Florida (3-2) and Georgia State (4-1) will compete in their first three-game series since Feb. 9-11, 1996.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Coming off a pair of midweek victories, No. 15 Florida hosts Georgia State of the Sun Belt Conference in a three-game weekend series from Feb. 25-27.
Each game of the set will stream live on SEC Network+, with first pitch of the Friday night opener scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Game two and three will begin at 4 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
Florida (3-2) and Georgia State (4-1) are set to compete in their first three-game series since Feb. 9-11, 1996. The Gators swept that series in Gainesville, then the two programs did not meet again for another 25 years – until March 9, 2021. Last season, in the first game of the series in 25 years, head coach Kevin O’Sullivan passed the legendary Dave Fuller for the most wins in program history with victory No. 557.
With last year’s 5-1 home win, the Gators have won eight-straight games vs. Georgia State and are 2-0 vs. the Panthers under O’Sullivan.
Pitching Matchups
Friday | 6:30 p.m. (SECN+) Saturday | 4 p.m. (SECN+) Sunday | 1 p.m. (SECN+)
Georgia State LHP Brandon Kaminer RHP Chandler Dawson RHP Dylan Matela
Florida LHP Hunter Barco LHP Pierce Coppola LHP Timmy Manning
Links WATCH<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player_-5F_id_c1011ae9-2D48b7-2D4406-2D9aa7-2Da6461f8bc4e4&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=R-n5DIz_slXWM65FjLs7B8Bx6GyYpLauQqKIYPWMYUphKkFVGs2MJEhr5bttjqen&s=gxR1IFkLWda0XWOh_S9qxK8-cffhyzSCjB9_fYxP8KY&e= > | LISTEN<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_watch_-3FLive-3D3744-26sport-3D19-26type-3DLive&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=R-n5DIz_slXWM65FjLs7B8Bx6GyYpLauQqKIYPWMYUphKkFVGs2MJEhr5bttjqen&s=JPqNFnd7GlhdtnJJCqOzfPHpdRnbnUzM0vwhtQj1vH4&e= > WATCH<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3D8f12862c-2D80a2-2D4bcb-2Db61f-2D41b4a1f60873&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=R-n5DIz_slXWM65FjLs7B8Bx6GyYpLauQqKIYPWMYUphKkFVGs2MJEhr5bttjqen&s=Cxq9hBFccVPFtVUnVQM6XBJBCZbNtSDZvjaxcQA9FlI&e= > | LISTEN<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_watch_-3FLive-3D3746-26sport-3D19-26type-3DLive&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=R-n5DIz_slXWM65FjLs7B8Bx6GyYpLauQqKIYPWMYUphKkFVGs2MJEhr5bttjqen&s=dkLR9Wv0JGBcl7xeJoEL9K2zl1cPc3TkisJUsA2XtLg&e= > WATCH<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3D3910678&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=R-n5DIz_slXWM65FjLs7B8Bx6GyYpLauQqKIYPWMYUphKkFVGs2MJEhr5bttjqen&s=6zt98brIQuiGyqMnGUPeiPue1ZYalEj14Z48148gsms&e= > | LISTEN<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_watch_-3FLive-3D3748-26sport-3D19-26type-3DLive&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=R-n5DIz_slXWM65FjLs7B8Bx6GyYpLauQqKIYPWMYUphKkFVGs2MJEhr5bttjqen&s=27JZ8f0XE0eXe3EBrcU-QQQDPO513exuE56AVr3RCkQ&e= >
Entering week two of the season, Florida is ranked as highly as No. 13 in the nation (Collegiate Baseball) and sit at No. 15 in the D1Baseball Top-25 Rankings.
RETURN FROM LARS
Following seven years with the Gators from 2014-21 in which he helped Florida win its first-ever National Championship in 2017, volunteer assistant coach Lars Davis departed Florida for an assistant coaching position at Georgia State during the 2021 offseason.
LAST TIME OUT
After dropping the season-opening series to now-No. 21 Liberty two games to one, Florida rebounded to sweep the midweek with victories at Stetson (W, 8-1) and vs. North Florida (W, 3-1).
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
After going 18-37 (12-12 Sun Belt) last season, Georgia State is off to a 3-1 start to the 2022 campaign. The Panthers swept Purdue Fort Wayne across a four-game series to open the year before dropping a midweek matchup at Kennesaw State on Feb. 23. Of the 12 teams in the Sun Belt, Georgia State was picked to finish 11th in the conference’s preseason poll.
RECORD ATTENDANCE
On opening night, Florida Ballpark welcomed a record crowd of 6,463 fans. By the end of the weekend, the combined-series attendance reached 18,190, marking another program record for the largest attendance across a three-game series.
15 YEARS OF SULLY
2022 represents O’Sullivan’s 15th season as the head coach at Florida. During that time, O’Sullivan owns a 588-280 (.677) record, passing the legendary Dave Fuller (556-354-6) for the most wins in program history on March 9, 2021. O’Sullivan’s .677 winning percentage ranks third among all active Division I head coaches, while Florida’s .622 clip in SEC play since 2008 stands as the top mark in the conference.
HOT AT HOME
Florida is 29-6 across its last-35 regular season games at Florida Ballpark. The Gators are 14-3 in their last-17 regular season home games. In the inaugural season of Florida Ballpark, the Gators delivered a dominant 28-9 record at home. Florida closed out the regular season with eight-straight home series victories, going 27-4 at home in the team’s final 31 regular-season contests and losing just one game in the final 13 matchups in that span.
ALL-NATIONAL DEFENSE
With just one error in 135 defensive chances, the Florida defense ranks fourth nationally with a .994 fielding percentage.
AMERICA’S ACE
Left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco earned the victory on opening night, pitching 6.0 shutout, one-hit innings while striking out a career-high 11 batters – the most by a Gator on opening day since at least 1999. The performance earned Barco NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week and SEC Pitcher of the Week honors as well as recognition as one of Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of the Week. Barco’s 11 strikeouts rank tied-for-14th nationally.
STERLIN SLAMS
Coming off an All-SEC Freshman Team 2021 season, outfielder Sterlin Thompson is batting .400/.429/.900 with a team-high three home runs (t-6 nationally) and eight RBI. Thompson launched a pair of home runs including a grand slam on opening night en route to finishing 2-for-4 with a career-high five RBI. He again went yard at Stetson on Feb. 22.
SLATER-AID
One major takeaway from the first-five games of the year was the emergence of right-handed pitcher Ryan Slater as the Gators’ potential closer. Pitching in the first-three games of his career, Slater made a trio of scoreless appearances while nailing down a pair of saves – first on opening night and later in Florida’s 3-1 win over North Florida on Feb. 23. Slater owns a 0.00 ERA across 5.0 IP with seven strikeouts. Slater’s two saves are tied for the nation’s lead.
COPPOLA’S DEBUT
Freshman left-handed pitcher Pierce Coppola shined in his first start, going 4.1 innings with two earned runs allowed on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Coppola’s seven strikeouts were the most by a Florida pitcher in his debut since Karsten Whitson struck out nine vs. South Florida on Feb. 20, 2011 – a game in which Mike Zunino, Sunday’s honorary first-pitch thrower, was catching for the Gators.
TAKE A FIC
After being out for all of 2021, right-handed pitcher Nick Ficarrotta has appeared in three of fives games to open the year with a 1-0 record, 2.57 ERA and seven strikeouts in 7.0 IP. He fired a career-high 4.2 scoreless innings on one hit and one walk with a career-high six strikeouts to earn the win at Stetson on Feb. 22.
TALBOTT’S DAY ON
Third-year redshirt freshman outfielder Tucker Talbott did not appear in any games for Florida in his first-two seasons from 2020-21, but busted out on Feb. 22 at Stetson with a 4-for-5 day in his collegiate debut. Talbott collected hits in each of his first-four at bats and finished with one double, two RBI and one run scored. He later produced the game-winning RBI on Feb. 23 vs. North Florida with an RBI groundout.
SPROAT SHINES
Making his first start of 2022 vs. North Florida, right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat set career highs with 5.0 innings pitched and eight strikeouts while allowing one earned run to earn the victory. He surrendered just four hits and one walk.
BALLPARK OF THE YEAR
Opened in 2021, the state-of-the-art Florida Ballpark was named Ballpark Digest’s 2021 College Ballpark of the Year in December. Newly equipped with permanent outfield concessions and restrooms, Florida Ballpark features a 360-degree open concourse, shade structures for fans and high definition video and sound.
ALL-AMERICAN ENCORE
Reigning Third Team All-American outfielder Jud Fabian returns to Gainesville for a fourth season after producing a 2021 campaign that saw him become just the fifth Gator to hit 20 home runs in a single season. Finishing the year with a .249/.364/.560 batting line, Fabian was selected in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox with the 40th overall pick, but elected to return to the Gators after collecting Southeast-ABCA/Rawlings First Team, First Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team honors. Overall, the Ocala, Fla. native is a .245/.365/.502 career hitter with 32 homers, 27 doubles, 106 runs and 87 RBI in 137 games.
A VETERAN CORE
The Orange & Blue welcome back six positional starters from last year’s squad: Fabian, first baseman/designated hitter Kris Armstrong, first baseman/outfielder Kendrick Calilao, second baseman Colby Halter, shortstop Josh Rivera and Thompson. Florida’s veteran positional group aims to offset a young albeit talented Florida pitching staff anchored by Barco, who paced the team with 16 starts and 10 wins one year ago.
KEY LOSSES
20 letterwinners departed from last year’s NCAA Regional team including 13 pitchers. As a result, 387.2 of the 529 innings thrown by Florida pitchers last season came from players no longer on the roster, as just four of 16 Gators who saw mound work in 2021 are back in Orange & Blue. Among Florida’s key departures were right-handed pitchers Franco Aleman, Jack Leftwich, Tommy Mace, Christian Scott and Trey Van Der Weide. The Gators also lost a moderate amount of talent on the positional side due to the fairwells of catcher Nathan Hickey, infielder Kirby McMullen and outfielder Jacob Young.
NEW BLOOD
The 2022 Florida Gators roster features a hybrid of experience mixed with young talent, as the team returns 19 letterwinners while welcoming in 17 newcomers. Despite having each of its top-three ranked signees ink Major League Baseball contracts last summer, the Gators still managed to recruit an impressive collection of sixteen freshmen and one transfer to finish as the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class according to Perfect Game (No. 2 at D1Baseball, Baseball America).
IMPACT FRESHMEN
Eight Gators were tabbed by D1Baseball as top-50 impact freshmen for the upcoming season: Coppola (No. 3), left-handed pitcher Philip Abner (No. 7), infielder Deric Fabian (No. 14), outfielder Michael Robertson (No. 15), right-handed pitcher Karl Hartman (No. 20), catcher Rene Lastres (No. 29), right-handed pitcher Brandon Neely (No. 33) and outfielder Ty Evans (No. 48).
SOPHOMORE BREAKOUTS
Second-year players Mac Guscette, Halter and Thompson enter 2022 primed for breakout seasons after impressing as freshmen one year ago. Both Halter and Thompson managed to bat above .300 in their debut campaigns across 150-plus at bats, finishing the year at .302 and .301, respectively. As Florida’s starting catcher down the stretch, Guscette batted .298 while exhibiting impressive skills on the defensive end. Outfielder/catcher Wyatt Langford has also made strides over the past calendar year and figures to receive significant playing time in left field early on.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES APPLENTY
Numerous Gators garnered recognition leading up to the 2022 season, beginning with a trio of preseason All-Americans in Barco (first team), Fabian (first team) and Thompson (third team). In particular, Barco received a consensus preseason All-America distinction, earning honors from every major publication. Barco and Fabian also received Preseason All-SEC First Team nods.
POSITIONAL STANDOUTS
A handful of Gators were ranked by D1Baseball as top players in the nation at their respective positions heading into the season: Barco (No. 7 starting pitcher), Halter (No. 9 second baseman), Fabian (No. 10 outfielder), Rivera (No. 16 shortstop), Guscette (No. 19 catcher), Thompson (No. 20 outfielder), Abner (No. 28 relief pitcher), Armstrong (No. 41 first baseman), Coppola (No. 65 starting pitcher), Sproat (No. 101 starting pitcher) and right-handed pitcher Nick Pogue (No. 104 starting pitcher).
DRAFT BUZZ
After being selected 40th overall in last year’s draft, Fabian is again projected as Florida’s top prospect by MLB Pipeline, coming in as the No. 45 overall prospect for the 2022 MLB Draft. Barco follows closely behind at No. 54, while Thompson (No. 90) and Sproat (No. 98) fell just inside the top 100. The Gators’ middle infield duo of Halter and Rivera recently received draft buzz as well, with D1baseball ranking the former as the No. 60 college prospect and the latter sitting at No. 78. All six of the aforementioned players were ranked as top-30 prospects in the SEC by D1Baseball, in addition to Pogue, who was tabbed the conference’s No. 50 prospect.
OPENING THE GATES
The gates of Florida Ballpark will open two hours and 15 minutes prior to first pitch for every home game.
TRAFFIC PATTERNS ON GAME DAY
Those visiting Florida Ballpark on game day should be aware of updated traffic patterns surrounding the ballpark. The 2022 season welcomes the addition of Ballpark Way, which will serve as a connecting route to the ballpark from Archer Road. For those departing the ballpark via Hull Road, fans will be directed to turn right onto Hull Road from the parking lot and travel eastbound towards SW 23rd Drive. See HERE<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__s3.amazonaws.com_sidearm.sites_gatorzone.com_documents_2022_2_18_Post-5FGame-5Ftraffic-5FPARKING-5FMAP.jpg&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=R-n5DIz_slXWM65FjLs7B8Bx6GyYpLauQqKIYPWMYUphKkFVGs2MJEhr5bttjqen&s=s1R0N6iu3bPATF26wNZRek0u_lB6gDpiB0v6bw_l_0I&e= > for a postgame traffic guide to utilize when departing the ballpark.
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<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__s3.amazonaws.com_sidearm.sites_gatorzone.com_documents_2022_2_18_UPDATED-5FPARKING-5FMAP.jpg&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=R-n5DIz_slXWM65FjLs7B8Bx6GyYpLauQqKIYPWMYUphKkFVGs2MJEhr5bttjqen&s=-VVZjwjKSd1wyEQMbiR-ra-Pj0LuHmqUGX2Gy1nj2j0&e= > for a Parking map.
Due to the likelihood of increased traffic for this weekend, parking may be limited around Florida Ballpark and other athletic venues located on the southwest side of campus. Fans are encouraged to park in the lot located at Fifield Hall.
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:
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2) through FloridaGators.com/myaccount<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__s1445136311.t.en25.com_e_er-3Fs-3D1445136311-26lid-3D1324-26elqTrackId-3DE19038CB8FD63F3F29DC57131044A028-26elq-3Df69e4978773d47758819914b4936bd42-26elqaid-3D3046-26elqat-3D1&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=R-n5DIz_slXWM65FjLs7B8Bx6GyYpLauQqKIYPWMYUphKkFVGs2MJEhr5bttjqen&s=58C2tDJ1BeZ5qB1h0JKyFDcTrQtVvH4tjfR7yqY4hWc&e= >. 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, fans are encouraged to add their tickets to their Apple Wallet or Google Pay account in advance of coming to the ballpark.
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