Friday, April 14
Gainesville, FL
7 PM
Florida Gators
vs
Georgia
Border Battle vs. Georgia Up Next for No. 3 Florida
Thursday, April 13, 2023 | Baseball
Gainesville, Fla. – Rivalry week continues on the diamond this weekend as the third-ranked Florida Gators host the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game series at Condron Family Ballpark.
Game two airs on SEC Network at 7 p.m. on Saturday while the other installments stream on SEC Network+ on Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
The series between Florida (28-6, 9-3 SEC) and Georgia (18-15, 3-9 SEC) dates back to April 6, 1934 on the diamond, with the last meeting in Gainesville occurring two years ago from May 14-16, 2021. The Gators took two of three in that series (W 4-3, W 9-2, L 6-1), but were swept in Athens last season (L 7-6, L 6-1, L 14-8). Florida has not lost a home series to Georgia since 2006 and enters with a 17-8 record in the last 25 home matchups.
The Gators are 28-16 against the Bulldogs under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan including 16-5 at home. Florida has a commanding 191-114-2 lead in the all-time series, featuring a 99-43-1 mark in Gainesville.
Pitching Matchups
Florida remained at No. 3 in the D1Baseball Top-25 this week and ranks as highly as No. 2 nationally according to Baseball America, Perfect Game and the NCBWA. The Gators are also USA Today's No. 3 team.
SERIES PROMOS
The first 1,000 fans in attendance for Sunday's 1 p.m. finale will receive Florida script baseball caps, presented by Cruises.com. On Friday, students in attendance can enter to win a game-worn pinstripe jersey.
FOOD TRUCKS
There will be two food trucks located in the Dizney Grove area beyond the outfield wall on each day of the weekend series.
Friday: Twisted Tikka Indian Food Truck, Fat Tiki
Saturday: Pardon My Cheesesteak, Nothing Bundt Cakes
Sunday: Halo Potato Donuts, Big Island Bowls
LAST TIME OUT
The Gators are fresh off a comeback win against FSU on Tuesday, using a four-run eighth to overcome a three-run deficit, 5-3. Outfielder Ty Evans provided the go-ahead, three-run double with two outs in the bottom of the eighth while Cade Fisher tossed two scoreless innings of relief for the win and Brandon Neely struck out the side in the ninth for the save. Prior to that, UF took two of three games at No. 11 Tennessee (W 6-1, W 9-3, L 14-2). Starters Brandon Sproat (5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K) and Hurston Waldrep (7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K) earned wins in the first two games at UT, with seven different Gators homering in the series.
DOWN LOW ON THE DAWGS
Georgia secured its first SEC series win of the season last weekend vs. Kentucky, improving to 3-9 in conference play and entering at 18-15 overall. Picked to finish fifth in the SEC Eastern Division, the Bulldogs are hitting .296/.393/.521 with 57 homers while pitching to a 6.20 ERA. Georgia is a solid defensive squad, having committed just 24 errors in 33 games for a .979 fielding percentage.
MURDERER'S ROW
Three Gators head into the series with an OPS above 1.250 in Wyatt Langford (1.369), Jac Caglianone (1.302) and Josh Rivera (1.254). No other SEC program even has three qualified hitters all with an OPS above 1.200.
GOLDEN SPIKES
Rivera and Caglianone were named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List on April 5. The duo was among 24 athletes to be added to the 45-player list.
WEEKEND WARRIORS
Florida has won eight-straight series which stretches to 12-consecutive dating back to 2022. That features eight-straight SEC series wins including four in a row this season. The Gators are 20-4 in weekend series this year and 29-7 over their last-12 series.
JUST A SEC
With wins in eight-straight SEC series, UF last dropped an SEC series from April 22-24, 2022 vs. No. 1 Tennessee. Since then, the gators are 22-8 against conference opponents. Since O'Sullivan took the reins in 2008, Florida's .617 winning % in regular season SEC play is tops in the SEC (266-165).
RELENTLESS REPTILES
14 of Florida's wins this season have been in comeback fashion, surpassing last year's 66-game total of 13. After going 0-20 last season when trailing after six innings, Florida is 3-4 in that scenario already in 2023. Even more impressively, the Gators are 12-3 when the opponent scores first this season, compared to 11-15 last year.
OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT
Florida is found near the top of the leaderboard for nearly every offensive statistic, ranking top-10 nationally in slugging percentage (second - .592), home runs (third - 74), runs (fifth - 320), hits (seventh - 369) and triples (seventh - 17). The Gators also rank 15th in the NCAA with a .316 batting average (second in SEC) and pace the SEC in hits, slugging, triples, at bats and total bases, as the Gators' 690 bases are 64 more than the next-closest team (South Carolina, 626).
FILLING UP FRAMES
34 games into the season, the Gators are scoring in nearly half (49.3%) of their batted innings (134 of 272). Florida has a run differential of plus-146, averaging 9.4 runs/game and 10.9 hits/game.
DON'T ROCK THE SPROAT, BABY
Sproat has lost one decision across his last 14 starts. In that span, Sproat is 10-1 with a 3.30 ERA and 10.4 K/9 across 81 2/3 innings, equating to an average of 5.8 innings/start. The Gators are 13-1 in Sproat's last 14 starts Sproat's 13.1 strikeouts per nine ranks 26th nationally.
THE BIG HURST
Ranking second in the country behind LSU's Paul Skenes with 75 strikeouts, Waldrep has won three-straight starts and delivered quality starts in four of his last five outings. Waldrep's 15.0 strikeouts per nine rank sixth nationally while his six wins are tied for the SEC lead (T-sixth in NCAA).
NEELY'S NINTH
Neely leads the SEC with three more saves (seven) than the next-closest pitcher. Neely has not allowed a run over his last four outings spanning 6 2/3 innings, and across UF's last 20 games owns five saves, a 1.20 ERA, .196 batting average against and 24 strikeouts (14.4 K/9) against four walks (2.4 BB/9) in 15 frames. On the season, Neely has a 2.96 ERA, .209 BAA and 14.1 K/9.
PHIL OF THE HILL
Left-handed reliever Philip Abner has allowed an earned run in just one of his 12 appearances this year (March 1 vs. JU). Across UF's last 20 games, Abner is 3-0 with one save, a 0.00 ERA, .160 BAA, 13.2 strikeouts per nine and one extra-base hit allowed. Over those 20 games, the UF bullpen is 9-0 with eight saves, a 3.01 ERA and 11.4 K/9.
OUR RIVERA RUNS THRU IT
Holding a seven-game hitting streak, Rivera leads UF with a .397 batting average, 46 runs (T-second in NCAA), 47 RBI (T-10th) and 11 stolen bases, having already set career highs in the latter three categories along with homers (13). The Avon Park, Fla. native ranks top-10 in the SEC in runs (second), RBI (T-fourth), batting (sixth), hits (T-seventh, 50), home runs (T-seventh), total bases (eighth, 95), slugging (eighth, .754) and on-base percentage (T-eighth, .500). Perhaps most impressively, Rivera is hitting .404/.491/.766 in SEC play, ranking fourth in the SEC in batting and slugging. As one of two Gators to start all 34 games, Rivera has drawn more walks (24) than strikeouts (16). Rivera has more total bases than Dylan Crews, more homers than Blake Burke and is slugging higher than Kemp Alderman.
SECOND TO CAGLIA-NONE
Caglianone remains atop the national leaderboard with 19 home runs, one ahead of former teammate Kris Armstrong of Jacksonville. Caglianone has three more homers than any player in the SEC while ranking fourth nationally in slugging (.873), T-10th in RBI (47) and first in total bases, as his 124 are 12 more than Jake Gelof of Virginia. He has nine multi-hit games in Florida's last 12 contests.
GATORBOMBS
Florida's 74 home runs are on pace for 119 in the regular season alone and 143 across 66 games - the length of the 2022 season. The school record of 132 home runs was set in 64 games in 1998 (2.1 homers/game). Averaging 2.2 homers/game in 2023, UF has homered in seven-straight games.
PARKING/SHUTTLES
Fans are encouraged to park at the Fifield and IFAS lots during the weekend. An increased number of shuttles will be available for transportation to the ballpark each day.
General Parking is also available in the west Condron Family Ballpark baseball lot. Handicapped parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the Condron Family Ballpark west lot with a valid Disabled Placard. Click HERE for a Parking map.
TRAFFIC PATTERNS ON GAME DAY
Those visiting Condron Family Ballpark on game day should be aware of updated traffic patterns surrounding the ballpark. Fans are advised to utilize Ballpark Way, which will serve as a connecting route to the ballpark from Archer Road. For departures, a postgame traffic flow pattern guide can be found here.
MOBILE TICKETING & FLORIDA GATORS APP
As a reminder, mobile ticketing is required. There will be two ways to access your tickets:
1) through the Florida Gators app from your mobile device or
2) through FloridaGators.com/myaccount. Fans will also be able to transfer or donate their tickets easily within the app or online.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are currently on sale for the 2023 season, including both season tickets and single-game options. Tickets can be purchased online or by contacting the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683. Season ticket prices and availability can be accessed directly here, while single-game sales can be found here.
Continue to check FloridaGators.com for additional updates related to the 2023 baseball season.
ON DECK
Florida hosts Florida A&M at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18 before traveling to Columbia for a three-game series at South Carolina.
Follow the Gators
#GoGators
Twitter
Instagram
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Game two airs on SEC Network at 7 p.m. on Saturday while the other installments stream on SEC Network+ on Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
The series between Florida (28-6, 9-3 SEC) and Georgia (18-15, 3-9 SEC) dates back to April 6, 1934 on the diamond, with the last meeting in Gainesville occurring two years ago from May 14-16, 2021. The Gators took two of three in that series (W 4-3, W 9-2, L 6-1), but were swept in Athens last season (L 7-6, L 6-1, L 14-8). Florida has not lost a home series to Georgia since 2006 and enters with a 17-8 record in the last 25 home matchups.
The Gators are 28-16 against the Bulldogs under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan including 16-5 at home. Florida has a commanding 191-114-2 lead in the all-time series, featuring a 99-43-1 mark in Gainesville.
Pitching Matchups
| Friday | 7 p.m. ET (SECN+) | Saturday | 7 p.m. ET (SECN) | Sunday | 1 p.m. ET (SECN+) | |
| Georgia | LHP Jaden Woods (3-2, 5.10 ERA) | TBD | LHP Liam Sullivan (4-1, 3.08) |
| Florida | RHP Brandon Sproat (5-1, 4.93 ERA) | RHP Hurston Waldrep (6-1, 4.60 ERA) | LHP Jac Caglianone (3-1, 4.91 ERA) |
| Links | WATCH | LISTEN | WATCH | LISTEN | WATCH | LISTEN |
Florida remained at No. 3 in the D1Baseball Top-25 this week and ranks as highly as No. 2 nationally according to Baseball America, Perfect Game and the NCBWA. The Gators are also USA Today's No. 3 team.
SERIES PROMOS
The first 1,000 fans in attendance for Sunday's 1 p.m. finale will receive Florida script baseball caps, presented by Cruises.com. On Friday, students in attendance can enter to win a game-worn pinstripe jersey.
FOOD TRUCKS
There will be two food trucks located in the Dizney Grove area beyond the outfield wall on each day of the weekend series.
Friday: Twisted Tikka Indian Food Truck, Fat Tiki
Saturday: Pardon My Cheesesteak, Nothing Bundt Cakes
Sunday: Halo Potato Donuts, Big Island Bowls
LAST TIME OUT
The Gators are fresh off a comeback win against FSU on Tuesday, using a four-run eighth to overcome a three-run deficit, 5-3. Outfielder Ty Evans provided the go-ahead, three-run double with two outs in the bottom of the eighth while Cade Fisher tossed two scoreless innings of relief for the win and Brandon Neely struck out the side in the ninth for the save. Prior to that, UF took two of three games at No. 11 Tennessee (W 6-1, W 9-3, L 14-2). Starters Brandon Sproat (5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K) and Hurston Waldrep (7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K) earned wins in the first two games at UT, with seven different Gators homering in the series.
DOWN LOW ON THE DAWGS
Georgia secured its first SEC series win of the season last weekend vs. Kentucky, improving to 3-9 in conference play and entering at 18-15 overall. Picked to finish fifth in the SEC Eastern Division, the Bulldogs are hitting .296/.393/.521 with 57 homers while pitching to a 6.20 ERA. Georgia is a solid defensive squad, having committed just 24 errors in 33 games for a .979 fielding percentage.
MURDERER'S ROW
Three Gators head into the series with an OPS above 1.250 in Wyatt Langford (1.369), Jac Caglianone (1.302) and Josh Rivera (1.254). No other SEC program even has three qualified hitters all with an OPS above 1.200.
GOLDEN SPIKES
Rivera and Caglianone were named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List on April 5. The duo was among 24 athletes to be added to the 45-player list.
WEEKEND WARRIORS
Florida has won eight-straight series which stretches to 12-consecutive dating back to 2022. That features eight-straight SEC series wins including four in a row this season. The Gators are 20-4 in weekend series this year and 29-7 over their last-12 series.
JUST A SEC
With wins in eight-straight SEC series, UF last dropped an SEC series from April 22-24, 2022 vs. No. 1 Tennessee. Since then, the gators are 22-8 against conference opponents. Since O'Sullivan took the reins in 2008, Florida's .617 winning % in regular season SEC play is tops in the SEC (266-165).
RELENTLESS REPTILES
14 of Florida's wins this season have been in comeback fashion, surpassing last year's 66-game total of 13. After going 0-20 last season when trailing after six innings, Florida is 3-4 in that scenario already in 2023. Even more impressively, the Gators are 12-3 when the opponent scores first this season, compared to 11-15 last year.
OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT
Florida is found near the top of the leaderboard for nearly every offensive statistic, ranking top-10 nationally in slugging percentage (second - .592), home runs (third - 74), runs (fifth - 320), hits (seventh - 369) and triples (seventh - 17). The Gators also rank 15th in the NCAA with a .316 batting average (second in SEC) and pace the SEC in hits, slugging, triples, at bats and total bases, as the Gators' 690 bases are 64 more than the next-closest team (South Carolina, 626).
FILLING UP FRAMES
34 games into the season, the Gators are scoring in nearly half (49.3%) of their batted innings (134 of 272). Florida has a run differential of plus-146, averaging 9.4 runs/game and 10.9 hits/game.
DON'T ROCK THE SPROAT, BABY
Sproat has lost one decision across his last 14 starts. In that span, Sproat is 10-1 with a 3.30 ERA and 10.4 K/9 across 81 2/3 innings, equating to an average of 5.8 innings/start. The Gators are 13-1 in Sproat's last 14 starts Sproat's 13.1 strikeouts per nine ranks 26th nationally.
THE BIG HURST
Ranking second in the country behind LSU's Paul Skenes with 75 strikeouts, Waldrep has won three-straight starts and delivered quality starts in four of his last five outings. Waldrep's 15.0 strikeouts per nine rank sixth nationally while his six wins are tied for the SEC lead (T-sixth in NCAA).
NEELY'S NINTH
Neely leads the SEC with three more saves (seven) than the next-closest pitcher. Neely has not allowed a run over his last four outings spanning 6 2/3 innings, and across UF's last 20 games owns five saves, a 1.20 ERA, .196 batting average against and 24 strikeouts (14.4 K/9) against four walks (2.4 BB/9) in 15 frames. On the season, Neely has a 2.96 ERA, .209 BAA and 14.1 K/9.
PHIL OF THE HILL
Left-handed reliever Philip Abner has allowed an earned run in just one of his 12 appearances this year (March 1 vs. JU). Across UF's last 20 games, Abner is 3-0 with one save, a 0.00 ERA, .160 BAA, 13.2 strikeouts per nine and one extra-base hit allowed. Over those 20 games, the UF bullpen is 9-0 with eight saves, a 3.01 ERA and 11.4 K/9.
OUR RIVERA RUNS THRU IT
Holding a seven-game hitting streak, Rivera leads UF with a .397 batting average, 46 runs (T-second in NCAA), 47 RBI (T-10th) and 11 stolen bases, having already set career highs in the latter three categories along with homers (13). The Avon Park, Fla. native ranks top-10 in the SEC in runs (second), RBI (T-fourth), batting (sixth), hits (T-seventh, 50), home runs (T-seventh), total bases (eighth, 95), slugging (eighth, .754) and on-base percentage (T-eighth, .500). Perhaps most impressively, Rivera is hitting .404/.491/.766 in SEC play, ranking fourth in the SEC in batting and slugging. As one of two Gators to start all 34 games, Rivera has drawn more walks (24) than strikeouts (16). Rivera has more total bases than Dylan Crews, more homers than Blake Burke and is slugging higher than Kemp Alderman.
SECOND TO CAGLIA-NONE
Caglianone remains atop the national leaderboard with 19 home runs, one ahead of former teammate Kris Armstrong of Jacksonville. Caglianone has three more homers than any player in the SEC while ranking fourth nationally in slugging (.873), T-10th in RBI (47) and first in total bases, as his 124 are 12 more than Jake Gelof of Virginia. He has nine multi-hit games in Florida's last 12 contests.
GATORBOMBS
Florida's 74 home runs are on pace for 119 in the regular season alone and 143 across 66 games - the length of the 2022 season. The school record of 132 home runs was set in 64 games in 1998 (2.1 homers/game). Averaging 2.2 homers/game in 2023, UF has homered in seven-straight games.
PARKING/SHUTTLES
Fans are encouraged to park at the Fifield and IFAS lots during the weekend. An increased number of shuttles will be available for transportation to the ballpark each day.
General Parking is also available in the west Condron Family Ballpark baseball lot. Handicapped parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the Condron Family Ballpark west lot with a valid Disabled Placard. Click HERE for a Parking map.
TRAFFIC PATTERNS ON GAME DAY
Those visiting Condron Family Ballpark on game day should be aware of updated traffic patterns surrounding the ballpark. Fans are advised to utilize Ballpark Way, which will serve as a connecting route to the ballpark from Archer Road. For departures, a postgame traffic flow pattern guide can be found here.
MOBILE TICKETING & FLORIDA GATORS APP
As a reminder, mobile ticketing is required. There will be two ways to access your tickets:
1) through the Florida Gators app from your mobile device or
2) through FloridaGators.com/myaccount. Fans will also be able to transfer or donate their tickets easily within the app or online.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are currently on sale for the 2023 season, including both season tickets and single-game options. Tickets can be purchased online or by contacting the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683. Season ticket prices and availability can be accessed directly here, while single-game sales can be found here.
Continue to check FloridaGators.com for additional updates related to the 2023 baseball season.
ON DECK
Florida hosts Florida A&M at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18 before traveling to Columbia for a three-game series at South Carolina.
Follow the Gators
#GoGators
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