Gator Baseball Faces Another SEC Rival In Kentucky

Gator baseball is on a three-game win streak ahead of its weekend matchup. After taking two of three against No.2 Vanderbilt, Florida hosts another SEC opponent—Kentucky.

Gator Baseball

After a series victory against the Commodores, the orange and blue made a huge lead in D1Baseball rankings all the way up to No.10. Additionally, Josh Rivera earned SEC Co-Newcomer of the Week after his performance against Vanderbilt. Rivera went 5-for-ll with a double, one RBI and three runs in the Sunday series win. On Saturday, he went 3-for-4 and was errorless in the field.

Following a 9-6 midweek win against Stetson, Florida hits the road to take on the Wildcats. Nathan Hickey and Kris Armstrong both had 2-for-4 nights against Stetson, with two RBI each. Armstrong also had his first home run of the season. The bats have continued to stay hot this whole season while the pitching seems to have found its niche.

Wildcat Baseball

With just three weeks until postseason action, the pressure is on for Kentucky to perform well in its next two SEC series. They host Florida first hoping to move their record to 11-11 in SEC play. Overall, the Wildcats are 26-15 on the year. However, the Wildcats are dominant on their own turf with a record of 20-8. Colby Kessler leads the team with a batting average with .378. T.J. Collett leads the team with 15 home runs, and Oraj Anu and John Rhodes are tied with 30 RBI.

Despite being hot at home, the Wildcats dropped two to No.4 Tennessee to lose the series. Now, they face another ranked SEC foe.

The first game is slated for tonight at 7 p.m. The next two games coming Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. For the Gators, it is imperative that they come in hot, driving in runs early. If the orange and blue want to continue to climb the D1Baseball totem pole, a three-game seep in Kentucky is a good way to go.