WHAT HAPPENED: Oklahoma State slugged five home runs and starter Brian Holiday tossed a two-hitter as the Cowboys beat the Gators, 7-1, Saturday night. The Gators managed only a double by Tyler Shelnut<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyler-shelnut/16376> in the second inning and Jac Caglianone’s solo home run in the bottom of the ninth against Holiday, a transfer from Central Florida Junior College.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: A former standout at Land O’ Lakes High north of Tampa, Holiday is the easy choice despite a pair of home runs by teammate Nolan Schubart. Holiday tossed his second consecutive complete game against a Florida school, allowing only one run in a win over UCF in the Big 12 Tournament. Holiday struck out 10 and walked one in a 131-pitch outing.
STAGGERING STAT: UF lefty Caglianone stepped on the mound Saturday mostly untouched by the long ball, having given up just four home runs in 62 innings (0.58 per 9 IP). He gave up four to the Cowboys, and it appeared to be three consecutive in the first inning until umpires ruled fan interference on Aidan Meola’s drive to left field, sending him back to second for a double.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Caglianone made history in the ninth when he hit his 30th home run of the season, taking Holiday over the center-field wall for a solo shot to put the Gators on the scoreboard. The home run made Caglianone the first player in Southeastern Conference history to hit 30 or more home runs in back-to-back seasons.
KEY MOMENT: The Cowboys struck hard in the first inning when Schubart and Zach Ehrhard hit back-to-back home runs with two outs. That set the tone for the night and the Gators could never get their offense going against the right-handed Holiday.
UP NEXT: The Gators face Nebraska in a rematch of their 5-2 in over the Cornhuskers on Friday. This time, it’s an elimination game that starts at 2 p.m. ET, or 1 p.m. locally for those attending the Stillwater Regional.
NOTABLES
* Saturday night’s official attendance was 5,593.
* Caglianone struck out nine batters across five innings – tied for his second-highest total of the season (March 10 vs. St. Mary’s).
* In two-career Regional starts, Caglianone has allowed four runs in 11 innings, allowing 11 hits and five walks.
* He has fanned 16 total batters in those two Regional starts (vs. Florida A&M, vs. Oklahoma State).
* Caglianone extended his on-base streak to 43-straight contests with a ninth-inning homer – his 30th of the season.
* Caglianone has hit safely in 54 of 57 games while reaching safely in all but one contest.
* Caglianone is the first player in SEC history with multiple 30-homer seasons, doing so in back-to-back campaigns in 2023 and 2024.
* Robert Satin<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/robert-satin/16637> made his first appearance on the mound since March 26 vs. Florida State.
* Florida’s scoring streak of 136-consecutive games is the third-longest in program history (May 27, 2022-present).
* The Gators are 130-86 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
* UF wields an 87-52 record across 39 NCAA Regional appearances.
* Florida is now 2-5 all-time vs. Oklahoma State (1-3 away).
* The Gators are 0-1 against the Cowboys under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1752>.
###
