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The final week of preseason for Florida baseball wrapped up.
Scrimmage Recaps
The Gators finished their first scrimmage after three quick innings. Blue won 2-1 after sophomore Hayden Yost put the first run on the board after stealing home plate on an error in the top of the first inning. Sophomore Landon Stripling hit an RBI double in the second. Orange’s run came from junior Blake Cyr in a single RBI to left field.
Saturday’s scrimmage presented a challenge for right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson. Between the second to fourth inning, Peterson gave up ten runs, seven of which were in the second inning alone. Orange took advantage of this 10-point lead, increasing it to 15 runs by the top of the eighth. Orange’s defense was also strong, only giving up one run in the bottom of the ninth.
Blue came back on Sunday, winning 5-2. Junior Ashton Wilson put the first two runs on the board by hitting a home run to left field and RBI single. Junior Justin Nadeau and sophomore Blake Brookins immediately followed advancing the score 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Orange attempted to match the score with back-to-back homers by junior Luke Heyman and freshman Brendan Lawson in the fifth. Also in the fifth, junior Brody Donay cranked a home run, the last run of the game.
Final preparations ⚔️#GoGators pic.twitter.com/q0tDbDxe66
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 11, 2025
Looking Beyond Opening Series
The Gators had a longer winter break, so it took more time for them to warm up during the first few weeks of practices going into the preseason. Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said this contributed to the pitchers being rusty. However, he is pleased with the way the team has been playing the last 10-14 days.
“I’m just looking, you know, for us just to hopefully play like we’ve been playing the last two weeks,” O’Sullivan said. “And I’ve been really pleased. We’ve been swinging the bat good. I think we’re going to play really good defense again. I think pitching wise, hopefully we’ll be a year better.”
O’Sullivan also believes an established bull pen and outfield situation will help curate success. Furthermore, Heyman and Donay have consistently showed out as catchers.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever thrown out this many base runners in preseason between him [Heyman] and Brody,” O’Sullivan said. “I mean, it has been really impressive.”
The Gators have continued to build momentum and strength in the past two weeks of preseason and will continue to harness it as they start meeting opponents.
Air Force Weekend
The pitching line up for opening weekend starts with Peterson on Friday night, sophomore Jake Clemente on Saturday and redshirt junior Pierce Coppola on Sunday.
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Coppola believes he is more prepared this season compared to last. He also trusts Peterson and Clemente to develop from practices and set the bar during Friday and Saturday’s games.
“I think he’s [Peterson] gonna set the tone for the weekend every Friday, and I think Jake Clemente is gonna build off his summer and have a good one,” Coppola said.
The batting lineup is to be determined for this weekend as O’ Sullivan has to figure out what the best lineup will be, even if that means taking chances.
First pitch will be at 6:30 p.m. on Friday against Air Force. It’s the first time in program history that these teams will meet. Coverage will be held on SECN+ and ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF.
