The Florida Gators kicked off their 2015 season the right way with a 3-0 series sweep over Rhode Island. Florida relied heavily on their pitching staff in 2014 and returned most of their depth on the mound but the bats carried them this past weekend.
The Gators hit .340 (36-for-106) as a team, scored 37 runs (the most in a series since 2006 vs. Cincinnati) and launched six home runs. It took Florida 21 games last season to reach the six home run mark.
Junior outfielder Harrison Bader was named SEC Player of the Week for his 7-for-12 (.583), 11 RBI, three home run performance over the weekend.
The Gators have a busy week with five games on the docket. They’ll host Florida A&M Tuesday before traveling to Tampa to take on USF. Miami will be the weekend visitor but before the Gators and Canes renew their annual rivalry, we’ll focus on the two midweek games as Florida tries to go 5-0 to start a season for the first time since they started 7-0 in 2011.
Florida A&M (1-2)
The Rattlers began their season with a tight 4-3 win on Friday night over visiting Marshall. The weekend quickly turned as FAMU lost 24-2 on Saturday and 10-9 on Sunday.
Outfielder Marlon Gibbs stayed hot throughout the weekend, hitting .500 (5-for-10) with two runs, two doubles and three RBI.
Kevin O’Sullivan is 2-1 against FAMU during his tenure at Florida and the Gators are 18-1 against the Rattlers all-time.
Sophomore Bret Morales will be making his first appearance of the season for the Gators and will oppose FAMU sophomore righty Chase Jarrell (0-0, 3.60). Morales had 11 appearances as a freshman in 2014, including five starts. In 23.1 innings, Morales totaled 16 strikeouts and issued 10 walks. He did not allow any runs in four SEC outings spanning six innings and registered four strikeouts.
South Florida (2-1)
The Bulls traveled to Clearwater where they faced off with Cal State Fullerton, Louisville and Alabama State.
USF was victorious on Friday night against the Titans before falling on Saturday to Louisville. They ended the weekend with a win over Alabama State. USF returns back home and will wait for Florida on Wednesday.
USF really struggled at the dish last weekend going just 10-for-61 (.164) in three games. They belted just one home run and had only four extra base hits in three games.