The No. 19 Florida Gators baseball team will ride a six-game Southeastern Conference winning streak into Nashville, Tenn., this weekend to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Florida (18-9, 6-3 SEC East) will send junior right-hander Jeff Barfield (2-0, 2.42 ERA) to the mound to oppose junior left-hander Mike Minor (2-2, 3.26 ERA) of Vanderbilt (17-11, 3-6 SEC East). The first pitch is at 7 p.m. ET.
Florida comes into this series well rested. Tuesday’s game against Florida State ended in a 3-2 loss at the Baseball Grounds in Jacksonville after five innings because of rain. Wednesday’s home game against Stetson was postponed by rain and rescheduled for April 15.
Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan only used three pitchers in five innings against Florida State, with the longest outing being 2.1 innings by starting pitcher Stephen Locke. Freshmen Alex Panteliodis and Greg Larson both threw 1.1 innings before the game was ended after five innings. Every other arm in the Florida bullpen has not been used since last Sunday’s series finale against Alabama.
It’s another thing, however, to see how the Florida offense will react to the layoff. Florida struggled to score runs before last weekend’s series sweep during which the Gators scored 30 runs in three games.
“It’s just one of those bumps in the road,” O’Sullivan said. “Everyone has to deal with some soft of adversity. I would hope that it wouldn’t affect us.”
Florida also has a 2-5 record in games away from home, including a three-game sweep at the hands of Arkansas to open SEC play. Vanderbilt has a 13-3 record at home, and O’Sullivan hopes his young team can step up to the challenge they face this weekend.
“We just try to work on focus,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ve challenged a few of our older guys who may not have been playing well and hopefully they’ll show some good leadership on the road. If we’re going to make the postseason, we have to learn to play on the road.”
The Commodores lineup may have plenty of new names but they are still producing. They currently rank third in the SEC in batting average (.318), on-base percentage (.414) and hits (298).
So much has been focused on Florida’s lack of power as the Gators currently rank last in the conference with 17 home runs. Vanderbilt is tied for 10th in the league with 20 home runs. But the Commodores are dangerous when they get on base – they are second in the SEC with 52 stolen bases.
Designated hitter/catcher Aaron Westlake leads Vanderbilt with a .419 batting average. The redshirt freshman has only one home run on the season, but he has driven in 24 runs.
Sophomore first baseman and cleanup hitter Curt Casali has a.346 batting average, but his six home runs and 31 RBI make him the most dangerous run producer in the lineup.
The Commodores lost third baseman Pedro Alvarez, who was the second overall pick in the June MLB Draft to the Pittsburgh Pirates. They immediately replaced him with third baseman Jason Esposito, a freshman who is hitting .355 with two home runs and 22 RBI. He also has 10 stolen bases.
Sophomore center fielder Steven Liddle is one of the few returning starters from last season. He is hitting .364 with four home runs and 25 RBI.
The Vanderbilt offense is one of the top units in the SEC, but it is their pitching staff that has struggled this season. The Commodores returned their top two starters from a year ago, and their struggles have taken everyone by surprise.
Minor is their Friday night pitcher, and he has the ability to be one of the best pitchers in the country on any given night. He is only 2-2 with a 3.26 ERA, but hitters are only batting .252 against him and the 6-4, 195-pound junior has allowed only one home run all season.
Sophomore Caleb Cottham will pitch on Saturday afternoon for Vanderbilt. The right-hander is 3-3 with a 4.54 ERA on the season. Cottham has struck out 35 batters in 35.2 innings pitched this season. He will be opposed by freshman left-hander Nick Maronde (1-1, 3.77 ERA).
Both teams haven’t announced a Sunday starter, but Vanderbilt could turn to senior Nick Christiani. The right-hander has started a game during every weekend this season. He is 3-1 with a 6.16 ERA, allowing a batting average of .311 against him in 30.2 innings.
Freshman Sonny Gray was hyped on the same level as Esposito on their way to campus. The right-hander has been the ace reliever for the Commodores, making 10 appearances for 16.2 innings with a 2.16 ERA.
Florida swept the three-games series in Gainesville last season on the weekend before the SEC Tournament. The two teams then squared off in the first round of the SEC Tournament and Vanderbilt won that game 7-3.