Florida and Florida State take breaks from their SEC and ACC baseball schedules to meet tonight at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. First pitch is at 7 p.m.
The goal of the game in Jacksonville is to create an atmosphere similar to the Florida-Georgia football game in late October just a few blocks down from the Baseball Grounds. The 50-50 split in loyalties is unique in college baseball.
The first time the two teams played, in 2007, the Gators won 16-7 thanks to a power show by future Cleveland Indians standout Matt LaPorta, who went 2-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI.
Last year, the Seminoles evened the series with a 10-2 victory. Florida State pitcher Ryan Strauss pitched seven innings, allowing only one run on four hits. Seminoles catcher Buster Posey went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI.
Now the rubber match. Both teams come in on hot streaks. Florida has won nine of its last 10 games, including a 5-4 victory over the Seminoles on St. Patrick’s Day in Gainesville. The Gators also have swept their last two SEC series against Tennessee and Alabama.
Florida State has won seven of its last eight games. The Seminoles are coming off a three-game sweep of Maryland, outscoring the Terrapins 37-9.
The Gators will send senior left-hander Stephen Locke (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound for his sixth career start. He will be on a pitch count that should only allow him to go a few innings.
The Seminoles will send sophomore right-hander Geoff Parker (2-1, 6.33 ERA) to the mound. He began the year as the ace of the Florida State staff but has struggled. Lately, Parker has excelled out of the bullpen, including 2.2 innings allowing only one run in Gainesville. Parker will also be on a pitch count Tuesday night and isn’t expected to pitch more than two innings.
That means the outcome will depend on the bullpens of both teams. When the two teams met in Gainesville, they combined to use 13 pitchers.
The Seminoles’ offense is led by their leadoff sparkplug Tyler Holt. The Gainesville native is currently hitting .447 with three home runs and 15 RBI. He also leads the Seminoles in stolen bases with 10.
The Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week is Florida State shortstop Stephen Cardullo. He is hitting .365 on the year with five home runs and 16 RBI. Carullo went 8-for-14 with three home runs and eight RBI last weekend against Maryland.
Jason Stidham is playing second base for the Seminoles and has been their cleanup hitter all season. The veteran is hitting .337 with one home run and 20 RBI. He started the season playing shortstop but moved over to second base where he played last season.
The Gators enter the game led by sophomore infielder Josh Adams, who played his baseball in Jacksonville at Eagle’s View Academy. Adams has a .359 batting average with two home runs and 16 RBI. Center fielder Matt den Dekker is batting .346 with 4 homers and 16 RBI. Brandon McArthur (.333, 0, 20), Avery Barnes (.323, 4, 21) and Preston Tucker (.304, 1, 15) and Buddy Munroe (.339, 2, 13) also have started to hit.