Florida has won six-straight series against Kentucky, claiming victories in 13 of the last 18 meetings.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida hosts No. 4 Kentucky at Condron Family Ballpark this weekend in the final home series of the 2024 campaign.
Friday’s series opener has been moved up<https://floridagators.com/news/2024/5/9/baseball-fridays-series-opener-vs-kentucky-moved-to-1-pm.aspx> to 1 p.m. ET on SEC Network+ due to inclement weather in the forecast in the evening. Games two and three will air on SEC Network at 12 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The two teams last met in Lexington in 2023, with the Gators winning two of three (W 10-3, L 6-4, W 5-2) to secure a share of the 2023 SEC Title. Florida and Kentucky most recently faced off in Gainesville back in 2022, as Florida posted victories in the first two games for a series win (W 9-2, W 9-1, L 8-1).
Florida has won six-straight series vs. Kentucky dating back through 2017 and last dropped a home series to the Wildcats in 2015. The Orange & Blue is 148-72-1 all-time vs. the Wildcats featuring a 79-30 record at home. The Gators are 27-21 in the series under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1752>, highlighted by a 12-9 mark in Gainesville.
Pitching Matchups
Friday | 1 ET (SECN+) Saturday | 12 ET (SECN) Sunday | 12 ET (SECN)
Kentucky RHP Trey Pooser (3-1, 3.88 ERA) LHP Dominic Niman (8-3, 4.85 ERA) RHP Mason Moore (8-1, 4.96 ERA)
Florida LHP Pierce Coppola<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/pierce-coppola/16367> (0-2, 10.50 ERA) RHP Liam Peterson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/liam-peterson/16631> (1-4, 6.54 ERA) LHP Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/16365> (5-1, 4.39 ERA)
Links WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/cf002f7b-6c15-4b00-9c27-016a438767d1> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5429> WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/b8d37332-a0ed-4186-af0d-627c70f43834> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5431> WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/843c5495-517b-4cdd-8f68-5895a3d9166a> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5432>
SERIES PROMOS
Saturday features a closet cleanout for season ticket holders, where they can enter to win various past giveaways from the 2024 season. Eugene Wilson III of the football team will handle ceremonial first pitch honors for game two. On Mother’s Day this Sunday, 200 flower bouquets will be available for moms in attendance. The first 750 fans will also receive orange Florida baseball tees prior to Sunday’s finale.
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: Fat Tiki Island Flair, Cajun Knights
Saturday: Mayflower Cellars, Nothing Bundt Cakes
Sunday: Gala’s Italian Ice, The Smoked Biscuit Company
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Kentucky comes in to Friday at 35-10 and ranked No. 4 in the nation. The Wildcats boast an 18-6 conference record and are coming off a series win against now-No. 5 Arkansas. As a team, Kentucky is slashing .293/.917./.506 with 67 homers. Kentucky’s pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.64 and a WHIP of 1.31 over 393 1/3 innings of work. The Cats are also fielding at a high level backed by a fielding percentage of .977 across 1,588 chances.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gators notched a midweek victory over USF on Tuesday night, winning 4-1 against the Bulls. Left-handed pitcher/first baseman Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/16365> slammed his 27th home run of the season in the first to extend his hitting streak to 27 games, while outfielder Hayden Yost<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/hayden-yost/16633> and infielder/outfielder Tyler Shelnut<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyler-shelnut/16376> both doubled in runs. Left-handed pitcher Cade Fisher<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/cade-fisher/16369> earned the win as a key reliever, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings and allowing only one hit. Right-hander Brandon Neely<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-neely/16373> worked a clean ninth to earn his second save of the season.
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Florida boasts 13 come-from-behind wins on the season, with nine of the team’s 10 SEC victories occurring in comeback fashion. The Gators wield three walk-off victories this year.
COMFY AT CONDRON
Florida is 54-18 at home since the start of last season despite a 18-11 record at Condron Family Ballpark in 2024. The Gators have claimed 15 of their last 17 three-game, regular-season series at Condron Family Ballpark dating back to the 2022 season.
WEEKEND WARRIORS
Despite the series loss to now-No. 1 Tennessee, the Gators have claimed 22 of their last 29 three-game, regular-season series dating back to the 2022 season including 15 of 22 in SEC play. The Gators are 48-27 in weekend series since the start of last season and 57-30 across the team’s previous 29 series at any venue.
THE SEC’S FINEST
Across their last 77 conference tilts, the Gators have gone 47-30 vs. SEC opponents featuring a 39-27 regular-season mark.
NATIONAL LEADERBOARDS
Florida ranks seventh nationally and fourth in the SEC with 99 home runs this season (2.06 per game). Meanwhile, the Gators sit 12th in the country and fourth in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (10.8). At .980, Florida ranks third in the SEC and 17th in the NCAA in fielding percentage.
CLEMENTE CRUISING
Redshirt freshman righty Jake Clemente<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jake-clemente/16366> has not given up an earned run across his last five appearances, having last been charged with an earned run on March 12. Since then, Clemente is 2-0 with nine innings pitched, one unearned run allowed, seven hits, five walks and 14 strikeouts. He has strung together three-straight scoreless appearances spanning five innings.
GOING STREAKING
The longest active on-base streak on the team belongs to Caglianone at 34 games, who also paces Florida with a 27-game hitting streak dating back to March 22 vs. LSU. Caglianone’s hitting streak is three games shy of tying Jacob Young’s program record of 30-straight set from 2019-2021. Young broke Tim Olson’s 21-year-old record on Sunday, March 7, as he singled in the eighth inning to extend his hitting streak to a record 30 games. Young recorded hits in the final two games of the 2019 Lubbock Regional, all 16 games he made a plate appearance in 2020, and the first 12 games of the 2021 season. The hitting streak spanned over 646 days, as his streak began June 1, 2019. Young hit .415 (51-123) over the streak, with 11 doubles, 18 RBIs, and 23 runs. Caglianone is batting .418 (41-for-98) across his hitting streak. He has totaled a .533 on-base percentage, .980 slugging percentage, 18 home runs, 33 RBI, 32 runs, 18 walks and seven strikeouts over the streak.
CAGLIANONE’S GOLDEN SEASON
After homering in an NCAA-record nine-straight games from April 6-19, Caglianone followed the act with an equally brilliant one by going 66-consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout from April 7-27 before being fanned in the eighth inning of the series finale at No. 2 Arkansas. At present, the slugger ranks among the top-40 most-difficult hitters to strike out in the country with 11.0 at bats per strikeout. Caglianone’s unparalleled power-contact combination has fueled him to a 17-to-30 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 7.6% strikeout rate and 27 home runs on the season, the latter of which is tied for second nationally. He now owns each of the two-most-prolific home run seasons in Gators history, setting the team record with 33 last season while his 27 bombs this year are the second-most in club history. With 198 career hits in 146 games as a hitter, Caglianone is set to become the second-fastest Gator in program history to 200 hits behind Preston Tucker (146 games from 2009-11). Caglianone’s 198 hits have come across 573 at bats.
Caglianone paces the Gators in virtually every offensive statistic including batting average (.412), on-base percentage (.511), slugging (.856), OPS (1.367), hits (77), homers, RBI (54), runs (56) and walks (30). The two-way standout ranks second in the SEC in hits, homers, total bases (160), batting average and slugging (seventh in NCAA), third in OBP, sixth in RBI and seventh in runs scored. On the mound, Caglianone is 5-1 and his .223 batting average against is the 12th-best in the SEC, as the southpaw has been charged with the ninth-fewest hits allowed and fourth-fewest homers surrendered among qualified SEC hurlers.
2-WAY 2 DOMINANT 2 HANDLE
In the 11 games Caglianone has started on the mound, he is hitting .425 (17-for-40). He has six home runs in those 40 at bats while surrendering only four to the opposing 240 batters he has faced. 63 of those batters have struck out while Caglianone has only two strikeouts in the games he has pitched. Florida has won in nine of Caglianone’s 11 starts.
HEALTHY SIP OF JAMESON
Across the team’s last 13 games, right-handed pitcher Fisher Jameson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/fisher-jameson/16371> has made seven appearances for a team-low 2.87 ERA across 15 2/3 innings. In that span, Jameson has struck out 21 batters while issuing just two walks. He also wields a 1-0 record, two saves and a .228 batting average against in his previous seven outings.
CHECK THE FRESH LP
Freshman righty Liam Peterson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/liam-peterson/16631> seems to have found a groove, having allowed just one run across his previous three appearances spanning eight innings (dating back to April 19 at Vanderbilt). In those three games (two starts), Peterson has a 1.12 ERA and .192 batting average against. He threw four shutout, one-hit innings with seven strikeouts and two walks last Saturday vs. now-No. 1 Tennessee.
COPPOLA’S COMEBACK
Redshirt sophomore southpaw Pierce Coppola<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/pierce-coppola/16367> is coming off his best start of the season, striking out six Razorbacks across three-plus innings of one-hit, one-run ball on April 26 in Fayetteville. Friday’s outing vs. Kentucky marks his fourth start of the campaign after returning to the mound for the first time in 783 days to start on April 13 vs. South Carolina. Through six innings this year, Coppola has allowed seven hits and three walks while fanning 10 batters.
EVANS ERUPTION
Adding to his career high in homers, outfielder Ty Evans<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/ty-evans/16368> launched his 13th home run of the season on Saturday vs. Tennessee. In addition to home runs, Evans owns single-season career highs in runs (44), hits (60), doubles (10), extra-base hits (24) and walks (18) while increasing by at least .85 points in every slash category with a .324/.414/.600 batting line after hitting .239/.302/.485 in 2023. Evans boasts 19 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI contests in 48 games this season, with both totals ranking second on the roster behind Caglianone.
THE SCORING STREAK
Florida’s scoring streak of 127-consecutive games is the third-longest in program history (May 27, 2022-present). The only longer streaks in team history have occurred from March 12, 1995-April 7, 1999 (268 games) and from 1957-63 (184). The Gators were last shut out on May 26, 2022 vs. Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.
SULLY SUPERLATIVES
Since O’Sullivan’s 2008 arrival, no college program has more CWS trips (8), Super Regionals hosted (nine), top-eight national seeds (10) and NCAA Tournament bids (15) than the Florida Gators. Overall, Florida’s 15-straight NCAA bids represent the second-longest active streak in the sport. The Gators have also hosted 12 NCAA Regionals out of a possible 15 during O’Sullivan’s tenure (no NCAA Tournament in 2020), which ranks first in the nation. Looking at the SEC specifically, Florida’s .607 winning percentage (287-186) since 2008 is the top mark in the conference.
PARKING/SHUTTLES
Fans are encouraged to park at the Fifield and IFAS lots during the weekend. An increased number of shuttles will be available for transportation to the ballpark each day.
Click HERE<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/2/14/2024_BB_Parking_Map_copy.pdf> for a Parking map.
* General Parking is available in the West Florida Ballpark baseball lot and the Fifield parking lot located directly across Hull Road.
* Disabled parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the Florida Ballpark west lot with a valid Disabled Placard.
* Fans can follow this link<http://floridagators.com/EventParking> to an interactive parking map.
* RV Parking is available in the Fifield Flat lot. Reserved RV parking is not available for Florida baseball games. All motor home parking is on a first-come, first-served basis.
* On-board generators are permitted, however exterior or pull-along generators are prohibited at all times. For safety reasons, all motor homes/RVs are required to utilize exhaust extensions or “smoke stacks” to channel exhaust fumes to the top of the motor home/RV.
* Overnight stays are only allowed on weekend series in the Fifield Flat lot.
* Saving Spaces
* Saving parking spaces for other motorists is not permitted in any lot
* Tailgating
* Tailgating is not allowed in the Condron Main lot
* Do Not Park Illegally
* Park in designated parking spots (Do not Park on grass or in No Parking Zones).
* Vehicles are subject to towing if they block streets, sidewalks, service drives, or fire lanes, or if illegally parked in a disabled space
TRAFFIC PATTERNS ON GAME DAY
Those visiting Condron Family Ballpark on game day should be aware of updated traffic patterns surrounding the ballpark. Fans are advised to utilize Ballpark Way, which will serve as a connecting route to the ballpark from Archer Road. For departures, a postgame traffic flow pattern guide can be found here.<https://floridagators.com/common/controls/image_handler.aspx?thumb_id=0&image_path=/images/2022/4/22/BB_Post_Game_Traffic_20220421.png>
MOBILE TICKETING & FLORIDA GATORS APP
As a reminder, mobile ticketing is required. There will be two ways to access your tickets:
1) through the Florida Gators app<http://s1445136311.t.en25.com/e/er?s=1445136311&lid=1301&elqTrackId=F42DAD870CD1B888DE14DCC3F8C8916F&elq=f69e4978773d47758819914b4936bd42&elqaid=3046&elqat=1> from your mobile device or
2) through FloridaGators.com/myaccount<http://s1445136311.t.en25.com/e/er?s=1445136311&lid=1324&elqTrackId=E19038CB8FD63F3F29DC57131044A028&elq=f69e4978773d47758819914b4936bd42&elqaid=3046&elqat=1>. Fans will also be able to transfer or donate their tickets easily within the app or online.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets are currently on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_tickets_baseball_.aspx> or by contacting the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683. Season ticket prices and availability can be accessed directly here.<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/en/virtual-venue/QlMyNA==>
Tickets are currently on sale for the 2024 season, including both season tickets and single-game options. Tickets can be purchased online<https://floridagators.com/sports/2015/12/10/_tickets_baseball_.aspx> or by contacting the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683. Season ticket prices and availability can be accessed directly here<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/en/virtual-venue/QlMyNA==> while single-game tickets<https://www.ticketmaster.com/florida-gators-baseball-tickets/artist/1294070> as well as On-Deck Flex Passes<https://floridagators.com/sports/2021/12/10/baseball-flex-pass.aspx> are currently on sale now.
ON DECK
Florida closes out the regular season with a three-game series at No. 15 Georgia spanning from Thursday, May 16 through Saturday, May 18.
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