GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 14 Florida (28-12, 11-7 SEC) welcomes No. 2 Vanderbilt (31-7, 13-5) to town this upcoming weekend for a three-game series at Florida Ballpark.
The series kicks off on Friday at 7 p.m., with game one airing on ESPNU. Meanwhile, game two is set for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and will stream live on SEC Network+. Closing out the weekend on the big stage, game three will air on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Fans can listen in Gainesville on WRUF 850 AM/98.1 FM and in Jacksonville 1010 XL or on any mobile device via TuneIn app (https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__tunein.com_radio_Florida-2DBaseball-2Ds308240_&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=G83b2kKKd2IhONplddEopA29KjkoJAWeYqVvLqPGJEY&s=5WW9mLu6YXAlfcS-HovttYNhtjptGkTSecQjUzO3lds&e= or by searching for the “Florida Baseball” station).
The upcoming matchup between the Gators and Commodores marks the first meeting between the two teams since 2019 and the first to take place in Gainesville since the 2018 campaign. In each of the previous two series, the home squad came away with a series sweep, as Florida took all three games in 2018 despite being swept on the road during the 2019 season. The Gators have won four of the last five series against Vanderbilt and are 9-6 against their SEC rival during that span.
Dating back to 1927, Florida and Vanderbilt have faced off 216 total times with the Gators holding a 140-75-1 lead in the all-time series. Under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, Florida is 27-17 against Vanderbilt, including a 14-4 mark at home. The Gators and Commodores represent the only two programs with SEC winning percentages above .600 dating back to 2008 (O’Sullivan’s first season). Florida’s 236-141 record is good for a .627 mark, while the Commodores are 225-140-1 and own a .616 winning clip in conference play.
Pitching Matchups
Friday | 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Saturday | 6:30 P.M. (SECN+)
Sunday | 3 p.m. (ESPN2)
Florida
RHP Franco Aleman (1-1)
RHP Tommy Mace (4-0)
Vanderbilt
RHP Kumar Rocker (9-1)
RHP Jack Leiter (7-1)
TBA
Links
WATCH<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3Dab86d9ec-2Dc5cb-2D419e-2Db568-2D219045e7f3c9&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=G83b2kKKd2IhONplddEopA29KjkoJAWeYqVvLqPGJEY&s=kT6v9F-K7HFV7UyQOReuYXRHkoUl-OloMCCBFiN8O_Q&e= > | LISTEN<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_watch_-3FLive-3D3509-26type-3DArchive&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=G83b2kKKd2IhONplddEopA29KjkoJAWeYqVvLqPGJEY&s=hyLPCiSt9Kqn9uadLUFRHeoP4aUSK3RNmKtgzPCQWsg&e= >
Entering the weekend, Florida sits in third place in the SEC East standings, trailing only Vanderbilt and No. 4 Tennessee (32-10, 12-6 SEC). On the other hand, second-ranked Vanderbilt sits atop the standings with their aforementioned 13-5 SEC record and most recently claimed a weekend series victory (W 6-2, L 7-4, W 7-4) against Mississippi State by taking two-of-three games at home.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gators are coming off of their second consecutive SEC series victory, having taken two-of-three games (W 4-2, L 10-8, W 6-4) against Auburn on the road last weekend. Despite having their season-long seven-game winning streak snapped in game two, the Gators have won eight of nine and 11 of their last 14.
HOT AT HOME
So far this season, the Gators are 23-5 at home and have won all three home SEC series at Florida Ballpark to the tune of an 8-1 record. Having swept their most recent home series against the Commodores in 2018, Florida has not lost a home series to Vanderbilt since 2014.
HERE COMES THE JUD
Outfielder Jud Fabian enters the series premiere riding an active seven-game hitting streak, during which he is slashing .423/.500/.923 with three home runs, four doubles, eight runs, six RBI and two stolen bases. Last weekend against Auburn, Fabian launched a pair of home runs while batting .400 (4-for-10) with five RBI. As a result of the hot streak, Fabian raised his season batting line to .261/.360/.588 and is now tied for second in the SEC with 14 home runs while ranking near the top of the conference in total bases (eighth; 90), runs (T10th; 38) and slugging percentage (15th; .588).
ALEMAN FINDING GROOVE AS STARTER
Since debuting as a starter against Ole Miss on April 1, right-hander Franco Aleman leads the team with a 2.45 ERA across 18.1 innings of work while holding opposing hitters to a .232 batting average against. Overall, Aleman is 1-0 with a 2.60 ERA, .231 BAA and 15 strikeouts over 17.1 innings as a starter this season. He is the only player in the SEC with at least four saves and four games started this season.
HITS MACHINE
Heading into the weekend series, outfielder Jacob Young ranks fifth in the SEC with 54 hits and is tied for the conference lead in doubles with 13. Over the three games at Auburn, Young slashed .333/.385/.417 while registering his fourth game of the season with three-or-more hits thanks to a 3-for-5 performance in game one. Additionally, Young ranks third in the SEC in runs (40) and fifth in stolen bases (12).
HICKEY AMONG TOP HITTERS IN SEC
With a team-leading .356 batting average in hand, starting catcher Nathan Hickey ranks seventh in the SEC in hitting. The Gator backstop is also tied for third in walks (32), tied for fourth in doubles (12), fifth in on-base percentage (.476), fifth in RBI (42), eighth in hits (52), eighth in total bases (90) and 11th in slugging percentage (.616).
FLORIDA IN THE SEC RANKINGS
As a team, Florida ranks inside the top three in the SEC in the following offensive categories: hits (second; 394), sacrifice flies (second; 23), doubles (third; 75) and triples (tied third; 11). On the pitching side, the Gators rank third in both saves (12) and fewest walks allowed (122).
SULLY MAKES SCHOOL HISTORY
Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan passed Dave Fuller for the most wins in program history. O’Sullivan has 575 career wins and a .682 winning percentage (which ranks third among active coaches with at least 10 Division I seasons). Fuller finished his illustrious Gators head coaching career with 556 wins from 1948-75.
NEXT TIME OUT
Florida hosts Stetson in a May 4 midweek contest before traveling to Kentucky for a three-game series (May 6-8).
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
The safety of our student-athletes, staff and fans remains our top priority. With the guidance of UF Health and the SEC Medical Taskforce, fans will see new guidelines, signage, and enhanced cleaning protocols throughout the ballpark. To comply with physical distancing requirements, all of our pods of seats are 6 feet apart, including the Berm and Grove areas. In accordance with campus guidelines, face coverings (over the nose and mouth) must be worn at all times unless actively eating or drinking while seated or at standing tables.
PARKING/SHUTTLES
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. Click HERE for a Parking map.
There will be a free shuttle service provided to and from the Fifield parking lot each day of the weekend series.
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 from your mobile device or
2) through FloridaGators.com/myaccount. Fans will also be able to transfer or donate their tickets easily within the app or online.
For a smoother and safer entry on game day, we encourage fans to add their tickets to their Apple Wallet or Google Pay account in advance of coming to the ballpark. You may also learn more about mobile ticketing in this quick video.
