Game Preview: Florida baseball returns to midweek action against USF
After getting the week off between the Tennessee and Kentucky series, Florida baseball is back to midweek action with a home game against the USF Bulls Tuesday.
The Bulls made history in Gainesville last time they were in town by beating Florida, 5-3, and winning the first regional championship in team history. That sets the table up for the Gators to get some sweet, sweet revenge at a time when Kevin O'Sullivan needs his club to play their best baseball.
Winning the first two games of the Kentucky series in such a dominant fashion (9-2, 9-1) is what’s expected of this team, but they need to keep it up down the stretch. Pitching is still an issue after Brandon Sproat and Brandon Neely. Ryan Slater got touched up early against the Wildcats on Sunday and Karl Hartman had a short night against Stetson last time the Gators played midweek.
It remains unclear who will get the ball in Tuesday’s matchup, but starters should be announced at some point over the afternoon. With that in mind, Florida’s offense will need to be productive enough to overcome any pitching woes that could, and likely will, come up.
The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT Tuesday night at Condron Family Ballpark.
Projected Starting Lineup
C | [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] |
1B | [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] |
2B | [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] |
3B | [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] |
SS | [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] |
LF | [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] |
CF | [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] |
RF | [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] |
DH | [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] |
Probable Starters
Team | Pitcher | Record | ERA |
USF | TBD | TBD | TBD |
FLORIDA | TBD | TBD | TBD |
NOTES: No starters have been announced just yet for this game. Check back shortly for updates.
Series History
OVERALL | 65-27 |
AT HOME | 45-11 |
AWAY | 19-15 |
NEUTRAL | 1-1 |
NOTES: The Bulls pulled off the upset last time out and the Gators are unlikely to forget it coming into this game. History favors Florida in this series at home and the team has been better at Condron Ballpark than on the road in 2022.
Follow the Action
TUESDAY (6:00 p.m. EDT)
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
* Watch links go directly to game feed
Prediction
Florida’s offense can still score most nights against teams that aren’t nationally ranked and there seems to be a sense of urgency that wasn’t there a week ago. Getting swept will do that. After finishing the Kentucky series on a sour note, and with USF’s recent upset in mind, expect Florida to put a big number on offense.
Prediction: Gators win, 10-3
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