How to Watch: Florida baseball opens its season hosting Charleston Southern

Florida baseball gets set to kick off its 2023 campaign at home on Friday, Feb. 17, as it hosts the Charleston Southern Buccaneers at McKethan Field/Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida, as the Gators look to get off to a strong start to the new season, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

Take a look below at everything you need to know to follow Friday night’s action as Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad starts the 105th edition of the Orange and Blue’s boys of springtime. It should be an exciting season for the Gator Nation on the baseball diamond.

How to Watch

FRIDAY (7 p.m. EST)

• Watch: SEC Network+

• Listen: ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF

• Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)

Projected Starting Pitchers

Pitching Notes

Sproat is the returning ace for Florida this season, and he got a chance to test out the role last year once [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] went down. The mission is clear this season: get to Omaha. Sproat doesn’t need to strike out 10 every time out or no-hit the Charleston Southern’s of the world for Florida to get back to the College World Series, but he does need to be consistent at the top of the rotation

He found some of that consistency down the stretch last season, going 5-0 with a 1.59 ERA through his final six starts. Getting things started in a similar fashion to kick off 2023 would be ideal.

For the Buccaneers, senior right-hander Zac Robinson is on the bump for Opening Day. He appeared in 21 games last season, mostly in a relief role, and finished the year with a 9.48 ERA over 31 1/3 innings. He made one start in 2022. Opposing hitters batted .313 against him, but he did strike out (30) twice as many as he walked (15). — David Rosenberg

Florida's Projected Starting Lineup

Series History

NOTES: Florida and Southern Charleston haven’t met up on the baseball diamond in over a decade, but the series history is strongly in favor of the Gators. The Buccaneers did win the last matchup in March 2010 but didn’t take the series. — Rosenberg

Fun Fact

In 2003 and 2005, Florida and Charleston Southern played a pair of games that went into extra innings. The Gators won 10-9 in the 10th inning in 2003 and lost 5-4 in the 11th inning in 2005. — Rosenberg

Prediction

Florida, 9-2

— Rosenberg

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Series Preview: Florida begins 2023 season with series against Charleston Southern

Check out Gators Wire’s other position previews for the 2023 season:

• Catchers

• First Basemen

• Second Basemen

• Third Basemen

• Shortstops

• Otufielders

• Starting Pitchers

• Relief Pitchers

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Story originally appeared on Gators Wire