Playing baseball in the SEC doesn’t lend itself to many easy weekends. Last week the No. 1 Florida Gators (28-3, 7-2 SEC) hosted then No. 1 Texas A&M (22-7, 4-5 SEC) at McKethan Stadium. This week Florida will face SEC West leading No. 5* Mississippi State (21-8-1, 6-3 SEC) for another three-game weekend series.
Weekend Schedule
Friday — 5:30 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Saturday — 7:00 p.m. (SEC Network+)
Sunday — 4:00 p.m. (SEC Network)
Last Week
The Gators bounced back from a series loss to Kentucky with a perfect 4-0 record against FSU and Texas A&M. Florida pounded out 12 hits in each game against the Aggies and then 12 more in a midweek contest with Jacksonville.
Mississippi State took two of three games from the Ole Miss Rebels, winning 3-1 on Friday and 6-2 on Saturday before dropping the series finale 8-5. The Bulldogs trounced UT Martin 14-0 in their midweek tune up game before heading to Gainesville.
Scouting Mississippi State
The Bulldogs come in with a one game lead in the SEC West. Mississippi State’s season got off on the wrong foot with two losses to Florida Atlantic but they have cruised through the rest of the schedule.
Team Batting Average: .320
Team ERA: 3.32
Starter ERA: 2.73
Hitters to watch
OF Jake Mangum — Only a freshman, Mangum leads the Bulldogs in hitting (.439) and on base percentage (.508). Mangum has appeared in 29-of-30 games with 10 starts. Magnum has started SEC play hot, leading State with a .429 batting average and .467 on base percentage against SEC opponents.
OF Jacob Robson — Named a team captain prior to the season, the junior outfielder is second on the team in hitting (.372), first in runs (32), hits (42), at bats (113) and walks (22.) Robson sets the tone for the Bulldogs at the top of the lineup and his .473 on base percentage is third on the team.
C Jack Kruger — The catcher is hitting .357 on the season and his 22 hits are second on the team. Kruger has struggled since SEC play started, however, hitting just .167 in eight games with 10 strikeouts.
Scouting Florida
The Gators’ won three games against Texas A&M without a true quality start from any of their weekend rotation guys. They were able to accomplish that due to the bats waking up. Florida’s offense has struggled at times this season, but they have 48 hits in their last four games. Over the weekend, Florida managed 36 hits, 24 runs, 20 doubles, seven walks and two homeruns.
Team Batting Average: .300
Team ERA: 2.82
Starters ERA: 2.77
Pitching Matchups
Friday: Junior RHP Logan Shore (5-0, 2.59 ERA) vs. Junior RHP Dakota Hudson (4-1, 0.92 ERA)
This is a crème de la crème matchup in college baseball. Both Shore and Hudson are preseason All-Americans and will be first round draft picks this year. Shore is more of a pitcher, using location and precision to get batters out. Hudson is a power pitcher, with his fastball running up 96-97 MPH and a slider that some scouts consider to be the best in the draft, rolling in at 92 MPH. This is as good a pitching matchup as you will get in college baseball.
Saturday: Sophomore RHP Alex Faedo (6-0, 2.53 ERA) vs. Junior RHP Austin Sexton (3-1, 2.98 ERA)
Faedo rebounded nicely after giving up a leadoff home run to J.B. Moss of Texas A&M last week and picked up his sixth win of the season. Faedo lasted 6.2 innings, giving up just one earned run in the 7-2 win.
Sexton’s last game was a gem. The junior threw a complete game with eight strikeouts and no walks. Sexton surrendered two runs, but neither were earned, as he picked up his third win of the season and lowered his ERA from 3.72 to 2.98.
Sunday: Junior RHP A.J. Puk (1-2, 3.38 ERA) vs. TBD
A.J. Puk was in dire need of a good start and appeared to be on his way. Puk needed just 10 pitches to get out of the first inning, where he struck out two, but left the game after his first pitch in the second inning with back spasms. Puk is penciled in to the lineup for Sunday and will give his back another go.
**Team Rankings provided by D1Baseball.com**