Jac Caglianone blasted his 27th home run of the season against Texas A&M on Saturday night, setting Florida’s single-season home run record with the 405-foot opposite field bomb.
The Gators’ two-way phenom tied Wyatt Langford and Matt LaPorta at 26 earlier in the week against FSU. Just two games later, Caglianone made history.
Caglianone’s solo shot allowed him to regain the lead atop the Nations home run leaderboard, as Troy’s Shane Lewis had blasted three home runs in the first two games of their weekend series, tying Caglianone at 26 before tonight’s game.
Unfortunately, the record-breaking home run came away from Gainesville and in a blowout 15-2 loss to the Aggies.
“It is disappointing that it came in a game like today because it kind of gets overshadowed by the outcome of the game,” Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan said on Caglianone’s record. “Jac’s had a great year for us and to break that record is a tremendous accomplishment for him. We are very happy for him. It’s just unfortunate it came in a game like today.”
It’s not often a pair of players hit 26+ home runs in back-to-back seasons.
“I think we’ll probably look back in a few years from now and really, really enjoy what we’re watching,” O’Sullivan said on Langford and Caglianone’s historic seasons.
Caglianone is averaging a home run in every 7.18 at bats while sporting a .361 batting average through 48 starts in 2023.
With seven games seven games left in the regular season and a potential postseason run in store, Caglianone’s historic season is far from over.
On pace for 31 in the regular season alone, Caglianone may threaten college baseball’s current single-season home run record in the BBCOR era (since 2011), which is 32 home runs by Texas’ Ivan Melendez.
Caglianone will likely end up a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States.
The Tampa native has blown past his preseason goal of 15 home runs and will look to build on his historic season while helping Florida chase a title.