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The No. 2 Florida Gators (17-3, 3-0 SEC East) passed their first road test this season when the young team won a baseball series against Miami in Coral Gables. However, this weekend they face their toughest road test of the season.
The Gators travel to Oxford, Miss., to take on the No. 18 Ole Miss Rebels (17-5, 2-1), who has averaged over 6,000 fans for most of their weekend games this season. Whether it’s the fans that sit on the hills down the foul lines or the college students grilling out behind left field, the environment is something that can intimidate even veteran teams.
But the Rebels can be beat at home. No. 11 Louisville went into Oxford two weekends ago and won two out of three games to take the series. The Cardinals followed the pattern that is necessary to beat Ole Miss. Louisville got a tremendous start Friday night from ace Thomas Royse (6.1 innings, three hits and one run) to match Ole Miss ace Drew Pomeranz, who had the exact same line. The rest of the weekend was full of timely hits with runners in scoring position, which gave Louisville the series win.
Florida knows the elements it will find in Oxford beginning with Friday’s 7:30 p.m. game. The Gators will be facing the best healthy pitcher in the SEC in Pomeranz. The junior left-hander is considered to be a lock as a first-round pick in this summer’s MLB Draft, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were a top-10 pick. He is 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA on the season. In 29.1 innings of work, Pomeranz has struck out 49 batters and allowed only nine walks. Opposing hitters are batting only .170 against him.
The Gators will counter with sophomore left-hander Alex Panteliodis. He has developed into the ace of the staff, with a 5-0 record and a 1.52 ERA. Two of his wins came in relief early in the season, and Panteliodis has picked up a win in all five games he has pitched this year. He relies more on control than Pomeranz does, as Panteliodis has struck out 20 batters in 23.2 innings of work.
It would make Ole Miss an elite team to have one dominating pitcher like Pomeranz. However, senior right-hander Aaron Barrett gives the Rebels two. He is 5-0 on the season with a 1.69 ERA. In 32 innings, he has struck out 37 batters and allowed 12 walks. Opposing batters are hitting .202 off Barrett, recording 22 hits on the season, and only six of them have been for extra bases.
The Gators will oppose Barrett Saturday at 7 p.m. (CSS will televise) with freshman left-hander Brian Johnson, who is coming off his best outing of the year in last Saturday’s victory over Mississippi State when Johnson went 6.1 innings and allowed one run. Johnson is 1-1 with a 4.29 ERA on the season. He has walked only three batters in 21 innings this season.
The Rebels haven’t announced a starting pitcher for Sunday’s game, and that is in large part because of inconsistencies from that spot over the past two weeks. Matt Tracy has been the Sunday starter but his last two outings combined against Louisville and Kentucky total 9.1 innings, 16 hits and 13 runs (11 earned). The Rebels will decide who will start that game based on how their bullpen is used during the first two games.
Florida will start freshman Hudson Randall (2-1, 3.80 ERA) in Sunday’s 2 p.m. series finale (CSS live). When Tommy Toledo was hit with a line drive two weeks ago, Randall was thrust into the weekend rotation. He responded by making his SEC debut against Mississippi State his best start of the season. Randall went 5.1 innings, allowing four hits and one run while recording five strikeouts. Randall’s 23.2 innings thrown this season tie Panteliodis for the most on the team.
The key against Ole Miss is to split the first two games. Against pitchers the quality of Pomeranz and Barrett, expecting to win both games is somewhat irrational. If the Gators can split the first two, they are in good shape to win the series against a pitching staff that hasn’t had a lot of success on Sundays this season.
The Rebels’ offense has received a spark from two freshmen at the top of the lineup. Left fielder Tanner Mathis (.385, 0 HR, 9 RBI) and second baseman Alex Yarbrough (.351, 0 HR, 15 RBI) have given them a genuine threat at the start of the game.
Center fielder Tim Ferguson is their most consistent batter, hitting .322 with three home runs and 12 RBI. He has also stolen 12 bases this season.
There is a chance the Rebels will be without their cleanup hitter Matt Snyder (.333, 3 HR, 11 RBI). He hit a double in Wednesday’s victory over Saint Louis and fell on his shoulder while rounding first base. It was the second time in three weeks that his shoulder has popped out of the socket. The designated hitter says he will be back as soon as the pain goes away and didn’t rule out returning this weekend.
The Gators will be without third baseman Bryson Smith. He hurt his hand diving back into first base after being picked off. Jerico Weitzel started at third base last Sunday and Austin Maddox started at the position Wednesday night against Florida Gulf Coast.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Conference Overall
EASTERN DIVISION W-L Pct. W-L Pct.
Florida 3-0 1.000 17-3 .850
South Carolina 3-0 1.000 17-4 .810
Kentucky 1-2 .333 16-5 .762
Vanderbilt 1-2 .333 18-4 .818
Georgia 0-3 .000 8-13 .381
Tennessee 0-3 .000 11-10 .524
WESTERN DIVISION W-L Pct. W-L Pct.
Auburn 3-0 1.000 16-5 .762
Alabama 2-1 .667 16-3 .842
Louisiana State 2-1 .667 17-3 .850
Mississippi 2-1 .667 17-5 .773
Arkansas 1-2 .333 15-5 .750
Mississippi State 0-3 .000 12-9 .571
SCHEDULE
All times are Eastern
FRIDAY / March 26
Louisiana State (Jr. RHP Austin Ross / 2-1, 4.88 ERA) at Tennessee (Jr. LHP Bryan Morgada / 2-1, 4.55 ERA), 7 p.m. (CSS)
Kentucky (Jr. LHP Logan Darnell / 3-1, 3.09 ERA) at Vanderbilt (So. LHP Sonny Gray / 3-2, 2.73 ERA), 7 p.m.
Florida (So. LHP Alex Panteliodis / 5-0, 1.52 ERA) at Mississippi (Jr. LHP Drew Pomeranz / 3-0, 1.23 ERA), 7:30 p.m.
Alabama (So. LHP Adam Morgan / 3-0, 2.83 ERA) at Arkansas (Sr. RHP Mike Bolsinger / 3-0, 3.18 ERA), 7:30 p.m.
South Carolina (Sr. RHP Blake Cooper / 3-0, 2.90 ERA) at Auburn (So. LHP Cory Luckie / 1-0, 5.40 ERA), 7:30 p.m.
Georgia (Sr. RHP Jeff Walters / 0-2, 9.58 ERA) at Mississippi State (Fr. RHP Kendall Graverman / 1-1, 4.98 ERA), 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY / March 27
South Carolina (Jr. RHP Sam Dyson / 1-0, 5.40 ERA) at Auburn (Jr. LHP Cole Nelson / 4-0, 3.67 ERA), 1 p.m. (CSS)
Louisiana State (So. LHP Chris Matulis / 3-0, 1.47 ERA) at Tennessee (Sr. RHP Stephen McCray / 2-2, 0.89 ERA), 3 p.m. (FSN)
Alabama (Jr. RHP Jimmy Nelson / 4-0, 1.26 ERA) at Arkansas (So. LHP Drew Smyly / 2-0, 1.73 ERA), 3 p.m.
Georgia (Jr. RHP Justin Grimm / 1-2, 5.16 ERA) at Mississippi State (Fr. RHP Chris Stratton / 2-2, 2.63 ERA), 3 p.m.
Kentucky (Fr. LHP Taylor Rogers / 3-1, 4.75 ERA) at Vanderbilt (Jr. RHP Taylor Hill / 3-1, 2.90 ERA), 3 p.m.
Florida (Fr. LHP Brian Johnson / 1-1, 4.29 ERA) at Mississippi (Sr. RHP Aaron Barrett / 5-0, 1.69 ERA), 7 p.m. (CSS)
SUNDAY / March 28
Florida (Fr. RHP Hudson Randall / 2-0, 3.80 ERA) at Mississippi (TBA), 2 p.m. (CSS)
Louisiana State (Jr. RHP Anthony Ranaudo / 0-0, 0.00 ERA) at Tennessee (So. LHP Steven Gruver / 1-0, 3.00 ERA), 2 p.m.
Alabama (Fr. LHP Taylor Wolfe / 2-0, 3.00 ERA) at Arkansas (Jr. RHP Brett Eibner / 2-2, 2.18 ERA), 2 p.m. (CST)
South Carolina (Fr. LHP Tyler Webb / 1-1, 2.53 ERA) at Auburn (TBA), 2 p.m.
Kentucky (So. RHP Alex Meyer / 4-2, 6.51 ERA) at Vanderbilt (So. RHP Jack Armstrong / 3-0, 3.16 ERA), 2 p.m.
Georgia (So. RHP Michael Palazzone / 3-2, 9.15 ERA) at Mississippi State (TBA), 2:30 p.m.
TUESDAY / March 30
Kentucky at Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m.
Florida vs. Florida State at Jacksonville (Baseball Grounds), 7 p.m. (SUN)
The Citadel at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Wofford at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m.
Mississippi State vs. Mississippi State at Pearl, Miss. (Trustmark Park), 7:30 p.m.
Jacksonville State at Alabama, 7:35 p.m.
Centenary at Arkansas, 7:35 p.m.
WEDNESDAY / March 31
Centenary at Arkansas, 4:05 p.m.
Western Kentucky at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m.
Auburn at Troy, 7 p.m.
Presbyterian College at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Wofford at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m.
Alabama vs. UAB at Hoover, Ala. (Regions Park), 7:30 p.m.
Binghamton at Louisiana State, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY / April 2
Vanderbilt at Florida, 6:30 p.m.
Auburn at Alabama, 7 p.m. (CSS)
Mississippi State at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
Tennessee at Mississippi, 7:30 p.m.
Kentucky at Arkansas, 7:35 p.m.
Georgia at Louisiana State, 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
SATURDAY / April 3
Kentucky at Arkansas, 3:05 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Florida, 4 p.m. (SUN)
Mississippi State at South Carolina, 4 p.m. (CSS)
Auburn at Alabama, 5 p.m.
Georgia at Louisiana State, 5 p.m. (FSN)
Tennessee at Mississippi, 5 p.m.
SUNDAY / April 4
Vanderbilt at Florida, 1 p.m. (SUN)
Georgia at Louisiana State, 1 p.m. (CSS)
Tennessee at Mississippi, 2 p.m.
Mississippi State at South Carolina, 2 p.m. (ESPNU)
Kentucky at Arkansas, 2:05 p.m.
Auburn at Alabama, 3 p.m.