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This is a big weekend for Florida baseball. The Gators will start their last series of the regular season today against No. 9 Georgia at 6 p.m. in Athens.
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Do or Die for the Gators?
The Gators are 26-25 overall and 11-16 in the SEC, while the Bulldogs are 38-12 overall and 16-11 in SEC play.
With the SEC Tournament on the horizon, the Gators are looking for a strong weekend to stay above .500 and remain eligible for the NCAA Tournament.
Former MLB pitcher and ESPN analyst Kyle Peterson shared his thoughts on Florida’s chances to make it through the SEC Tournament and into NCAA Regionals:
Florida two-way star Jac Caglianone has proved himself as a for the Gators. Caglianone ranks second in the SEC with a .418 batting average, only sitting behind Georgia’s Charlie Condon. This weekend will be a must-see showdown between the two heavy hitters.
Competing on the Leaderboard
Florida is eighth nationally and fourth in the SEC with 107 home runs this season (2.1 per game). While the Bulldogs are ranked third nationally with a school record of 133 home runs, including a school record of 11 grand slams.
The Gators, at .980, rank third in the SEC and 14th in the NCAA in fielding percentage, while the Bulldogs have a .972 fielding percentage.
Pitching Matchups
Redshirt sophomore Pierce Coppola (0-2, 7.27 ERA) will be pitching for the Gators on Thursday, while sophomore Kolten Smith (8-2, 4.72 ERA) will take the bump for the Bulldogs.
On Friday at 1 p.m., the Gators will have freshman Liam Peterson (2-4, 5.92 ERA) on the mound against sophomore Leighton Finley (5-1, 4.45 ERA). The game was moved up because of the threat of inclement weather in the evening.
For the last game of the series at 2 p.m. Saturday, Caglianone (5-1, 4.07 ERA) will pitch for the Gators. The Bulldogs have not named a starter.
All three games will be on the SEC Network+ and ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF.
