Series Preview: Florida travels to College Station to face TAMU
The Florida Gators are headed to College Station this weekend to face the Texas A&M Aggies for a weekend series.
UF is coming off a sweep of Missouri last weekend and a close win over Florida State during the week. The goal is to make it seven in a row this weekend against an Aggies club that’s under .500 against the conference.
Jac Caglianone should set the school record for home runs at some point this weekend. He hit No. 26 to tie the record held by Matt LaPorta and Wyatt Langford on Tuesday against the Seminoles.
It’s unfortunate that the Florida faithful likely won’t see the record broken at Condron Ballpark, but Cags should hit plenty more over the next month and in 2024.
It should be an exciting weekend for the Gators and a good road test after being swept in Columbia by South Carolina two weeks ago.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap.
Projected Starting Lineup
Pos. | Player Name | AVG | OBP | SLG | AB | R | H | HR | RBI |
C | BT Riopelle | .261 | .385 | .484 | 153 | 38 | 41 | 7 | 39 |
1B | Jac Caglianone | .364 | .418 | .866 | 187 | 55 | 68 | 26 | 67 |
2B | Cade Kurland | .304 | .398 | .601 | 168 | 50 | 51 | 13 | 41 |
3B | Colby Halter | .260 | .369 | .447 | 123 | 26 | 32 | 3 | 25 |
SS | Josh Rivera | .377 | .476 | .677 | 167 | 54 | 63 | 14 | 55 |
LF | Wyatt Langford | .403 | .543 | .784 | 139 | 56 | 56 | 11 | 29 |
CF | Michael Robertson | .279 | .406 | .340 | 147 | 37 | 41 | 1 | 19 |
RF | Tyler Shelnut | .318 | .413 | .580 | 88 | 20 | 28 | 5 | 21 |
DH | Luke Heyman | .375 | .430 | .708 | 96 | 20 | 36 | 8 | 29 |
Notes: Tyler Shelnut should get the start in right field after batting well against Missouri a week ago. Ty Evans could still see time as a defensive replacement.
Probable Starters: Friday (7 p.m. EDT)
Team | Pitcher | Record | ERA |
FLORIDA | RHP Brandon Sproat | 6-2 | 4.67 |
TEXAS A&M | RHP Nathan Dettmer | 1-3 | 6.08 |
NOTES: Brandon Sproat hurled a shortened complete game last week en route to SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors. He struck out seven and gave up just one run, but the Aggies might be more dangerous than the Tigers.
Sproat is the tone setter for the Gators. If he pitches well, the bullpen has less pressure on it throughout the weekend, and a series victory usually follows.
At one point, Nathan Dettmer was a higher-rated MLB prospect than both Sproat and Hurston Waldrep. His walk rate (14.3%) is way up, though, which is offsetting a career-high strikeout rate (21.5%).
Dettmer’s fastball sits in the high 90s, usually topping around 97-97 mph. He’s got a low-80s breaking pitch that he uses to generate swing and miss, but it’s not always on.
Probable Starters: Saturday (6 p.m. EDT)
Team | Pitcher | Record | ERA |
FLORIDA | RHP Hurston Waldrep | 6-2 | 4.74 |
TEXAS A&M | RHP Troy Wansing | 2-2 | 6.69 |
NOTES: Hurston Waldrep had an off outing against Missouri, lasting just 4 2/3 innings and striking out four.
There’s no reason to worry about Waldrep right now. He should be able to bounce back with a quality start against Texas A&M, and he continues to be a top draft prospect.
Left-hander Troy Wansing is a strikeout artist that boasts a K-rate above 30.0%. He could stand to bring the walks down a bit, but Lansing might give the Aggies the best chance to win.
Probable Starters: Sunday (2 p.m. EDT)
Team | Pitcher | Record | ERA |
FLORIDA | LHP Jac Caglianone | 4-2 | 5.11 |
TEXAS A&M | TBD | TBD | TBD |
NOTES: Jac Caglianone has struggled in recent weeks, but Kevin O’Sullivan seems insistent on sticking with the hard-throwing lefty. There’s obvious upside with Cags, and it doesn’t really make sense for Florida to try and figure out a new Sunday guy at this point.
Sproat and Waldrep do a good job leaving enough arms in the bullpen to bail Caglianone out of whatever trouble he gets himself in, too.
The Aggies haven’t listed a Sunday starter, so we’ll have to wait and find out who Florida faces in the series finale.
Other Players to Watch
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Jack Moss and Hunter Haas are the two most dangerous bats in Texas A&M’s lineup. They are both batting above .330 and have remained consistent through SEC play.
Jace LaViolette is the team leader in home runs with 11 and also paces the team with 47 RBIs. Brett Minnich is another bat to watch that’s been around .300 all year and is heating up in conference play.
Series History
OVERALL | 11-13 |
AT HOME | 7-3 |
AWAY | 3-6 |
NEUTRAL | 1-4 |
NOTES: Florida leads this series but it’s been tough to win at Collegr Station. If there is a Gators team that can do it rather easily, it’s this one.
Follow the Action
FRIDAY (7:00 p.m. EDT)
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
SATURDAY (6 p.m. EDT)
Watch: SEC Network
Listen: ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
SUNDAY (2 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
Predictions
GAME 1: Florida, 8-3
GAME 2: Florida, 5-4
GAME 3: Florida, 7-3
The Gators looked rejuvenated against Missouri last weekend, and it’s going to be hard to pick against them for the rest of the season aside from the Vanderbilt series.
SERIES: Florida keeps the winning ways going and looks dominant doing so with a 3-0 sweep.
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