Florida is hosting its 19th Regional including its 12th out of a possible 15 under Kevin O’Sullivan.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 2 Florida Gators are set to begin their 38th NCAA Regional in program history on Friday evening with a 5:30 p.m. matchup against the Florida A&M Rattlers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Also joining the Orange & Blue at the 2023 NCAA Gainesville Regional are the No. 9 UConn Huskies (43-15, 15-5 Big East) and Texas Tech Red Raiders (39-21, 12-12 Big 12). Those two teams will kick off the Gainesville Regional with a noon game on Friday.
Florida (44-14, 20-10 SEC) opens 2023 NCAA Regional play with its second-ever postseason matchup against Florida A&M (29-28, 18-12 SWAC) after defeating the Rattlers, 19-0, in the first round of the 2015 Gainesville Regional. The Gators are 29-1 all-time against the Rattlers featuring a 13-1 mark and wins in 11-straight under Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1551>. This is the second meeting of the season between the programs, as Florida posted a 17-7 victory in seven innings back on April 18.
Overall, the Gators are 82-50 all-time in Regional play including 14 Regional Championships, most recently winning four-straight from 2015-18. The 2023 campaign represents the 19th NCAA Regional hosted by the Gators including the third-consecutive.
Pitching Matchups
Friday | 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
FAMU RHP Caleb Granger (6-4, 6.61 ERA)
Florida LHP Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/15489> (6-3, 4.14 ERA)
Links WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/3e15f343-7d61-4443-8e74-f1e67fcdb620> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5177>
Florida remained at No. 2 in the D1Baseball Top-25 after going 2-1 at the SEC Tournament. The Gators are ranked No. 2 by every major poll for the first time this season.
AGAINST THE FIELD
The Gators hold a 6-0 record against UConn, with the most-recent win in the series coming at the 2016 Gainesville Regional (UF 6, CONN 5). Meanwhile, Florida is 1-2 all-time against Texas Tech, with each of the three previous meetings taking place in Omaha from 2016-18. Collectively, Florida is 36-3 against its 2023 Regional opponents.
REGIONAL REWIND
One year ago, Florida advanced to the seventh and final game of the Gainesville Regional, needing to defeat No. 9 Oklahoma for the second-straight day in order to advance to Super Regionals. The Gators held a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh inning, but a five-hour and 33-minute weather delay halted play. The stoppage forced starter Brandon Neely’s<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-neely/15499> exit as UF ultimately fell in the Regional finale, 5-4. The Gators have been eliminated in each of their last two Regionals hosted and have not reached a Super Regional since 2018.
SULLY SUPERLATIVES
Since the start of the O’Sullivan Era at Florida (2008-present), the Gators have earned more top-eight national seeds (10) than any program in the nation. UF has also hosted 12 NCAA Regionals out of a possible 15 during O’Sullivan’s tenure (no NCAA Tournament in 2020), which is also tops in the sport. UF has now made 15-straight NCAA Tournament appearances under O’Sullivan, a streak that ranks second nationally.
BEST ON BEST
Florida boasts 13 wins vs. 2023 Regional host teams – more than any other team in the country. Vanderbilt sits in second with 12 while Texas A&M and Arkansas have 11.
SEC CHAMPS
Finishing the season with a 20-10 SEC record, Florida won its 16th SEC Regular Season Championship in program history including the team’s sixth under O’Sullivan. After being swept on the road at then-No. 6 South Carolina, the Gators went 11-3 including 9-3 in SEC play down the stretch to win the University of Florida’s sixth overall conference title in 2023, which leads the SEC.
IRREGULAR SEASON
Florida’s 42 wins in the regular season were the second-most in program history. The 2023 campaign represents the 28th 40-win season time in team history, 11 of which have come under O’Sullivan. The 2016 squad (44-11, 19-10 SEC) holds the record for regular-season wins at UF.
HOOVER’S FINEST
Florida is the only team to have reached the SEC Tournament Semifinals in each of the last three seasons, going 9-4 in Hoover during that span.
SLURPIN’ THE SLATER-AID
UF reliever Ryan Slater<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/ryan-slater/15506> is one of 11 SEC pitchers to be undefeated with nine or more victories since 1992. He is one of three to do so since 2019, joining Chase Dollander of Tennessee (2022) and Mason Hickman of Vanderbilt (2019).
ALL-SEC CLEANUP
Florida led the conference with seven All-SEC honorees as well as a league-high five First Team players. First baseman Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/15489>, second baseman Cade Kurland<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/cade-kurland/15514>, shortstop Josh Rivera<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/josh-rivera/15504>, outfielder Wyatt Langford<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/wyatt-langford/15497> and Neely were named to the All-SEC First Team while Brandon Sproat<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-sproat/15508> received a Second Team nod. Kurland and catcher/DH Luke Heyman<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/luke-heyman/15522> were both honored on the Freshman All-SEC Team.
NATIONAL ACCLAIM
The Gators are one of five schools with at least two Golden Spikes Award semifinalists in Langford and Caglianone. Caglianone is also one of five finalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year while Rivera is one of five finalists for the Brooks Wallace Award for the nation’s top shortstop. Both Gators are the lone SEC finalists for their respective awards. Caglianone and Langford were named Second Team All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball on Thursday, June 1.
BT = BIG TIME
Florida catcher BT Riopelle<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/bt-riopelle/15503> went off at the SEC Tournament, pairing with Langford to represent the Gators on the All-Tournament Team. In UF’s first two wins, Riopelle went 3-for-8 with three home runs and eight RBI including a walk-off, three-run homer in the 11th inning to defeat No. 24 Alabama in the opener. Riopelle then homered twice and tallied five RBI in the win over No. 8 Vanderbilt, becoming one of three Gators to homer three times in Hoover in program history and the first in 14 years (Jonathan Pigott – 2009, Chuck Hazzard – 1996). Riopelle also set the program RBI record for a single SEC Tournament (10).
THUNDER RUMBLING
Over the last 15 games, Florida is 11-4 and Langford is slashing .450/.507/1.017 with eight home runs, 10 doubles, 19 RBI, 16 runs scored and four stolen bases. The First Team All-SEC outfielder now boasts a team-best 1.344 OPS with more walks (45) than strikeouts (36). The soon-to-be first-round pick is six-for-six in stolen bases and has never committed an error across 206 career defensive chances.
HIGHLY OFFENSIVE
Backed by double-digit runs in 22 games and 10-plus knocks in 33 contests, Florida ranks top-10 nationally in home runs (third – 119) and slugging (sixth – .557) while ranking 16th with 484 runs scored. Through 58 games, the Gators have scored in 45.2% of their batted innings (209 of 462) and are averaging 10.0 hits per game. Florida ranks top-three in the SEC in homers (first), triples (first), batting average (second), slugging (second), runs (second), RBI (second), total bases (second), hits (third) and doubles (T-third).
RELENTLESS REPTILES
19 of Florida’s wins this season have been in comeback fashion (43.2%), surpassing last year’s 66-game total of 13 (30.1%). After going 0-20 last season when trailing after six innings, Florida has four wins in that scenario in 2023 and is 5-1 when tied after six. Even more impressively, the Gators are 15-7 when the opponent scores first this season, compared to 11-15 last year.
100-STRIKEOUT DUO
Sproat eclipsed 100 strikeouts in a season for the first time in his career at No. 19 Kentucky. As a result, Sproat and Hurston Waldrep<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/hurston-waldrep/15517> became the ninth 100-strikeout duo in program history, and the first since Jackson Kowar (115) and Brady Singer (114) accomplished the feat in 2018. Sproat is 13-3 in his last 19 starts while UF is 17-4 in his last 21 including 13-2 this season. He has gone five innings in all but one of his last 21 starts. Meanwhile, Waldrep’s 117 strikeouts are tied for seventh nationally.
JAC OF ALL TRADES
The two-way playing Caglianone’s 28 home runs rank second nationally and lead the SEC while also representing a new program record. His 76 RBI are tied for fourth in a season in school history (T-second in SEC), nine shy of tying Pretson Tucker’s team record (85) set in 2009. The southpaw has been a weekend starter for UF all season, leading the Gators with a .184 batting average against. In his last five starts, Caglianone is 2-1 with a team-best 2.05 ERA and .177 batting average against while striking out 27 batters in 22 innings.
LOADED UP THE MIDDLE
Competing as a true freshman, Kurland’s 16 home runs are the most ever in a single season by a UF middle infielder. Meanwhile, Rivera’s 15 long balls are tied for the most by a Gators shortstop in a season alongside Brady McConnell (2018).
DOUBLE DIGIT DING DONGS
Six different Gators have blasted 10 or more home runs this season, which is a program record. Five of those players have 13-plus jacks.
STAFF INFLECTION
Florida hurlers have combined for a 3.10 ERA, .236 BAA and 94 strikeouts vs. 29 walks across the last 10 games. That marks a notable improvement from the first 48 games, where UF pitchers posted a 5.25 ERA with 502 strikeouts against 221 walks in 408 innings.
2023 GAINESVILLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, June 2
Game One: 12 p.m. ET* – Texas Tech vs. UConn (ESPNU)
Game Two: 5:30 p.m. ET* – Florida A&M vs. Florida (ESPN+)
Saturday, June 3
Game Three: 12 p.m. ET* – Loser Game One vs. Loser Game Two
Game Four: 6 p.m. ET* – Winner Game One vs. Winner Game Two
Sunday, June 4
Game Five: 12 p.m. ET* – Loser Game Four vs. Winner Game Three
Game Six: 6 p.m. ET* – Winner Game Four vs. Winner Game Five
Monday, June 5
Game Seven (if necessary): TBA* – Winner Game Six vs. Loser Game Six
*All times subject to change based on TV
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