Friday, March 15
Gainesville, FL
6:30 PM
Florida Gators
vs
Texas A&M
Luke Heyman (left), Landon Russell (middle-left), Tyler Shelnut (middle-right) and Ty Evans (right) finish pregame warm-ups prior to the Gators' game against the Saint Mary's on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Fla.
No. 8 Gators Open SEC Play with Top-10 Bout vs. No. 4 Aggies
Thursday, March 14, 2024 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 8 Florida Gators are set to kickstart Southeastern Conference play this weekend with a top-10 showdown against the No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies at Condron Family Ballpark.
The series opener is scheduled for Friday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. Game two is on the books for 6:30 p.m. as well while Sunday's finale starts at 1 p.m. All three matchups will stream on SEC Network+.
All four of the Gators' games this week come against undefeated opponents, as the Aggies enter with a 17-0 record on the year. Florida (10-6) has won six-straight home games vs. the Aggies, posting consecutive sweeps in 2019 and 2021.
Despite trailing the all-time series by three games at 12-15, the Orange & Blue has won five of the last eight. Under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, Florida is 11-9 vs. Texas A&M (6-0 at home).
Pitching Matchups
Florida dropped to No. 8 in the D1Baseball Top 25 on Monday following its 2-2 week. The Gators are a consensus top-15 team nationally, coming in at No. 10 per Baseball America, No. 11 according to Perfect Game and No. 15 per the NCBWA.
SERIES PROMOS
For Friday night's season opener, the first 750 fans through the gates will receive complimentary Florida baseball tumblers. On Sunday, there will be green Florida baseball St. Patrick's Day shirts for the first 750 fans. Sunday's finale will also be followed by postgame autographs down the right-field berm.
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: Chomp Truck by Sodexo, The Smoked Biscuit Company
Saturday: Chomp Truck by Sodexo, B'z Gelati
Sunday: Chomp Truck by Sodexo, Big Island Bowls
SEC OPENING WEEKEND
Florida has won three-straight SEC opening series dating back to 2021, going 7-2 against Alabama (twice) and Texas A&M. The Gators' last sweep on an opening weekend was against the Aggies in 2021: W 13-4, W 3-1, W 8-4.
ABOUT THE AGGIES
One of two undefeated teams in Division I baseball alongside Florida State, Texas A&M enters with a 17-0 record after sweeping McNeese, Wagner and Rhode Island. Offensively, the Aggies are hitting .320/.470/.579 as a team on 32 homers and 39 doubles. Pitching has been A&M's early-season calling card, as evidenced by a 2.10 ERA, .190 batting average against and 213 strikeouts in 148 innings. The Aggies have also fielded at a .981 clip defensively.
CAN'T CRACK CONDRON
Florida has won 13-consecutive three-game, regular-season home series at Condron Family Ballpark dating back to the 2022 season. The Gators are 28-6 in home series since 2023 following the series win over Saint Mary's. Florida is 43-11 at home since the start of last season. Counting Florida's 2023 Super Regional sweep vs. South Carolina, the Gators have won 14-straight series at home.
SERIESLY WINNING
Florida has won 19 of its last 21 three-game, regular-season series dating back to the 2022 season including 12 of 14 in SEC play. The Gators are 38-13 in weekend series since the start of last season and 47-16 across the team's previous 21 series at any venue.
THE SEC'S FINEST
Since Florida's last home series lost vs. Tennessee from April 22-24, 2022, the Gators have gone 37-16 vs. SEC opponents featuring a 29-13 regular-season mark. In that span, Florida has won 12 of its last 14 SEC series. Dating back to O'Sullivan's first year at the helm in 2008, Florida's .617 winning percentage is the best in the conference (277-172).
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
With 185 strikeouts in 140 innings, Florida ranks ninth nationally and fourth in the SEC in strikeouts per nine (12.1). On the other side of the ball, the Gators' 34 home runs are good for 12th in the country and fourth in the SEC. Despite committing five errors over the last four games, Florida is ninth in the country and second in the SEC in fielding percentage (.984) behind Vanderbilt (.984).
MURDERER'S ROW
Florida has five qualified hitters with an OPS above 1.000 in shortstop Colby Shelton (1.244), first baseman Jac Caglianone (1.147), outfielder Ty Evans (1.092), catcher Luke Heyman (1.038) and outfielder/infielder Tyler Shelnut (1.020). On top of that, second baseman Cade Kurland just missed the cut at .984. Each of the top-six hitters in Florida's lineup are slugging over .680 with an OPS above .980.
TYME TO REMEMBER
Having collected hits in 14 of 15 games this season, Evans' .356 batting average is second on the team behind Caglianone. Evans has collected multiple hits in five of the last six games including four-straight entering Friday. In those four games, he is 9-for-18 with a .500/.550/.722 slash line. In the ninth inning of Tuesday's loss to FSU, Evans hit Florida's first inside-the-park home run in 27 years to the date - since Brian Ogle on March 12, 1997. The right-fielder already has four homers and two doubles in 59 at bats. Last season, Evans totaled four homers and seven doubles in 139 regular-season at bats.
GOING STREAKING
Two Gators enter with 16-game on-base streaks in Heyman and Shelton. Heyman leads the squad with a six-game hitting streak.
SHEL-SHOCKED
With the aforementioned 16-game on-base streak, Shelton has homered six times in the last six games while slashing .357/.400/1.000 with a team-high 13 RBI and 10 runs in that span. The UF shortstop enters the weekend tied for fifth nationally (t-second in SEC) with nine home runs and sits 10th in the SEC in slugging and total bases. He is hitting .333/.450/.794 on the season, leading the Gators in slugging, runs (23), RBI (21) and OPS (1.244).
JAC OF ALL TRADES
Not only is Caglianone pacing Florida in batting (.412), on-base percentage (.500) and hits (28) on top of five homers, but he has been the team's best pitcher through four weeks. The southpaw is 2-0 on a team-low 1.80 ERA and .104 batting average against and is tied for the team-high in strikeouts with 27 in 15 innings (16.2 K/9). In his last two starts, he has fired 12.0 shutout innings on three hits, six walks and 20 strikeouts with a .081 batting average against. Of the last 46 batters Caglianone has faced, he has struck out 22 of them while allowing just three hits. In Caglianone's last two starts on the mound, he collected four hits while allowing three. He has also improved his offensive approach, drawing 11 walks against seven strikeouts in 68 at bats.
FRIDAY NIGHT FISHING
Although Friday night starter Cade Fisher has struggled to begin the year, he has struck out 23 batters against two walks in his last three outings spanning 14 2/3 innings. The key for Fisher will be minimizing hard contact, as he has been victimized by a .310 batting average against this season.
TRUE FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
The Florida true freshman quartet of Alex Philpott, Robert Satin, Grayson Smith and Reilly Witmer has combined for a 2.67 ERA in 30 1/3 innings to open the season. They have allowed nine earned runs while fanning 32 batters.
LIKE THE FABRIC
Of the aforementioned rookie contingent, Satin holds the lowest ERA at 1.42. He has surrendered just one run in 6 1/3 frames, but will need to reduce the walks (6 BB, 7 H, 2.05 WHIP) to maintain his production.
SLATER-AID
Fireman reliever Ryan Slater commands a 3.15 ERA and .191 batting average against across a team-high 20 innings and nine appearances to start the season. Of the 11 runners he has inherited, three have scored for a respectable 72.7% strand rate.
GARY ON GUARD
Transfer catcher Tanner Garrison showed his tools in Sunday's win over St. Mary's, going 2-for-4 with one double and the game-ending hit in the eighth inning to secure a 10-0 run-rule victory. He also threw out both runners that attempted to steal in the contest, improving to 3-for-3 on the season.
KURLAND'S CAR DEALERSHIP
With a bases-loaded blast in the fourth inning vs. FSU, Kurland connected for his third-career grand slam and the first of Florida's 2024 season. It also won Newberry, Fla. native Zack Leggett a free, two-year lease on a 2024 Chevrolet Trax courtesy of this year's Gators Sports Properties promotional partnership with Davis Gainesville Chevy. Kurland is now hitting .320/.404/.580 on the year with three homers, one triple, two doubles, 17 runs and 11 RBI.
SULLY SUPERLATIVES
Since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, no college program has more CWS trips (eight), Super Regionals hosted (nine), top-eight national seeds (10) and NCAA Tournament bids (15) than the Florida Gators. Overall, Florida's 15-straight NCAA bids represent the second-longest active streak in the sport. The Gators have also hosted 12 NCAA Regionals out of a possible 15 during O'Sullivan's tenure (no NCAA Tournament in 2020), which ranks first in the nation. Looking at the SEC specifically, Florida's .617 winning percentage (277-172) since 2008 is the top mark in the conference.
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.
Click HERE for a Parking map.
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
Season tickets are currently on sale now. 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.
Tickets are currently on sale for the 2024 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 tickets as well as On-Deck Flex Passes are currently on sale now.
ON DECK
Florida remains at home to host Jacksonville on Tuesday, March 19. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. with coverage on SEC Network+.
Follow the Gators
#GoGators
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Instagram
Facebook
The series opener is scheduled for Friday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. Game two is on the books for 6:30 p.m. as well while Sunday's finale starts at 1 p.m. All three matchups will stream on SEC Network+.
All four of the Gators' games this week come against undefeated opponents, as the Aggies enter with a 17-0 record on the year. Florida (10-6) has won six-straight home games vs. the Aggies, posting consecutive sweeps in 2019 and 2021.
Despite trailing the all-time series by three games at 12-15, the Orange & Blue has won five of the last eight. Under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, Florida is 11-9 vs. Texas A&M (6-0 at home).
Pitching Matchups
| Friday | 6:30 ET (SECN+) | Saturday | 6:30 ET (SECN+) | Sunday | 1 ET (SECN+) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary's | LHP Ryan Prager (4-0, 0.00 ERA) | RHP Tanner Jones (1-0, 1.00 ERA) | LHP Justin Lamkin (1-0, 0.98 ERA) |
| Florida | LHP Cade Fisher (1-1, 7.56 ERA) | RHP Liam Peterson (1-1, 5.06 ERA) | LHP Jac Caglianone (2-0, 1.80 ERA) |
| Links | WATCH | LISTEN | WATCH | LISTEN | WATCH | LISTEN |
Florida dropped to No. 8 in the D1Baseball Top 25 on Monday following its 2-2 week. The Gators are a consensus top-15 team nationally, coming in at No. 10 per Baseball America, No. 11 according to Perfect Game and No. 15 per the NCBWA.
SERIES PROMOS
For Friday night's season opener, the first 750 fans through the gates will receive complimentary Florida baseball tumblers. On Sunday, there will be green Florida baseball St. Patrick's Day shirts for the first 750 fans. Sunday's finale will also be followed by postgame autographs down the right-field berm.
We have Florida baseball tumblers for the first 7️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ fans for this Friday night's series opener vs. Texas A&M!
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) March 13, 2024
🔗 https://t.co/J4zlBclmkg#GoGators pic.twitter.com/ELORAwSz9g
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: Chomp Truck by Sodexo, The Smoked Biscuit Company
Saturday: Chomp Truck by Sodexo, B'z Gelati
Sunday: Chomp Truck by Sodexo, Big Island Bowls
SEC OPENING WEEKEND
Florida has won three-straight SEC opening series dating back to 2021, going 7-2 against Alabama (twice) and Texas A&M. The Gators' last sweep on an opening weekend was against the Aggies in 2021: W 13-4, W 3-1, W 8-4.
ABOUT THE AGGIES
One of two undefeated teams in Division I baseball alongside Florida State, Texas A&M enters with a 17-0 record after sweeping McNeese, Wagner and Rhode Island. Offensively, the Aggies are hitting .320/.470/.579 as a team on 32 homers and 39 doubles. Pitching has been A&M's early-season calling card, as evidenced by a 2.10 ERA, .190 batting average against and 213 strikeouts in 148 innings. The Aggies have also fielded at a .981 clip defensively.
CAN'T CRACK CONDRON
Florida has won 13-consecutive three-game, regular-season home series at Condron Family Ballpark dating back to the 2022 season. The Gators are 28-6 in home series since 2023 following the series win over Saint Mary's. Florida is 43-11 at home since the start of last season. Counting Florida's 2023 Super Regional sweep vs. South Carolina, the Gators have won 14-straight series at home.
SERIESLY WINNING
Florida has won 19 of its last 21 three-game, regular-season series dating back to the 2022 season including 12 of 14 in SEC play. The Gators are 38-13 in weekend series since the start of last season and 47-16 across the team's previous 21 series at any venue.
THE SEC'S FINEST
Since Florida's last home series lost vs. Tennessee from April 22-24, 2022, the Gators have gone 37-16 vs. SEC opponents featuring a 29-13 regular-season mark. In that span, Florida has won 12 of its last 14 SEC series. Dating back to O'Sullivan's first year at the helm in 2008, Florida's .617 winning percentage is the best in the conference (277-172).
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
With 185 strikeouts in 140 innings, Florida ranks ninth nationally and fourth in the SEC in strikeouts per nine (12.1). On the other side of the ball, the Gators' 34 home runs are good for 12th in the country and fourth in the SEC. Despite committing five errors over the last four games, Florida is ninth in the country and second in the SEC in fielding percentage (.984) behind Vanderbilt (.984).
MURDERER'S ROW
Florida has five qualified hitters with an OPS above 1.000 in shortstop Colby Shelton (1.244), first baseman Jac Caglianone (1.147), outfielder Ty Evans (1.092), catcher Luke Heyman (1.038) and outfielder/infielder Tyler Shelnut (1.020). On top of that, second baseman Cade Kurland just missed the cut at .984. Each of the top-six hitters in Florida's lineup are slugging over .680 with an OPS above .980.
TYME TO REMEMBER
Having collected hits in 14 of 15 games this season, Evans' .356 batting average is second on the team behind Caglianone. Evans has collected multiple hits in five of the last six games including four-straight entering Friday. In those four games, he is 9-for-18 with a .500/.550/.722 slash line. In the ninth inning of Tuesday's loss to FSU, Evans hit Florida's first inside-the-park home run in 27 years to the date - since Brian Ogle on March 12, 1997. The right-fielder already has four homers and two doubles in 59 at bats. Last season, Evans totaled four homers and seven doubles in 139 regular-season at bats.
GOING STREAKING
Two Gators enter with 16-game on-base streaks in Heyman and Shelton. Heyman leads the squad with a six-game hitting streak.
SHEL-SHOCKED
With the aforementioned 16-game on-base streak, Shelton has homered six times in the last six games while slashing .357/.400/1.000 with a team-high 13 RBI and 10 runs in that span. The UF shortstop enters the weekend tied for fifth nationally (t-second in SEC) with nine home runs and sits 10th in the SEC in slugging and total bases. He is hitting .333/.450/.794 on the season, leading the Gators in slugging, runs (23), RBI (21) and OPS (1.244).
JAC OF ALL TRADES
Not only is Caglianone pacing Florida in batting (.412), on-base percentage (.500) and hits (28) on top of five homers, but he has been the team's best pitcher through four weeks. The southpaw is 2-0 on a team-low 1.80 ERA and .104 batting average against and is tied for the team-high in strikeouts with 27 in 15 innings (16.2 K/9). In his last two starts, he has fired 12.0 shutout innings on three hits, six walks and 20 strikeouts with a .081 batting average against. Of the last 46 batters Caglianone has faced, he has struck out 22 of them while allowing just three hits. In Caglianone's last two starts on the mound, he collected four hits while allowing three. He has also improved his offensive approach, drawing 11 walks against seven strikeouts in 68 at bats.
FRIDAY NIGHT FISHING
Although Friday night starter Cade Fisher has struggled to begin the year, he has struck out 23 batters against two walks in his last three outings spanning 14 2/3 innings. The key for Fisher will be minimizing hard contact, as he has been victimized by a .310 batting average against this season.
TRUE FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
The Florida true freshman quartet of Alex Philpott, Robert Satin, Grayson Smith and Reilly Witmer has combined for a 2.67 ERA in 30 1/3 innings to open the season. They have allowed nine earned runs while fanning 32 batters.
LIKE THE FABRIC
Of the aforementioned rookie contingent, Satin holds the lowest ERA at 1.42. He has surrendered just one run in 6 1/3 frames, but will need to reduce the walks (6 BB, 7 H, 2.05 WHIP) to maintain his production.
SLATER-AID
Fireman reliever Ryan Slater commands a 3.15 ERA and .191 batting average against across a team-high 20 innings and nine appearances to start the season. Of the 11 runners he has inherited, three have scored for a respectable 72.7% strand rate.
GARY ON GUARD
Transfer catcher Tanner Garrison showed his tools in Sunday's win over St. Mary's, going 2-for-4 with one double and the game-ending hit in the eighth inning to secure a 10-0 run-rule victory. He also threw out both runners that attempted to steal in the contest, improving to 3-for-3 on the season.
KURLAND'S CAR DEALERSHIP
With a bases-loaded blast in the fourth inning vs. FSU, Kurland connected for his third-career grand slam and the first of Florida's 2024 season. It also won Newberry, Fla. native Zack Leggett a free, two-year lease on a 2024 Chevrolet Trax courtesy of this year's Gators Sports Properties promotional partnership with Davis Gainesville Chevy. Kurland is now hitting .320/.404/.580 on the year with three homers, one triple, two doubles, 17 runs and 11 RBI.
SULLY SUPERLATIVES
Since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, no college program has more CWS trips (eight), Super Regionals hosted (nine), top-eight national seeds (10) and NCAA Tournament bids (15) than the Florida Gators. Overall, Florida's 15-straight NCAA bids represent the second-longest active streak in the sport. The Gators have also hosted 12 NCAA Regionals out of a possible 15 during O'Sullivan's tenure (no NCAA Tournament in 2020), which ranks first in the nation. Looking at the SEC specifically, Florida's .617 winning percentage (277-172) since 2008 is the top mark in the conference.
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.
Click HERE for a Parking map.
- General Parking is available in the west Condron Family Ballpark baseball lot and the Fifield parking lot located directly across Hull Road.
- Disabled parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the Condron Family Ballpark west lot with a valid Disabled Placard.
- Fans can follow this link to an interactive parking map.
- RV Parking is available in the Fifield Flat lot. Reserved RV parking is not available for Florida baseball games. All motor home parking is on a first come, first-served basis.
- On-board generators are permitted, however exterior or pull-along generators are prohibited at all times. For safety reasons, all motor homes/RVs are required to utilize exhaust extensions or "smoke stacks" to channel exhaust fumes to the top of the motor home/RV.
- Overnight stays are only allowed on weekend series in the Fifield Flat lot.
- Do Not Park Illegally
- Park in designated parking spots (Do not park on grass or in No Parking Zones).
- Vehicles are subject to towing if they block streets, sidewalks, service drives, or fire lanes, or if illegally parked in a disabled space.
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
Season tickets are currently on sale now. 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.
Tickets are currently on sale for the 2024 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 tickets as well as On-Deck Flex Passes are currently on sale now.
ON DECK
Florida remains at home to host Jacksonville on Tuesday, March 19. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. with coverage on SEC Network+.
Follow the Gators
#GoGators
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