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After a walk-off win against Florida State, the number Florida Gator baseball team (22-11, 6-6 SEC) returns to Florida Ballpark for a weekend series with the Mizzou Tigers (11-20, 4-8 SEC). On Tuesday night, the Gators’ Kendrick Calilao knocked one over the fence to give Florida a 3-2 midweek win over in-state rival FSU.
Florida will look to carry the momentum into their three-game series against SEC opponent Missouri.
Pitching Matchups
Friday | RHP Franco Aleman (1-1, 3.58 ERA) vs. RHP Seth Halvorsen (3-1, 6.27 ERA)
Saturday | RHP Tommy Mace (4-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Spencer Miles (1-6, 7.43 ERA)
Sunday | LHP Hunter Barco (4-2, 5.22 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Hise (0-4, 6.75 ERA)
Gators on the Mound
Florida’s Tommy Mace earned a spot on the USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list this week. Through 45 innings pitched, the right-hander has struck out 60 batters while allowing 17 runs. Mace will get a little bit of different look as the Gators’ Saturday starter as opposed to starting on Friday.
https://twitter.com/GatorsBB/status/1382723294428733442
Florida’s Saturday rotation saw a bit of change up last weekend in Tennessee. Franco Aleman got the start on the mound followed up by Jack Leftwich and Trey Van Der Weide. This weekend, Aleman will get the Friday start and likely see the same relief as last weekend for head coach Kevin O’Sullivan and the Gators.
Sunday, Florida will stick with freshman pitcher Hunter Barco.
Gators at the Plate
It’s no secret Florida’s roster is loaded with talented hitters. Despite dropping the series to Tennessee, the Gators saw plenty of hits (17) at the plate over their three game stretch against the Volunteers. However, consistency at the plate against SEC opponents has been another story for this Gator team.
The steady bats of Jacob Young (.329), Nathan Hickey (.347) and Colby Halter (.315) have set up scoring opportunities for the Gators. Follow this up with big hits from Jud Fabian, with 29 RBIs on the season, and Kirby McMullen, with 24 RBIs on the season, and you have runs on the board.
Add in Kris Armstrong, who hit the game winning homer for Florida in Game 3 against the Volunteers, and you have plenty of potential at the plate.
Meet Mizzou
The Tigers are no strangers to facing ranked, SEC opponents. Mizzou was swept by the then top-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores the last weekend of March. Last weekend, the Tigers traveled to South Carolina avoiding a sweep from the Gamecocks with a game one victory.
https://twitter.com/MizzouBaseball/status/1380733045183893507
This weekend, the Tigers will go up against their third ranked SEC opponent in the Gators.
As a team, Mizzou is batting at .241 and face some strong arms in Mace, Aleman and Barco. At the plate, the Tigers are led by infielder Torin Montgomery. The sophomore leads Mizzou with 19 RBIs and four home runs on the season.
How to Watch
Friday | 6:30 p.m. | SEC Network+ | 98.1 FM/850 AM WRUF
Saturday | 1:00 p.m. | SEC Network+ | 98.1 FM/850 AM WRUF
Sunday | 12:00 p.m. | SEC Network+ | 98.1 FM/850 AM WRUF
