UF is 23-4 vs. Mizzou since the Tigers joined the SEC including wins in 17 of the last 18.
Gainesville, Fla. – The fourth-ranked Florida Gators host the Missouri Tigers in the penultimate home series of the season at Condron Family Ballpark this upcoming weekend.
Games one and two are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with the latter matchup airing on SEC Network. Sunday’s series finale is on the books for 1 p.m.
Florida (32-10, 11-7 SEC) last went head-to-head against Missouri (24-16, 5-13 SEC) in 2022, taking two of three against the Tigers in Columbia from May 13-15 (W 13-1, L 3-5, W 4-3). The Gators most-recently welcomed Missouri to Gainesville in 2021, sweeping the series (W 8-5, W 8-6, W 6-4) to improve to 12-0 against the Tigers in the last-12 home meetings.
Florida is 23-4 vs. Missouri under Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1551> including 12-0 at home. The Gators lead the all-time series, 28-5, featuring a 16-1 record in Gainesville.
Pitching Matchups
Friday | 7 p.m. ET (SECN+) Saturday | 7 p.m. ET (SECN) Sunday | 1 p.m. ET (SECN+)
Missouri RHP Chandler Murphy (3-3, 4.30 ERA) TBA TBA
Florida RHP Brandon Sproat<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-sproat/15508> (5-1, 4.93 ERA) RHP Hurston Waldrep<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/hurston-waldrep/15517> (6-1, 4.60 ERA) TBA
Links WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=e46afb0a-ca85-49a6-987f-19259a593578> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5143> WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/4fbb05a0-721d-4bfc-b974-ee8c466237f8> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5144> WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=e4c479fd-79d8-4d37-abbe-cdda332012ac> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5145>
Florida dropped to No. 4 in the D1Baseball Top-25 this week. The Gators are also ranked fourth by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game.
SERIES PROMOS
The first 500 students in attendance at Friday night’s series opener will receive Florida Gators batting practice replica shirseys. A pair of Jordans will also be awarded to one lucky senior, while Head Men’s Golf Coach JC Deacon of the 2023 SEC Champion Gators will handle first pitch honors. A postgame autograph session is scheduled for Sunday alongside 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: Twisted Tikka Indian Food Truck, B’z Gelati
Saturday: Mayflower Cellars, Nothing Bundt Cakes
Sunday: Frios, Smoked Biscuit
LAST TIME OUT
The Orange & Blue posted a Tuesday victory over North Florida, 6-2, after dropping three games at now-No. 3 South Carolina last weekend. Against UNF, Yoel Tejeda Jr.<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/yoel-tejeda-jr-/15518> earned his second-straight win with four shutout innings while Luke Heyman<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/luke-heyman/15522> went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBI.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Missouri owns a 24-16 (5-13 SEC) record on the season, with an opening weekend sweep over then-No. 4 Tennessee marking the Tigers’ lone SEC series win. Missouri is slashing .260/.377/.439 as a team, led by Luke Mann (.316/.441/.612, 12 homers). On the mound, the Tigers wield a 4.98 ERA backed by a .970 team fielding percentage.
MIZZOU REFRESH
Last season, Florida was led by BT Riopelle<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/bt-riopelle/15503> (5-for-10, 5 RBI) and Wyatt Langford<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/wyatt-langford/15497> (5-for-12, HR, 5 R, SB) at the plate in its series win over Missouri. Starter Brandon Sproat<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-sproat/15508> was excellent, winning the opener thanks to 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball on three hits and one walk while striking out seven. Blake Purnell<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/blake-purnell/15502> held his own out of the pen, totaling two shutout frames over two appearances. Colby Halter<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/colby-halter/15495> also has strong career numbers against Missouri in six career starts: .316/.440/.526 (6-for-19), 1 HR, 2 RBI.
SERIESLY WINNING
Despite last weekend’s series loss at South Carolina, Florida has won 13 of its last 14 series dating back to last season including eight of nine in SEC play. The Gators are 22-8 in weekend series this year and 31-11 over their last 14 series.
OFFENSIVE RANKS
Backed by double-digit runs in 18 games and 10-plus knocks in 26 contests, Florida ranks top-10 nationally in slugging (third – .570), home runs (fourth – 86), triples (seventh – 18) and runs scored (ninth – 377) while sitting in 25th with a .307 batting average (third in SEC). The Gators lead the SEC in triples, at bats and total bases (809) – boasting 52 more bases than the next-closest SEC team (LSU – 757). Meanwhile, the Gators are scoring in 47.6% of their batted innings (160 of 336).
BASH BROTHERS
The duo of Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/15489> (23) and Josh Rivera<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/josh-rivera/15504> (14) has combined for 37 home runs so far this season, which is the most of any two-player tandem in the country. South Carolina’s Ethan Petry (20) and Gavis Casas (16) sit in second with 36. Both players were named to prestigious watch lists this past week: Rivera to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List for the nation’s top shortstop and Caglianone to the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Watch List.
BABY BOOMERS
Freshmen starters Cade Kurland<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/cade-kurland/15514> (.322/.412/.625) and Heyman (.366/.423/.732) are having standout rookie seasons. Both players have swatted at least eight homers in under 40 games played. Heyman has gone deep eight times in 82 at bats (10.3 AB/HR) while Kurland has homered 12 times in 152 at bats (12.7 HR/AB), and is eying JJ Schwarz’s rookie home run record (18) set in 2015. Each slugger batted over .400 vs. USC in Columbia last weekend despite the fact that no other Gator managed over a .300 clip.
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Just under half (46.9%) of Florida’s wins this season have been in comeback fashion (15), surpassing last year’s 66-game total of 13 (19.7%). After going 0-20 last season when trailing after six innings, Florida has three wins in that scenario in 2023 and is 3-0 when tied after six. Even more impressively, the Gators are 13-5 when the opponent scores first this season, compared to 11-15 last year.
SPROAT NOTES
In his last 17 starts dating back to last season, Sproat has allowed three earned runs or fewer 13 times and four earned or less in 15 outings. During that span, the righty has thrown at least five innings in 15 of 17 starts. Sproat has lost two decisions across his last 16 starts, going 10-2 with a 3.63 ERA and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings across 94 1/3 frames. His 12.7 strikeouts per nine rank 28th nationally.
PERKS OF BEING A WALDREP
Saturday starter Hurston Waldrep<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/hurston-waldrep/15517> ranks second nationally with 93 strikeouts while his 14.4 strikeouts per nine are good for fourth in the country. The right-hander has at least eight strikeouts in five-straight starts including six-plus in all 10 outings and double-digit punchouts in four starts. Florida is 4-1 in his last five starts and Waldrep owns four quality starts in his last six appearances. At home, the Thomasville, Ga. native is 4-1 with a team-best 3.60 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 40 innings (14.6 K/9).
COMFY AT CONDRON
Despite some control issues on the mound, Florida pitchers have walked 4.4 batters per nine innings at Condron Family Ballpark this season compared to a 6.0 BB/9 on the road. The Gators are hitting .325/.431/.585 at home with 9.6 runs/game and 10.8 hits/game, led by Rivera (.429/.519/.790, 11 HR, 42 RBI) and Langford (.425/.578/.838, 5 HR, 44 R). The Gators have a run differential of plus-137 across 30 home games.
JAC-HAMMER EYES HISTORY
Caglianone leads the nation with 23 home runs, which is three shy of tying the program record of 26 shared by Matt LaPorta (2005) and Langford (2022). On pace for 30 in the regular season alone, Caglianone has three more homers than former UF teammate Kris Armstrong<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/kris-armstrong/15090> (20) as well as three more than any SEC player. He also ranks fifth in the NCAA in slugging (.866 – second in SEC) and T-eighth in RBI (60 – third in SEC).
THE GRAND RIVERA
Rivera is riding a 15-game on-base streak, hitting a team-high .385 to go along with a .469 on-base percentage, 20 hits and 10 walks vs. five strikeouts in that span. One of two players (Caglianone) to start all 42 games for the Orange & Blue, Rivera is batting nearly as well in SEC play (.377/.444/.696) as non-conference action (.393/.505/.726). He leads UF in batting and stolen bases, and ranks top-10 in the SEC in runs (T-third), batting (fourth), RBI (sixth), hits (eighth), total bases (ninth) and home runs (T-ninth).
QUICK HITS
* Caglianone’s career homers/game rate is .439 while the team record is .344 (Matt LaPorta).
* Langford is on track to set Florida’s career slugging percentage record (.721, record is .714).
* UF’s K/9 of 11.2 ranks sixth in the NCAA this season. The team record is 9.9 (2016).
* Langford enters Friday with 99 career games in the field and zero errors (1.000 fielding percentage).
ON DECK
Florida travels to Jacksonville, Fla. for a neutral-site battle at 121 Financial Ballpark against Florida State at 6 p.m. There is no live stream or television broadcast for the matchup.
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