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After beating the nation’s number one team Tuesday night, head coach Kevin O’Sullivan and the Florida baseball team will look to stay on the winning track tonight against Tennessee (20-13, 6-6 SEC).
The Gators (26-6, 7-5 SEC) have split their first four SEC series, sweeping Vanderbilt and taking two out of three against South Carolina, while falling twice in three games against Ole Miss and LSU. Despite some of Florida’s recent struggles, Tennessee head coach Dave Serrano knows his team will have to be on point with the Gators coming into town.
Sophomore Jonathon Crawford (3-1, 4.37 ERA) will get the ball Friday night in the series opener for the Gators. He will face Tennessee junior Zack Gotley (4-1, 3.81 ERA) in a battle of right-handed pitchers.
Entering the season, the Gators were projected to have one of the best weekend rotations in the SEC. However, with ace Hudson Randall sidelined for his usual Friday start with what O’Sullivan calls a “tired arm”, Crawford – who threw only 3.2 innings last year as a freshman – will have to step up big for the Gators.
The good news? Tennesse lacks the offensive firepower that several other teams within the SEC possess.
The Gators have now taken eight of the last nine meetings between the two teams, and hold a commanding lead in the all-time series 139-77.
Game times for this weekend are 6pm on Friday, 3pm on Saturday, and 2pm on Sunday. You can hear all three games live on Country 103.7 The Gator. Coverage begins five minutes before the first pitch.
