Florida baseball is set to take on another American Athletic Conference opponent as Cincinnati makes their way to Gainesville for a three-game weekend series.
Kevin O Sullivan’s squad is coming off a two-game midweek set with the USF Bulls where the Gators dropped their first game of the 2023 season after allowing seven 9th inning runs on Wednesday night.
BEARCATS BASEBALL
Cincinnati entered the 2023 season projected to finish 7th place in the eight-team American Conference, according to American Baseball’s preseason polls. The Bearcats are coming off back-to-back fourth place finishes in the conference standings.
In 2022, Cincinnati finished 24-31, but held their own in conference play, finishing 12-12 in league games. The Bearcats won one conference tournament game against Tulane before losing to nationally ranked East Carolina and Tulane, ending Cincinnati’s season.
KEY DEPARTURES
Cincinnati’s offseason was not a favorable one. The Bearcats will be without the 2022 conference player of the year in Griffin Merritt, who transferred to Tennessee in the offseason. The Volunteers also claimed one of Cincinnati’s best hitters in Paul Komistek via the transfer portal.
Head coach Scott Googins, who is entering his sixth season with the Bearcats, also lost two of his three weekend pitchers in Tristan Weaver and Beau Keathley during the offseason.
2023
The Bearcats traveled to Georgia State for a four-game set last weekend, splitting the series 2-2 with the Panthers. Cincinnati was outscored 23-19 across 32 innings of baseball.
Cincinnati is slashing .214/.321/.316 with two home runs, six doubles, and 14 walks on the young season.
The Bearcats’ team ERA sits at 6.39 through four games, while holding a WHIP of 1.90.
Georgia State hit .277 against Cincinnati pitchers including eight home runs, five doubles, two triples, and 26 walks in 31 innings.
Defensively, the Bearcats are averaging one error a game, posting a fielding percentage of .969%.
GATOR BASEBALL
Florida ranks among the best in college baseball at the plate, holding a batting average of .358, which sits at No.10 amongst division one teams.
The Gators slugging percentage of .607 ranks 18th in the country.
Florida’s 18 doubles are the most by any team in division one baseball and their 62 hits are the 4th most in the country.
Despite giving up seven runs in the 9th inning against USF, Florida’s team ERA is 2.63, which ranks 32nd in the country. Their WHIP of .93 sits as the 11th best amongst D1 teams.
Although things looked ugly for Florida’s bullpen last time out, the stats would suggest it was just a bad day in the office, as the Gators’ pitching staff has been impressive through five games.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Brandon Sproat vs Garrett Harker
Sproat was unhittable in his 2023 debut, but his command got the best of him. The hard throwing right hander pitched 5.2 innings, allowing no hits, three runs, three walks, two HBP, while striking out seven batters and picking up the win.
Harker pitched on Friday night against Georgia State, throwing five innings and allowing one run, five hits, three walks, one HBP, one homerun, while striking out seven Panther batters.
The sophomore made 16 appearances including six starts in 2022, posting an ERA of 7.03 across 48.1 innings pitched.
Saturday: Hurston Waldrep vs Chase Horst
Waldrep was sound in his Gators debut, pinching five innings, allowing four hits, two runs, two walks, while striking out six batters en-route to his first win of the season.
Horst started the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader for the Bearcats, throwing four innings and allowing two hits, one run, three walks, two HBP, while striking out five. The lefty true freshman sits at 5-11, 186 pounds.
Sunday: Jac Caglianone vs Chase Hopewell
Caglianone was the best pitcher on the weekend for the Gators, throwing 6.2 shutout innings, while allowing just two hits, one walk, and one HBP. Caglianone’s nine strikeouts marked the most in a Gators’ pitching debut since 2011.
Hopewell will serve as the Sunday starter for Cincinatti once again after completing four innings against Georgia State and allowing four runs, six hits, one walk, two homeruns, while totaling four strikeouts.
The redshirt junior has primarily served as a bullpen arm in his three seasons with the Bearcats.
GAME TIMES
(all times eastern)
Friday, February 24th at 6:30 PM.
Saturday, February 25th at 4:00 PM.
Sunday, February 26th at 12:00 PM.