Florida Gators

VIDEO
Shaun Anderson, Dane Dunning & Dalton Guthrie discuss the series with Georgia

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 2 Florida (34-5) hosts Georgia (20-18) for a Thursday-Saturday series at McKethan Stadium. The Gators are 11-4 (.733) in conference play, tied for the league lead with No. 8 South Carolina (29-8/11-4 SEC), while the Bulldogs are 6-9 (.400) and fifth in the East but are coming off of a home series victory over the Gamecocks.
 
Junior left-hander A.J. Puk (2-2, 3.41) will face Bulldog junior right-hander Robert Tyler (3-3, 2.77) in Thursday's opener at 7:30 p.m., junior right-hander Logan Shore (7-0, 2.50) will oppose Georgia junior left-hander Connor Jones (5-2, 5.08) in game two of the series on Friday at 7 p.m. and Gator sophomore right-hander Alex Faedo (7-1, 3.67) will meet a pitcher to be announced in Saturday'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. Tom Hart and Kyle Peterson will have coverage of the entire series for television this weekend – Thursday on ESPNU, Friday on the SEC Network and Saturday on ESPN2. 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 remained No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll and is No. 1 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) according to the NCAA. The Orange and Blue has the most victories (34) in the country and is off to the best start in school history.
• The Gators lead the nation in strikeouts (415), strikeouts per nine innings (10.6) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.35) and are currently third in fielding percentage (.984).
• UF completed a season sweep of No. 6 Florida State with an 8-2 victory in Tallahassee last Tuesday, April 12, before notching its first sweep of Arkansas since the 2001 season by scores of 12-8, 9-2 and 8-2.
• Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan's team had not defeated the Hogs in a series at Baum Stadium since the 2000 club took all three games and its most recent sweep of Arkansas occurred during the 2001 season at McKethan Stadium.
• At the halfway mark of the SEC schedule, the Gators are tied atop the league and Eastern Division standings with No. 8 South Carolina (29-8) and have 34 wins in their 39 outings. The teams meet in Columbia next weekend.
• The Gators are 3-2 (.600) in SEC series, with sweeps of Missouri, No. 1 Texas A&M and Arkansas, as well as 2-1 setbacks to Kentucky (W, L, L) and No. 10 Mississippi State (W, L, L).
• Junior left-hander A.J. Puk (2-2, 3.41) will start Thursday night's opener for the second week in a row. In his first action since April 3, he registered nine strikeouts over five innings, allowing five hits and two runs, to defeat Arkansas.
• Junior right-hander Logan Shore (7-0, 2.50), who tied Russ Kibler's school record of 12 straight wins last Friday, will get the ball for game two. The Gators have claimed Shore's last 14 starts dating back to last season.
• Each of UF's weekend starters, Puk, Shore and sophomore RHP Alex Faedo (7-1, 3.67) earned victories in Fayetteville and the trio had 23 strikeouts and permitted five walks over 18 innings.
• Junior first baseman Peter Alonso (.345, 39 RBI, 8 HR) keyed Florida's offense with a .364 (4-for-11) average at Arkansas that included five RBI, four runs and three walks.
• With 24 appearances this year, junior LHP Kirby Snead (3-0, 1.01) is now tied for 10th in that category on Florida's career list.
• Junior RHP Shaun Anderson (3-0, 1.38) picked up his eighth save with a scoreless ninth on Tuesday and has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 39:1.
• The Gators are 15-0 this season when they score in the first inning and 22-1 (.956) when scoring first in a contest.
• Junior Buddy Reed is 18-for-20 (.900) on the basepaths, while freshman Deacon Liput had two against Jacksonville and is 9-for-9 on the season, while freshman Jonathan India is 8-for-11 (.727).
• Florida is 23-2 (.920) at McKethan Stadium this year and 7-2 (.778) in SEC home games.

 
SERIES NUGGETS
Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan is 19-7 (.731) against Georgia, 10-2 (.833) in Gainesville, 8-4 (.667) in Athens and 1-1 (.500) at the SEC Tournament.
 
The Gators have claimed eight of their last nine regular-season series with UGA - 2007 (3-0), 2008 (2-1), 2009 (3-0), 2010 (3-0), 2011 (2-1), 2012 (2-1), 2014 (3-0) and 2015 (3-1) - and dropped two of three to complete the 2013 regular season in Athens.
 
LAST SERIES BETWEEN THE GATORS & BULLDOGS
Florida rebounded from an 11-1 Friday night loss at Georgia with a pair of wins, 3-2 and 7-4, to take the series over the Bulldogs. Josh Tobias was 5-for-12 (.417) and Buddy Reed went 4-for-10 (.400) versus the Bulldogs, with a two-run single on Sunday and a spectacular leaping grab against the wall at Foley Field on Saturday.
 
Ryan Larson came through with a three-run double in the sixth to snap a 4-4 tie and lift UF to a 7-4 triumph in Sunday's rubber game. The Gator bullpen threw seven scoreless innings, with Taylor Lewis earning the victory and Danny Young pocketing the save by retiring all eight batters he faced. Larson launched a three-run double in the sixth to give the Gators a 7-4 lead.
 
Pinch hitter Jeremy Vasquez delivered a game-winning single with two outs in the ninth inning to drive in Richie Martin, as the Gators evened the series with a 3-2 victory on Saturday. A.J. Puk was brilliant over six shutout innings, notching a career-high 11 strikeouts and issuing zero walks. After surrendering a pair of singles in the opening stanza, he retired the final 16 hitters he faced. Puk leads the Orange and Blue with 56 strikeouts in 44.1 innings. UGA came back from a pair of one-run deficits before UF's ninth-inning heroics. With one down in the ninth, Martin tripled into the left-field corner. After Peter Alonso walked for the third time in the contest for runners on the corners and two out, Harrison Bader was walked intentionally to load the bases. Vasquez roped a 1-0 pitch into right field to bring home Martin. Bobby Poyner et down the first two batters in the home part of the frame before yielding consecutive singles. However, the left-hander had a grounder force the runner at second base for the final out.
 
David Sosebee set a career high by working eight innings and Mike Bell was 4-for-4 with four RBI as Georgia opened the series with a win.
 
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Thursday, April 21, 7:30 p.m.

• Presenting Sponsor: Cabana Beach
• Rowdy Reptile Rewards Check-In
  • Students, check-in on your Rowdy Reptile app on your mobile device to earn 3 points towards great prizes.
• Cabana Beach Student Tailgate
  • First 50 students in attendance can enjoy free food at Dizney Plaza courtesy of Cabana Beach.
• City of Gainesville and City of Ocala Appreciation Night
  • All residents of Gainesville and Ocala with a valid ID can purchase 2-for-1 reserved bleacher seats.

 
Friday, April 22, 7 p.m.

• Presenting Sponsor: BUZZ FM
• Saluting Those Who Serve
  • Join us as we honor military and first responders for their service to our community and country.
  • First 250 fans in attendance will receive mini American flags.
  • Wear your red, white, and blue to support those who serve.
  • All current and former military and first responders can receive free admission with a valid ID.
• Apple Pie Giveaway
  • The first 100 students in attendance can receive a free slice of apple pie.
• Friday Night Food Trucks
  • Fans can enjoy food from many local food trucks, located along the left field concourse throughout the night.
• Pepsi Family Night
  • Families can purchase 4 General Admission tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 sodas for only $20.
• Gator Booster Night
  • All Gator Booster members with valid ID can purchase 2-for-1 reserved bleacher seats.
• Mascot Race
  • Don't miss the Friday night mascot race featuring Albert and various mascots from other proud partners of the Florida Gators.
• Gator Baseball Hosts
  • Allison and Lillian, your Gator Baseball Hosts, will be in attendance interacting with fans in fun promotions throughout the night.

 
Saturday, April 23, 2 p.m.

• Presenting Sponsor: Campus USA
• Luggage Tag Giveaway
  • The first 500 fans in attendance will receive Florida Baseball jersey luggage tags.
• Seniors Night
  • Fans 55 and older with valid ID can purchase 2-for-1 reserved bleacher seating.
• Military/First Responder Appreciation Night
  • Military members, veterans, and first responders with valid ID can purchase 2-for-1 reserved bleacher seats.
• Champions of Character Day
  • Join us as we welcome champions of character from local Elementary and Middle schools in our community.

 
Follow the Gators
FloridaGators.com
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook