SEC Title Hanging In The Balance As No. 4 Florida Hosts Kentucky To Complete Regular Season
Thursday, May 19, 2011 | Baseball
No. 4 Florida (39-14/20-7 SEC) welcomes Eastern Division rival Kentucky (24-28/7-20 SEC) to McKethan Stadium beginning Thursday night in the 10th and final SEC series of the campaign. The Gators and Wildcats will tangle at 7 p.m. both Thursday (live on GatorVision Online) and Friday (live on FS Florida and GatorVision Online) before concluding the three-game set on Saturday at 4 p.m. (live on FS Florida/FSN and ESPN3.com).
At 20-7 in league activity, the Gators are locked into a three-way tie for the top spot in the overall and Eastern Division standings with No. 2 South Carolina (42-11) and No. 3 Vanderbilt (42-8). The Gamecocks finish at Alabama (31-22/13-14 SEC), while the Commodores wrap up at Georgia (27-26/15-12 SEC). There are four teams tied for first in the Western Division with identical 13-14 records: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and Mississippi State. The top eight teams will advance to Hoover, Ala., for the double-elimination 2011 SEC Tournament that will be held from May 25-29.
UF sophomore left-hander Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) (7-3, 3.38) will oppose Wildcat sophomore southpaw Taylor Rogers (3-6, 5.01) in the series opener. Johnson is 3-3 with a 4.50 earned run average in nine league starts, with 37 strikeouts and 11 walks in 48 innings. He has dropped his past two outings (May 6 at Arkansas - 4.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K and May 14 at Vanderbilt - 4.1 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) and will be facing UK for the first time.
Friday night's matchup will feature sophomore RHP Hudson Randall (Atlanta, Ga.) (8-2, 2.14) against Kentucky junior right-hander Alex Meyer (6-5, 3.06). Randall is seeking his first victory since April 29 after falling at Arkansas (7.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 5 K) and getting a no-decision at Vanderbilt in his last start (5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K). The righty is 6-2 with a 2.59 ERA in league activity, with 25 strikeouts and five walks in a team-high 59 innings. A projected top-10 pick in the upcoming Major League Baseball Draft, Meyer leads the SEC in strikeouts (101), innings pitched (94), complete games (four) and complete-game shutouts (two).
The Gators' leader with 67 strikeouts in 68 innings, freshman Karsten Whitson (Chipley, Fla.) (6-0, 2.51) will start Saturday's finale against a Wildcat hurler to be announced. The rookie right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.64 ERA in league play but has two-straight no-decisions. Last Sunday at Vanderbilt, Whitson gave up five hits and three runs over 4.1 innings, with five punch-outs and one walk.
The Gators are seeking their 12th SEC Championship after bringing home the crown in 1952, 1956, 1962, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1996, 1998, 2005 and 2010. LSU's total of 14 titles leads the conference, while Alabama is second with 13 and Florida is next with 11.
UF is trying to repeat as the league champion for the second time in school history and the first time since 1981-82 and become the first program to collect back-to-back trophies since LSU accomplished the feat in 1996-97. In addition, Florida is aiming for its third-consecutive Eastern Division title, last done by the Gators from 1996-98. UF's 20 division titles is the highest total in the SEC, as LSU is second with 15.
Now in his fourth season, Kevin O'Sullivan is attempting to become the fourth Gator head coach to win multiple SEC Championships, along with Dave Fuller (1952, 1956, 1962), Joe Arnold (1984, 1988) and Andy Lopez (1996, 1998).
Florida has brought home seven SEC titles in 2010-11 (men's basketball, women's cross country, men's golf, soccer, women's tennis, men's indoor track & field & volleyball) to lead the SEC. This is the fourth time that UF has collected seven league titles in a single season (1996-97, 1997-98 & 2009-10). UF's highest total is eight (1991-92) and Georgia equaled the SEC record with eight titles in 2005-06. If the Gator baseball team takes the SEC this weekend, it will be the program's 50th league title in the past 10 years.
The Gators need one more victory to reach the 40-win plateau for the 20th time in school history. They are also seeking to post three 40-win campaigns in a row for the first time since 1996 (50-18), 1997 (40-24) and 1998 (46-18). Last year was the first time since 2002 that the Orange and Blue collected 40 wins during the regular season and was one shy of the single-season team mark of 41 set in 1989 (41-18 reg. season), 1991 (41-19 reg. season), 1996 (41-14 reg. season) and 1998 (41-13 reg. season).
Florida will recognize six players in pre-game ceremonies on Friday night: second baseman Josh Adams (Jacksonville, Fla.), right-hander Matt Campbell (Tampa, Fla.), right-hander Justin Poovey (Granite Falls, N.C.), outfielder Bryson Smith (Watkinsville, Ga.), right-hander Tommy Toledo (Tampa, Fla.) and outfielder Paul Wilson (Lakeland, Fla.).
Last April, the Gators claimed two of three games at Kentucky over the weekend of April 16-18. UF emerged victorious in the first two games, 10-8 and 6-3, before the Wildcats salvaged the finale, 6-5. Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla.) batted .538 (7-for-13) against UK, homered in all three games and boasted a slugging percentage of 1.462. He also paced UF in RBI (five) and runs (five) and six of his seven hits on the weekend went for extra-bases, as he had three dingers and three doubles. Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) belted a pair of homers in Lexington.
Despite enduring a 90-minute rain delay in the top of the eighth inning in the series opener, Florida posted a 10-8 victory over Kentucky for O'Sullivan's 100th victory. Maddox (3-for-5) snapped a 6-6 tie with a towering three-run homer with two down in the seventh and Matt den Dekker (2-for-3) opened the eighth with a round-tripper before the rain delay. The Gators overcame a 3-0 deficit with a five-run fifth. Kevin Chapman recorded the final six outs and had four strikeouts to collect his seventh save, while Jeff Barfield (2-0) earned the decision. Reliever Greg Larson (Longwood, Fla.) threw 3.2 scoreless and hitless innings and Tucker drove in three runs to lift UF to a 6-3 victory on Saturday. After allowing a leadoff double in the fourth, UF's pitching staff held the Wildcats without a hit until there were two outs in the eighth and the hosts stranded 14 runners in the ballgame. Maddox went 3-for-5 with two runs and Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) put the Gators ahead to stay with a third-inning round-tripper. Kentucky avoided the sweep with a 6-5 win on Sunday, racing out to a 6-0 lead through three innings. Adams brought the Gators within a run in the ninth with a two-run homer with one down before Matt Little recorded the final two outs. Tucker (2-for-5) and Maddox (1-for-3) each homered in the setback, while Steven Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) hurled a career-high five scoreless innings and registered a personal-best five strikeouts.
In 2009, UF defeated Kentucky twice in three meetings at McKethan Stadium in the final regular-season series to capture its first SEC Eastern Division title since 2005. It was also the SEC-leading 19th divisional crown for the program. The Gators finished league play that season with a 19-11 record, one game behind co-champions LSU and Ole Miss, who were both 20-10.
Tucker drove in six runs during the UK series to break the UF freshman record previously held by Brad Wilkerson (68, 1996). Four unearned runs in the seventh by the visitors paved the way to Saturday's 13-9 Florida victory. Mike Mooney snapped an 8-8 tie with a bases-loaded, two-out single and Tucker (2-for-5) followed with a two-run double to help the Gators take the rubber game of the series. Alex Panteliodis (Tampa, Fla.) notched the win with 1.1 scoreless innings and Tyler Thompson (Tequesta, Fla.) was a career-high 4-for-4, belted his first career homer and also contributed then-career bests in RBI (three) and runs (three). Thompson entered the game in the fourth inning after Daniel Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) was injured sliding into third base. An eight-run third inning keyed Kentucky to an 8-7 victory on Friday night. The Gators scored four runs in the ninth to pull within one and had the potential tying run on third base before Logan Darnell recorded the final two outs. With UF trailing, 8-4, Tucker belted what looked to be a game-tying grand slam to deep left field that Chad Wright snared with a phenomenal catch at the wall. On Thursday, left-hander Stephen Locke worked 7.1 innings for his fourth league win, Adams had two-run singles in both the fifth and sixth innings and Avery Barnes was 4-for-5 with three runs as UF clinched the East with a 10-3 triumph. Florida's bullpen finished the series with a 2.13 ERA, giving up three earned runs over 12.2 innings.
Gator Bytes
*Kevin O'Sullivan is 5-4 (.556) against Kentucky, 2-1 (.667) in Gainesville and 3-3 (.500) in Lexington.
*In his four years at Florida, O'Sullivan is 117-24 (.830) at McKethan Stadium, 40-38 (.513) at opponents' stadiums and 5-15 (.250) at neutral sites.
*UF is 28-6 (.824) against non-ranked opponents and 11-8 (.579) versus top-25 foes.
*The Gators are 32-7 (.821) in games that are part of a weekend series and are 7-7 (.500) in mid-week contests. The Orange and Blue has an 11-2 (.846) weekend series ledger, with eight sweeps.
*Florida is 27-5 (.844) at home this season, with a 10-2 (.833) showing in league play. Kentucky is 2-14 (.125) on the road and is winless in 12 SEC road encounters.
*The Gators have captured eight of their last 10 series against Kentucky, including three-game sweeps in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005.
*The last time the Wildcats won a series in Gainesville was between April 16-18, 1999, when UK snagged the first two games, 5-0 and 9-2, before UF took the finale, 10-3.
*Florida has notched 2-1 series triumphs the last two seasons (W, L, W in 2009; W, W, L in 2010) since Kentucky emerged victorious in Lexington in 2008 by posting a 3-2 win in 10 innings after the teams split the first two games (11-7 UK, 13-7 UF).
*The Gators are 7-2 (.778) in their nine SEC series, with sweeps of No. 5 LSU, Tennessee, Alabama and Ole Miss and 2-1 road series victories over Mississippi State, Georgia and No. 2 Vanderbilt. UF was on the short end of 2-1 margins to No. 4 South Carolina and No. 18 Arkansas.
*Breaking down the Gators' league record, UF is 6-3 (.667) in game one, 7-2 (.778) in game two and 8-1 (.889) in game three.
*Florida is 8-4 (.667) against the East this season and Kentucky is 5-7 (.417).
*The 12-inning marathon last Sunday was the longest of O'Sullivan's head coaching career and the Gators improved to 2-0 in extra frames this year, having nipped No. 4 Florida State, 5-4, in 10 innings on March 15.
*Senior Josh Adams continues to climb the school's career charts. Entering the weekend, he ranks second in starts (233 - Brian Duva, 234, 1991-94) and is tied for fifth with 234 games played with former teammate Matt den Dekker (2007-10). He is also third in at bats (867 - Duva, 874 is second) and fourth in hits (267 - Jeff Corsaletti, 273, 2002-05 is third).
*With 119 career walks, Adams' next free pass will tie him for ninth on the school's all-time list with Corsaletti. Adams is currently fifth in career RBI (180), behind No. 3 Ben Harrison (193, 2001-04) and No. 4 Preston Tucker (181).
*Sophomore shortstop Nolan Fontana (.317, 43 runs, 33 RBI) enters the UK series on a team-high seven-game hitting streak in which he is 11-for-26 (.423) with six runs and three RBI.
*The Gators hold a 327-178 scoring advantage, led by a 46-14 disparity in the second inning and a 53-22 margin in the seventh. UF has the edge in every inning and has 4-0 advantage in extra innings.
*Florida is 30-6 (.833) when scoring first and 31-2 (.939) when out-hitting its foe.
*UF has 47 homers this season and boasts a 26-5 (.839) record when going yard.
*The Gators have played error-free baseball in 18 games (14-4) and their fielding percentage of .975 ranks second in the SEC.
*Florida has totaled 113 two-out RBI, including 18 by sophomore Mike Zunino, 17 by junior Daniel Pigott, 14 by Tucker, 13 by Fontana and 12 by Adams.
*Freshman third baseman Zack Powers (.242, eight runs, seven RBI) returned to the lineup on Tuesday against Jacksonville after suffering a knee injury on April 15 at Georgia, while junior outfielder Tyler Thompson (.246, seven RBI, six runs) made his way back onto the field after being out with back problems since April 24 versus Alabama.
*Sophomore Austin Maddox has made 15 relief appearances totaling 20.1 innings and has compiled a 0.89 ERA with 17 K and three walks. The righty picked up his second win of the year in game three at Arkansas (3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R) and his second save in the opener against Vanderbilt.
*Junior Nick Maronde has made a team-high 26 appearances and is 0-0 with a 1.80 ERA and two saves in 30.0 innings. The lefty has 43 strikeouts and six walks. Five of the 19 hits he has permitted have been for extra bases (three doubles, two homers). Maronde has not given up a run in his last 11 apperances.
*Junior Greg Larson sports a 1.72 ERA and has not yielded any runs in his last 10 appearances. He worked one inning over games one and three in Nashville and gave a walk.
*UF's 11 saves have come from six different relievers: senior Matt Campbell (1), junior Anthony DeSclafani (3), Maddox (2), Maronde (2), sophomore Steven Rodriguez (2) and junior Tommy Toledo (1). Kevin Chapman collected 11 of the club's 18 saves last season.
*Toledo's relief win in the finale at Vanderbilt was the 10th victory of his career. He joins junior Alex Panteliodis (21-10), Randall (16-6), Johnson (13-7) and DeSclafani (13-8) in double-digit triumphs.
*Florida is 44-for-67 (.657) on the basepaths, as 13 different players have at least one stolen base and Pigott (9-for-12) holds the team lead. Opponents are 22-for-34 (.647) against UF. The Gators were 1-for-1 last weekend at Vanderbilt.
*UF enters this weekend's series with 103 doubles on the season after totaling 110 in 64 games last year. Five different players - Zunino (18), Pigott (16), Tucker (13), Fontana (10) and Johnson (10) - have reached double-digits.
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