College Baseball: Florida vs. Jacksonville

The third-ranked Florida Gators baseball team is off to a good start, sweeping its first series against the William and Mary Tribe. The Gators got off to a slow tribe against the Tribe, however, as they were down in the first game of the series 4-1. Florida eventually rallied with four straight runs. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said he thought his team got better as the weekend went on. They look to start 4-0 with their game against Jacksonville tonight.

Next two days, @GatorsBB vs. Jacksonville away/home. Details via @dapple0 — https://t.co/UCZiVb3Tbk pic.twitter.com/AqbqBiVzMk

— Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) February 21, 2017

 

Gators providing good offense

The Gators’ offense is off to a good start, averaging eight runs a game on a .311 batting average. Junior infielder Dalton Guthrie leads the team with five runs scored on a .417 batting average and five hits. Sophomore infielders Jonathan India and Deacon Liput both lead the team with four RBIs. Guthrie had a particularly good game in the series finale against William and Mary with three runs, two hits and one RBI in three at-bats.

The offense will be tested against Jacksonville’s pitching which has been solid so far. The Dolphins’ pitching staff has allowed six earned runs leading to a 2.00 team ERA. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Chris Gau has carried the team with 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings with no earned runs.

Gators’ pitching solid so far

The Gators’ pitching staff has allowed nine earned runs on a team ERA of 3.34. Sophomore Alex Faedo, who is widely expected to be a top pick in the 2017 MLB draft, started the first game and struggled, allowing four runs in 4.2 innings pitched. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Michael Byrne eventually came in relief and won the game, pitching three scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

Florida’s pitching staff will be going up against a Jacksonville offense that’s averaging five runs a game. The Dolphins have struggled with batting average, however, only batting .237 as a team. Infielders Sam Armstrong (junior) and Angel Camacho (sophomore) both lead the team with three runs scored.

Did you see this?? #ShakeNBake

Freshman Andrew Baker is an ATHLETE. #Barehand pic.twitter.com/DI2U9wLaMr

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 21, 2017

 

Game Information

Michael Byrne will be the Gators’ starting pitcher while senior left-handed pitcher Casey Kulina will start for the Dolphins. The game will begin tonight at 6 p.m. in Jacksonville, Florida.