No.3 Florida will travel to No.11 Tennessee for a three-game series inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
All three games are televised nationally, beginning with Thursday night’s 8 p.m. contest on ESPNU. Game two airs on SEC Network on Friday at 7 p.m. while the finale is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Gators will look to build on their perfect 6-0 road resume.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Thursday: RHP Brandon Sproat (4-1, 5.45 ERA) vs. RHP Chase Dollander (4-2, 3.92 ERA)
Friday: RHP Hurston Waldrep (5-1, 4.74 ERA) vs. RHP Chase Burns (2-2, 4.97 ERA)
Saturday: LHP Jac Caglianone (3-0, 4.18 ERA) vs. RHP Drew Beam (3-1, 2.51 ERA)
VOLUNTEER BASEBALL
Tennessee (21-8, 4-5 SEC) enters their fourth SEC series with as many conference losses as they had in all of 2022 (5).
The Volunteers were picked to finish first in the SEC East preseason polls but enter the weekend in sole possession of fifth place.
Tennessee is batting .294/.403/.545 as a team while pitching to a 2.72 ERA, which ranks second in all of college baseball.
Tony Vitello’s squad holds a respectable fielding percentage of .975, allowing just 24 errors in 29 games.
While Tennessee may not be the ballclub they were last year during the regular season, they are a tough out on the road due to an elite pitching staff and a capable offensive lineup.
The Vols started the SEC season by getting swept by the Missouri Tigers, but immediately bounced back with a sweep of their own over No.21 TAMU. Most recently, Tennessee dropped 2/3 to No.1 LSU on the road but outscored the Tigers 20-18 in the three-game series.
LAST TIME THEY FACED
Florida and Tennessee faced off four times last season including three games in Gainesville and one in the SEC tournament. The Vols swept the Gators, outscoring Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad 25-11 in the four-game set. Florida was competitive in three of the four games but couldn’t find a way to close against the Volunteers.
Tennessee’s ballclub has had a complete makeover after losing a program record 10 players to the MLB Draft in 2022. The Vols had to dig deep into the transfer portal to fill out their 2023 roster.
FLORIDA BASEBALL
More than half of Florida’s wins this season (25) have been in comeback fashion (13), matching last year’s 66-game total of 13 come-from-behind victories. After going 0-20 last season when trailing after six innings, Florida is 2-3 in that scenario already in 2023. Even more impressively, the Gators are 11-2 when the opponent scores first this season, compared to 11-15 last year.
GATORS’ PITCHING STAFF
To start the season, Florida couldn’t get any momentum out of their bullpen. In recent weeks, the roles have reversed.
Across the last 16 games, Florida’s bullpen has dominated, working to an 8-0 record, 2.62 ERA, .215 batting average against and 83 strikeouts in 68 2/3 frames.
LHP Philip Abner has not allowed a run in his last seven appearances. Florida’s closer Brandon Neely is tied for ninth nationally with six saves and has yet to blow an opportunity this season.
Florida’s starting pitching has hit a rough spot as we approach the midway point of the 2023 season. The Gators found just one quality start a weekend ago (Hurston Waldrep). With the talent in the rotation, I would bet on the trio of Sproat, Waldrep, and Caglianone getting things straightened out as we progress through the season.
OFFENSIVE CLINIC
The Gators remain as one of the best hitting teams in the country, leading all of college baseball in slugging percentage (.609) and ranking in the top five in hits, runs, home runs, triples, and batting average.
Florida has collected double-digit hits and double-digit runs in the same contest in half of their games (15-30).
The Gators are led by a trio of batters in Josh Rivera, Jac Caglianone, and Wyatt Langford. Caglianone and Rivera have recently been added to the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List after not appearing on the preseason list.
Langford, who begin the season on the list, did not make the cut for the midseason watch list, likely due to missing seven games with a groin injury. Langford leads UF with a .552 on-base percentage and is hitting .402 through 23 games with more than twice as many walks (26) as strikeouts (12). Langford’s 22.4% walk rate is up 9.8% from last year’s mark of 12.6% while his strikeout rate is down 4.2% to 10.3%. Langford’s .890 slugging percentage is also .193 points higher than last year’s robust mark of .697.
Florida (25-5, 7-2 SEC) leads Tennessee 154-94 in the all-time series and holds a record of 24-20 under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, including a 12-9 record on the road.