Florida Gators
Alumni Meet
A Florida-LSU primer for today's matchup in SEC Tournament semifinals
Saturday, May 23, 2015 | Baseball, Women's Swimming & Diving, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The last time Florida played LSU, the SEC Tournament title was on the line.
That was a year ago in Hoover, Ala. When the schools meet this afternoon at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, a berth in the SEC Tournament championship game is at stake.
The Gators (42-16) won their second consecutive game in the tournament on Friday night behind a dominant pitching performance from left-hander A.J. Puk. In a 10-0 run-rule victory over Arkansas, Puk pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out 11.
During one stretch Puk struck out six consecutive batters and nine of 10. Puk's performance followed a strong outing Thursday from Logan Shore in an 11-2 victory over Auburn.
Meanwhile, No. 1-ranked LSU (48-9) stormed back from an early deficit to defeat Auburn on Wednesday, 9-8, and advanced Thursday with a 10-5 victory over Arkansas. The Tigers had a bye Friday, awaiting the Florida-Arkansas winner.
In last year's SEC Tournament championship game, LSU won 2-0 in a pitching duel that included six scoreless innings from UF's Karsten Whitson in the final start of his college career. The Tigers have won nine consecutive SEC Tournament games dating back to 2013.
Today's winner faces the winner of the early game between Vanderbilt and Texas A&M in Sunday's championship game. (Link to watch WatchESPN).
Let's take a look at the Florida-LSU matchup:
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PLAYER TO WATCH: This game features two of the best shortstops not only in the SEC, but in the nation in Florida's Richie Martin and LSU's Alex Bregman. Florida fans have watched Martin continue to improve for three seasons.
The same can be said for LSU fans and Bregman.
A junior, Bregman is hitting .330 with 22 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 47 RBIs. He is also handy with the glove, committing only seven errors in 307 chances. No secret why MLB draft analysts have Bregman going high in the first round in the upcoming draft.
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PITCHING MATCHUP: Two freshmen square off in this one. Two Alexes, too.
Florida right-hander Alex Faedo (4-1, 3.59 ERA) faces LSU right-hander Alex Lange (10-0, 2.11).
Faedo started the season in the bullpen and eventually became a regular in the rotation, providing the Gators with some stability as Puk wobbled through a tough spell. Faedo has struck out 45 in 47 ⅔ innings and allowed 47 hits, including a team-leading nine home runs. He will want to locate his pitches against an LSU team hitting .321 overall with 47 home runs.
Lange was the SEC Freshman Pitcher of the Year after going undefeated and striking out 91. He has allowed only 60 hits in 81 innings. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Lange came to LSU from Lee's Summit, Mo., where he was the state's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014 after going 12-0 with a 0.82 ERA.
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COACH CHATTER
Florida's Kevin O'Sullivan: “For us the whole thing is about being consistent. That's two nights in a row where we've swung the bats really well and it's two really good starts by Logan and by A.J., and that's kind of what we need. We've swung the bat fairly good the whole year, but to put these performances back-to-back, that's a step in the right direction.”
LSU's Paul Mainieri: “It's great to be in the 'Final Four' of this tournament and compete against some of the best teams in the nation. We're going to continue to play our fast-paced, aggressive style and give ourselves a chance to advance. We're very comfortable in this environment.”
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NOTABLES: The Gators are hitting .337 in three SEC Tournament games … Florida has scored 27 runs in the three games … First meeting of season between the teams … LSU has won five of last seven SEC Tournaments, with Florida (2011) and Mississippi State (2012) interrupting Tigers' grip on title … The Gators have won 60 SEC Tournament games, second only to LSU's 74 entering today.
