Florida Baseball Out To Stop MidWeek Woes, Hosts FAMU

The No. 6 Florida Gators baseball team will play Florida A&M at 6:30 today at Condron Family Ballpark looking to get over their midweek game slump.

They have not won a Tuesday game since Feb. 2o. The Gators (16-11, 6-3 SEC) have found ways to win their weekend series, but have struggled midweek, going 3-5.

Now, UF will turn their focus to FAMU (12-16, 7-2 SWAC). The Gators have a 12-game win streak over the Rattlers and a 30-1 all-time series record.

Last Time Out

The Gators beat Mississippi State last weekend, winning both the Friday night and Sunday games. Cade Kurland and Jac Caglianone had walk-off hits to secure both those wins in the bottom of the ninth. That is their third SEC series win and their third against a ranked opponent. FAMU is also coming off a series win over Jackson State. The Rattlers swept to get their second series win of the season. FAMU is 7-2 in conference play with a batting average of .322.

Last Meeting

Today will mark the first time these teams met since the 2023 NCAA Gainesville Regional. The Gators won that game 3-0. Josh Rivera hit a two-run homer in the first and Caglianone pitched six straight shutout innings to secure the win for the Gators. Brandon Neely recorded the save and allowed the Gators to continue their postseason run.

UF Pitching

In a season of ups and downs for Gators pitching, a few stars have arisen. Coach Kevin O’Sullivan has been trying out a lot of young talent in this freshman class. After a shaky start, freshman Luke McNeillie has made a comeback. He earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors as he has posted five straight scoreless outings over 10 innings.

Today

The Gators are looking to lean on experience tonight as they start redshirt junior Ryan Slater (2-0). His ERA has moved from 5.34 in 2022 to 4.22 in 2023 to 3.51 so far in the 2024 season. It’s Slater’s second start of the season and eighth of his career. The Rattlers are starting right-handed pitcher Dallas Tease, who is 0-4 with an 11.57 ERA. The Gators have been strong at home 47-14 since the start of last season.

Media Coverage

The game will stream on SEC Network+ and air on ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF.

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