Florida Gators

VIDEO
Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan discusses the upcoming series with the Aggies
Buddy Reed, Mike Rivera & Logan Shore answer questions about the matchup with No. 1 Texas A&M
 
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 3 Florida (24-3) welcomes No. 1 Texas A&M (22-3) to town for a pivotal series at McKethan Stadium. This will mark the first time that the Gators and Aggies have met at McKethan Stadium as members of the SEC. Both squads are 4-2 (.667) in league play, chasing front-runner No. 6 South Carolina (23-3/6-0 SEC).
 
Junior right-hander Logan Shore (5-0, 2.89) will face Aggie freshman right-hander Tyler Ivey (2-0, 1.97) in Friday's opener at 7 p.m., sophomore right-hander Alex Faedo will oppose Texas A&M senior right-hander Kyle Simonds (5-0, 2.83) in game two of the series on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Gator junior left-hander A.J. Puk (1-2, 3.49) will meet an Aggie pitcher to be announced in Sunday's finale at 2 p.m. 
 
All three games of the weekend series can be heard through FloridaGators.com and on the Gator IMG Sports Network with Jeff Cardozo and Mick Hubert. The series opener will be streamed on SEC Network+, while Saturday's and Sunday's games will be carried on ESPNU with Tom Hart, Kyle Peterson and Laura Rutledge. Live stats for each game will be available on FloridaGators.com and fans can also follow updates of each game on @GatorsBB, the official Twitter account of the Gator baseball team.
 
QUICK HITS ABOUT THE GATORS

• Florida clinched its season series with Sunshine State rival No. 8 Florida State Tuesday with a 3-2 victory at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
• The Gators have taken nine of the last 11 matchups with the Seminoles and have captured 23 of the last 29 encounters against Miami.
• No. 1 Texas A&M is the highest ranked opponent to visit Gainesville for a weekend series since No. 2 Miami from Feb. 18-20, 2005. The Gators downed the Hurricanes twice that weekend (7-9, 2-1, 14-11) and finished as the national runner-up to Texas that season.
• Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan has a 5-1 (.833) mark against No. 1 teams, most recently a 2-1 triumph over LSU on May 23, 2015, in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament.
• The last time that Florida hosted the nation's top club was on March 18, 2014, a 3-1 victory over Florida State.
• The Gators have split their first two SEC series, sweeping Missouri at home and dropping a pair of games at Kentucky. (W, L, L). The Aggies won two of three at Auburn (W, L, W) and handled No. 13 LSU twice in College Station last weekend (W, L, W).
• Florida's 17-game winning streak was halted by Kentucky last Saturday, 7-4, then the Wildcats claimed the series on Sunday with a 5-4 win in 10 innings. The squad was bidding to tie the school record of 18 straight victories set in 2012.
• The Gators had captured eight consecutive series dating back to a 2-1 series loss to UK from April 24-26, 2015, and had not dropped back-to-back outings since last April 24 & 25 to the Wildcats by scores of 3-0 and 7-6.
• UF enters the series on a 24-game home winning streak, matching the longest run in school history. The Orange and Blue also won 24 in a row under Kevin O'Sullivan between April 24, 2010-March 8, 2011. The Gators notched seven straight wins beginning on May 15 to complete last season and have been on the right side of the ledger in 17 outings at McKethan Stadium in 2016.
• Florida's starting pitchers are 16-2 with a 2.87 ERA in 144.1 innings, with 184 strikeouts, 34 walks and a .205 opposing batting average.
• Junior RHP Logan Shore (5-0, 2.89) has claimed his last 10 decisions since a 4-1 setback to Auburn on May 14, 2015. The right-hander faced Texas A&M in the opener of the teams' series during the 2014 season and took a no-decision (5.0 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K).
• Sophomore RHP Alex Faedo (5-0, 2.70) will draw the start on Saturday. He was in line for his sixth win in six starts before Kentucky rallied in last Sunday's finale. Faedo leads the Gators with 53 strikeouts and has issued only five walks in 36.2 innings.
• Junior LHP A.J. Puk (1-2, 3.49) will close the weekend against the Aggies. The lefty is limiting foes to a .198 clip and he has 34 K in 28.1 IP.
• Sophomore shortstop Dalton Guthrie leads Florida with a .358 average and 14 multiple-hit games and has seven doubles.
• Freshman second baseman Deacon Liput has reached base in 26 of 27 games and is batting .340 with 19 RBI, 17 walks and 14 runs.
• Junior first baseman Peter Alonso (.337, 9 2B) and sophomore catcher Mike Rivera (.276, 6 HR) share the team lead with 28 RBI.

 
SERIES NUGGETS
Texas A&M has captured nine of the 11 previous encounters with Florida, including both ends of a home-and-home series in 2006 (2-1 in Gainesville) and 2007 (3-0 in College Station).
 
Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan has a 1-3 (.250) record against the Aggies, 1-2 (.333) in College Station and 0-1 (.000) at the SEC Tournament.
 
The Aggies eliminated the Gators from the 2013 SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., 6-3, and took two of three games in College Station from March 21-23, 2014. In the teams' initial meeting, Texas A&M handed Florida a 6-5 defeat in NCAA East Regional held in Gainesville on May 23, 1992.
 
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Friday, April 1, 7 p.m.

• Presenting Sponsor: UF Health
• Pepsi Family Night

Families can purchase four (4) General Admission tickets, four (4) hot dogs, and four (4) sodas for only $20.

• Rowdy Reptile Check-In

Check in on your Rowdy Reptile app or at the marketing table to earn points toward great prizes!

• Gator Booster Night

All Gator Booster members with valid ID can purchase 2-for-1 reserved bleacher seats.

• Friday Night Food Trucks

Fans can enjoy local food trucks in attendance along the left-field line.

• Mascot Race

Don't miss the action, including a fun mascot race featuring Albert and various other partners.

• Friday Night Emcees

Allison and Lillian will be back at McKethan Stadium to interact with fans and host promotions throughout the night.
 
Saturday, April 2, 7:30 p.m.

• Presenting Sponsor: Gainesville Ice
• Home Plate Coaster Giveaway

The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a pair of Gators home plate coasters.

• Seniors Night

Fans 55 and older with valid ID can purchase 2-for-1 reserved bleacher seats.

• Military/First Responder Appreciation Night

Military members, veterans, and first responders with valid ID can purchase 2-for-1 reserved bleacher seats.
 
Sunday, April 3, 2 p.m.

• Presenting Sponsor: Gatorade
• Family Sunday's

All general admission tickets are $1, and get popcorn and 12 oz. sodas for $1 each as well.

• Community National Anthem

All kids 12 and under are invited to join the team on the field for the National Anthem.

• Kids Korner

All kids are welcome to enjoy fun games and activities on the concourse throughout the game.

• Champions of Character
• Join us as we welcome students from many local elementary and middle schools.
• The 10th Inning

Immediately following the game, Gator players will sign autographs in Autograph Alley.
 
Season and single-game tickets for the 2016 Gator Baseball season are on sale and can be purchased online through FloridaGators.com or by calling the Gator Ticket Office at 1-800-34-GATOR from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
 
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