Preview: Gator Baseball Hosts FSU in Sunshine Showdown

Coming off of a three-game sweep over Yale, the No. 7 Florida Gators baseball team (13-5) looks to keep things rolling as they host sixth ranked Florida State (13-1) Tuesday in Gainesville.  The Gators have dominated this series of late, winning eight in a row and 13 of the last 14 meetings.  Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan is 14-2 against the Seminoles in Gainesville.

On the Mound

For the Seminoles, right hander Conor McGrady will get his first career start. McGrady is 2-0 on the season with a 1.54 ERA.

Florida is set to start either lefty Jordan Butler (2.25 ERA) or freshman righty Christian Scott, who has an ERA at a 2.08 through 8.2 innings.

Gators Overcoming Early Season Struggles

Florida has been successful in clinching all of their weekend series against non-conference opponents but have struggled in midweek games. The Gators are currently 2-4 in midweek games, but look to overcome this before heading into conference play.

The Gators got off to a slow offensive start, but have since proven to overcome problems at the plate. The team sits at a .293 battling average.

Heading into their weekend series against Yale, all of the Gators’ offensive players had scored at least one run.

Every single offensive player (18) has scored at least one run in the past five games. #Gators

That's 73 total runs and 14.6 runs per game! pic.twitter.com/W7DyKFfELG

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) March 6, 2019

Freshmen have been impressive at the plate, Jacob Young has proven to be a great addition to the starting line-up. Young’s .429 batting average is the highest among Gator starters.  Outfielder Jud Fabian leads the team in homers with five and is hitting .345 on the season.

A Look at Florida State

The Seminoles have been off to a hot start, with their first loss of the season coming against Virginia Tech this past Saturday.

Despite the loss, the Seminoles clinched the series with a 5-2 win over the Hokies in the final game of the series.  This victory put head coach Mike Martin at a record 2,000 wins, the most by any college baseball coach.

Florida State baseball coach Mike Martin won his 2,000th career game today.

Martin is the first NCAA coach in any sport or division to reach 2,000 wins. pic.twitter.com/AOyBrMv9ni

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 10, 2019

In their Game 3 victory over Virginia Tech, junior Drew Mendoza broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI single to give Florida State the lead. Mendoza has proven to be a reliable hitter, recording a .333 batting average.

Florida State has been impressive at the plate coming to the match-up with a team batting average of .284 and the staff earned run average is an excellent 3.07.

This will be the Seminoles’ first away game of the season.

How to Watch

The game will air on the SEC Network and Gators Sports Network. You can also listen to the game on 103.7 FM. The first pitch is set for 6 pm.