SEC Opening Weekend on Tap

GAINESVILLE, Fla.--No. 7 Florida (14-5) hosts No. 5 Mississippi State (16-1) as both teams open Southeastern Conference play for 2019.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

	Friday \| 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network+)	Saturday \| 2:00 p.m. (SEC Network)	Sunday \| 2 p.m. (SEC Network)
UF	RHP Tommy Mace (4-0, 3.55 ERA)	RHP Jack Leftwich (4-0, 2.05 ERA)	RHP Tyler Dyson (2-0, 3.57 ERA)
MSU	LHP Ethan Small (1-0, 1.50 ERA)	RHP JT Ginn (4-0, 1.80 ERA)	RHP Keegan James (2-0, 1.80 ERA)

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Florida leads 65-49 overall; 31-20 in Gainesville. Last year, MSU swept Florida 3-0 in Starkville. Coach O'Sullivan is 18-10 against MSU with a 5-3 record in three-game series against the Bulldogs.

QUICK HITS

Sour Finish: A week after clinching its second-straight SEC title, the Gators traveled to Starkville and were swept by MSU to end the 2018 regular season. It snapped UF's streak of 19-straight regular season series wins. Despite the results, a few current Gators saw success against the Bulldogs:
- A. Langworthy .500 (5-10), 2 HR, 4 RBI
- N. Maldonado .364 (4-11), RBI
- W. Dalton .308 (4-13), 2 R, 2 2B
Mace Steps Up: Tommy Mace made a spot start in last year's series at MSU, his first against an SEC opponent. He exited the game with a 3-0 lead in the seventh inning.
- Mace vs. Mississippi State (5/17/2018): 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 67 pitches
Starting Strong: Florida is 8-3 in SEC Opening Weekend series under Coach O'Sullivan. UF has started SEC play at home seven times under O'Sullivan (6-1 series record).
Home Sweet Home: The Gators are in the midst of a 14-game homestand (8-2 record thus far). It's the longest stretch of home games for UF in 16 years, since Florida had a 19-game stretch in 2005 (15-4 record).
Whoa Nelly: Nelson Maldonado, a senior captain, has been on fire the last two weeks. Over the past 11 games, he is 19-for-39 (.487) with eight extra base hits, two home runs and 16 RBI. He has only struck out twice in 45 plate appearances in that span and has seven multi-hit games.
Streaking: Shortstop Brady McConnell has an active hitting streak of 15 games (23-56, .411). On the season, McConnell is second in the SEC with 28 hits (15th in NCAA).
Jacob Young has an 11-game hitting streak (20-47, .426) since being inserted into the lineup at Jacksonville with seven multi-hit games in that span.
Fab Freshmen: Florida's freshmen class has produced in a big way. Offensively, six true freshmen have combined to start 68 games and hit .327 (83-254) with 10 home runs and 59 RBI. The veterans are hitting .282 (112-397) with 11 homers and 76 RBI. Kendrick Calilao leads the way with a .379 average and a team-best 25 RBI, third in the SEC and ninth nationally. In addition, Jud Fabian leads the team with five home runs and has a team-best four game-winning RBI. He's hitting .345 on the year with a .707 slugging percentage, seventh-best in the SEC. On the mound, seven freshman have combined for 66.2 innings with a 3.92 earned run average (29 ER allowed). Nolan Crisp has racked up seven saves in seven appearances. Crisp's seven saves lead the nation. Overall, all 16 Gators' newcomers have seen playing time this season, including 11 true freshmen.

Offensive Breakout: Florida's offense has heated up in the last five games. Entering Friday, UF ranks first in the SEC in runs (158, 4th in NCAA) and hits (195, 5th in NCAA).

	First 10 Games	Last 5 Games
Average	.238	.360
Runs	47	111
Runs/Game	4.7	12.3
Home Runs	3	18
Slugging Pct.	.341	.586
On-Base Pct.	.353	.445

COMPLETE GAME NOTES

PARKING INFORMATION

First-come, first-serve in O'Connell Center Garage
James G. Pressly Stadium
Law School
Frat Row, along Fraternity Drive
Please DO NOT park along any roads or in the grass and only use parking lots or garages.

PROMOTIONS

Friday, March 15 vs. Mississippi State

Netflix and Grill - Students! Check out the exclusive seating area for the game which includes lounge style seating, TV's and more! One lucky student in attendance will win free Netflix for a year.
Popsocket Giveaway - The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a Florida Baseball popsocket upon entry.
Food Truck Friday – Local food trucks Cilantro Tacos and Mayflower Cellars will be set up along the left field line by maintenance area.
Pepsi Family Night – Families can purchase 4 GA tickets, 4 hotdogs and 4 sodas for only $24.
Gator Booster Night – All Gator Booster members with valid ID receive 2-for-1 reserved bleacher.

Saturday, March 16 vs. Mississippi State

Seniors Nights—Senior citizens, ages 55 and older, can purchase 2-for-1 reserved bleacher seating
Military/First Responders Nights—All military members and first responders, active and retired, can purchase 2-for-1 reserved bleacher seating

Sunday, March 17 vs. Mississippi State

Green T-shirt Giveaway - Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with your very own green Gators t-shirt. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive this soft style shirt upon entry while supplies last.
Family Sundays – GA tickets, small popcorn and 10oz. sodas are only $1 each.
Community National Anthem – Prior to the game, kids 12 and under, can line the field for the National Anthem
Kids Korner – Fun and games set up on the concourse for kids 12 and under!
Allison Ables Real Estate Circle the Bases – Kids, 12-and-under can circle the bases with Albert following non-conference Sunday games.
Autograph Alley – Immediately following conference Sunday games, Gator players will be available to sign autographs in Autograph Alley down the 3rd base line.

Gators Calendar