clemson at Georgia, 6:30 p.m.

Louisville at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m.

Belmont at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m.

UAB at Alabama, 7:30 p.m.

Georgia State at Auburn, 7:30 p.m.

Alcorn State at Louisiana State, 7:30 p.m.

Jackson State at Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY / April 7

Georgia at Clemson, 6:30 p.m.

Alabama at Jacksonville State, 6:30 p.m.

College of Charleston at South Carolina, 7 p.m.

Western Carolina at Tennessee, 7 p.m.

Saint Louis at Arkansas, 7:30 p.m.

South Alabama at Auburn, 7:30 p.m.

Arkansas-Little Rock at Mississippi, 7:30 p.m.

Southern Mississippi vs. Louisiana State at Zephyr Field, New Orleans, 8 p.m.

FRIDAY / April 9

Alabama at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m.

Florida at Tennessee, 7 p.m.

South Carolina at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m.

Arkansas at Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m.

Louisiana State at Auburn, 7:30 p.m.

Mississippi at Georgia, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY / April 10

Arkansas at Mississippi State, 3 p.m.

Mississippi at Georgia, 3 p.m.

South Carolina at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m.

Florida at Tennessee, 4 p.m.

Louisiana State at Auburn, 4 p.m.

Alabama at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m.

SUNDAY / April 11

Florida at Tennessee, 12:30 p.m.

Alabama at Kentucky, 1 p.m.

Louisiana State at Auburn, 2 p.m.

Mississippi at Georgia, 2 p.m.

South Carolina at Vanderbilt, 2 p.m.

Arkansas at Mississippi State, 2:30 p.m.

RESULTS

TUESDAY / March 30


Florida State 7, Florida 2

Kentucky 11, Cincinnati 2

South Carolina 10, The Citadel 1

Tennessee 9, Tennessee Tech 3

Mississippi 5, Mississippi State 3

Vanderbilt 7, Wofford 2

Alabama 7, Jacksonville State 3

Arkansas 18, Centenary 2

WEDNESDAY / March 31

Arkansas 9, Centenary 4

Troy 5, Auburn 4

Western Kentucky 6, Kentucky 3

UAB 6, Alabama 4

Louisiana State 13, Binghamton 7

Vanderbilt 10, Wofford 7

Tennessee 25, Presbyterian 6

POLLS

As of March 29


BASEBALL AMERICA

1. Virginia (20-4); 2. Arizona State (23-0); 3. Georgia Tech (21-2); 4. Florida State (19-4); 5. Louisiana State (20-3); 6. UCLA (20-0); 7. Texas (18-6); 8. Florida (18-5); 9. Louisville (20-3); 10. Arkansas (18-5); 11. Mississippi (19-6); 12. South Carolina (19-5); 13. Texas Christian (17-5); 14. Coastal Carolina (19-5); 15. Miami, Fla. (16-7); 16. Clemson (18-6); 17. Oklahoma (20-3); 18. Western Kentucky (20-5); 19. Stanford (12-6); 20. Vanderbilt (21-4); 21. Oregon State (16-5); 22. Arizona (20-5); 23. Texas A&M (17-6); 24. UC Irvine (14-8); 25. Alabama (16-6).

COLLEGIATE BASEBALL

1. Arizona State (23-0); 2. UCLA (20-0); 3. Virginia (20-4); 4. Louisiana State (20-3); 5. Georgia Tech (21-2); 6. Florida State (19-4); 7. Texas (18-6); 8. Louisville (20-3); 9. Oklahoma (20-3); 10. Oregon State (16-5); 11. Mississippi (19-6); 12. Florida (18-5); 13. Clemson (18-6); 14. South Carolina (19-5); 15. Coastal Carolina (19-5); 16. Texas Christian (17-5); 17. Miami, Fla. (16-7); 18. Arizona (20-5); 19. Arkansas (18-5); 20. Kansas State (19-3); 21. Western Kentucky (20-5); 22. Southeast Louisiana (22-3); 23. Vanderbilt (21-4); 24. Pittsburgh (18-4); 25. The Citadel (18-6); 26. UC Irvine (14-8); 27. Texas A&M (17-6); 28. Stanford (12-6); 29. Virginia Military Institute (20-4); 30. Wichita State (14-7).

USA TODAY/ESPN COACHES

1. Arizona State (23-0); 2 Georgia Tech (21-2); 3. Virginia (20-4); 4. Louisiana State (20-3); 5. UCLA (20-0); 6. Florida State (19-4); 7. Texas (18-6); 8. Louisville (20-3); 9. Oklahoma (20-3); 10. Clemson (18-6); 11. Florida (18-5); 12. Texas Christian (17-5); 13. Arkansas (18-5); 14. Mississippi (19-6); 15. Coastal Carolina (19-5); 16. Miami, Fla. (16-7); 17. Vanderbilt (21-4); 18. Oregon State (16-5); 19. South Carolina (19-5); 20. Arizona (20-5); 21. Kansas State (19-3); 22. Texas A&M (17-6); 23. (tie) Southeast Louisiana (22-3) and Alabama (16-6); 25. Western Kentucky (20-5).

NATIONAL COLLEGE BASEBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION

1. Arizona State (23-0); 2. Virginia (20-4); 3. Georgia Tech (21-2); 4. Louisiana State (20-3); 5. Florida State (19-4); 6. UCLA (20-0); 7. Texas (18-6); 8. Louisville (20-3); 9. Florida (18-5); 10. Arkansas (18-5); 11. Texas Christian (17-5); 12. Clemson (18-6); 13. Oklahoma (20-3); 14. Mississippi (19-6); 15. Miami, Fla. (16-7); 16. Oregon State (16-5); 17. Coastal Carolina (19-5); 18. Vanderbilt (21-4); 19. South Carolina (19-5); 20. Arizona (20-5); 21. Southeastern Louisiana (22-3); 22. North Carolina (16-9); 23. East Carolina (16-8); 24. UC Irvine (14-8); 25. Western Kentucky (20-5); 26. Stanford (12-6); 27. Texas A&M (17-6); 28. Kansas State (19-3); 29. Alabama (16-6); 30. Kentucky (16-8).