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How to Watch: Florida baseball vs Florida Atlantic Owls on Wednesday

Florida baseball gets set to host the Florida Atlantic Owls on Wednesday, March 8, in the second of a pair of midweek matchups at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Gators started the season with a three-game sweep of the visiting Charleston Southern Buccaneers but split a home-and-home with the South Florida Bulls that saw both teams win the away game during the week. The Orange and Blue bounced back from the USF loss with a sweep of the visiting Cincinnati Bearcats two weekends ago but then split another home-and-home with the Jacksonville Dolphins last week. This past weekend, Florida took two of three at home from the No. 22 Miami Hurricanes.

Florida took the first game of the midweek series on Tuesday night, 18-11.

How to Watch

WEDNESDAY (6 p.m. EST)

Projected Starting Pitchers

Team

Pitcher

Record

ERA

FLORIDA

TBD

N/A

N/A

FAU

RHP Tyler Murphy

0-0

0.00

 

Pitcher Notes

It’s hard to say who will throw for Florida on Wednesday with Tejeda going on Tuesday. Ryan Slater threw for Florida last Tuesday with Tejeda throwing on Wednesday, so the two could be flipping days. But with the Gators’ recent struggles out of the bullpen looming large, it’s possible Kevin O’Sullivan wants Slater to pitch in relief over the weekend.

Cade Fisher is the only other option for Florida with a start under his belt this year, but Phillip Abner is another name O’Sullivan can turn to if he wants to go with a lefty.

Freshman right-hander Tyler Murphy will go for FAU on Wednesday. He’s got 5 1/3 innings under his belt so far and has allowed zero runs while striking out nine. Murphy is off to a promising start, but Florida might bring that to and end in a hurry. — David Rosenberg

Florida's Projected Starting Lineup

Position

Player Name

AVG

OBP

SLG

R

H

HR

RBI

C

BT Riopelle or Luke Heyman

.407

.500

.593

9

11

1

11

1B

Jac Caglianone or BT Riopelle

.414

.485

1.069

10

12

6

13

2B

Cade Kurland

.542

.607

1.042

10

13

3

10

3B

Colby Halter or Tyler Shelnut

.211

.250

.368

3

4

1

1

SS

Josh Rivera

.448

.541

.828

13

13

3

14

LF

Wyatt Langford

.200

.250

.200

3

3

0

2

CF

Michael Robertson

.393

.550

.821

14

11

2

8

RF

Ty Evans

.344

.417

.594

7

11

1

15

DH

Tyler Shelnut

.261

.393

.609

6

6

2

4

 

Other Players to Watch

AP Photo/Doug Murray

Florida Atlantic first baseman/outfielder Nolan Schanuel is the top draft prospect in the Conference USA and shouldn’t be taken lightly in this series. He’ll be facing a freshman in Tejeda and likely another young arm, so this could be a big series for him. Outfielders Dylan Goldstein and Spencer Rich also have draft hopes.

Series History

OVERALL

25-10

AT HOME

19-8

AWAY

3-1

NEUTRAL

3-1

Florida has the lead in the all-time series against FAU, but the Owls took the most recent game between the two clubs in 2021. It was a 3-2 loss for the Gators that went into the 10th inning, but this year’s team hasn’t scored less than six runs all season. — Rosenberg

Prediction

GAME 2: Florida, 15-2

SERIES: This should be a one-sided series that could see things get out of hand even if there is a mercy rule. Kevin O’Sullivan won’t forget what it was like to watch his team meltdown last Wednesday, and neither will the players.

Both of these games should be convincing wins for Florida. Gators take the series, 2-0. Rosenberg

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

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Story originally appeared on Gators Wire