UF has won six of the last 10 vs. the Rebels and is 17-14 in the series under Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
Oxford, Miss. – The third-ranked Florida Gators visit the No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels in a three-game weekend series beginning this Friday for the first time since the 2019 campaign. Set for March 24-26, all three installments will stream on SEC Network+.
The Gators (19-4, 2-1 SEC) are in search of their first series win in Oxford since Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1551>’s inaugural 2008 season. That being said, Florida claimed the last home series in 2021 (W 4-1, L 2-8, W 6-5) and has won six of the last 10 against Ole Miss (15-6, 0-3 SEC).
Across the all-time series, the Gators hold a slim 54-53 advantage including a 19-33 mark on the road. In the O’Sullivan era, Florida is 17-14 vs. the Rebels featuring an 8-7 record away from home.
Pitching Matchups
Friday | 7:30 p.m. ET (SECN+) Saturday | 2:30 p.m. ET (SECN+) Sunday | 2:30 p.m. ET (SECN+)
Florida RHP Brandon Sproat<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-sproat/15508> (4-0, 2.73 ERA) RHP Hurston Waldrep<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/hurston-waldrep/15517> (3-1, 4.00 ERA) LHP Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/15489> (3-0, 3.20 ERA)
Ole Miss RHP Jack Dougherty (2-2, 6.14 ERA) RHP Grayson Saunier (1-1, 6.30 ERA) LHP Xavier Rivas (4-1, 5.40 ERA)
Links WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=bf87a705-63cd-425e-9bb5-844c129867b6> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5091> WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=d3ad8eb9-946c-4e88-8f0d-0932091f6ce7> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5097> WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=d3ad8eb9-946c-4e88-8f0d-0932091f6ce7> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5098>
Florida moved up to No. 3 in the D1Baseball Top-25 this week and ranks as highly as No. 2 nationally according to Baseball America and Perfect Game. The Gators are also USA Today’s No. 3 team.
THE REFRESH
The Gators are coming off a series win over No. 24 Alabama (W 3-0, W 8-7, L 3-6) last weekend. Florida followed that with a come-from-behind, 9-5 win at Florida State on Tuesday in which Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/15489> went 4-for-5 with three RBI while Philip Abner<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/philip-abner/15488> and Brandon Neely<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-neely/15499> combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.
SCOUTING THE REBELS
Having been swept by No. 4 Vanderbilt in Nashville last weekend, No. 13 Ole Miss enters the series with a 15-6 record (0-3 SEC). The Rebels have handled the bats well, as evidenced by a .316/.411/.553 batting line with 40 home runs. Defense has also been a plus (.982 fielding percentage), but the pitching staff’s 5.38 ERA in 175 2/3 innings has held the defending National Champions back.
ROAD WARRIORS
Entering the weekend with a 3-0 record on the road this season, the Gators have outscored opponents by a 33-14 margin in away contests while hitting .344/.413/.631 and averaging 11.0 runs/game and 14.0 hits/game. On the mound, UF pitchers have struck out 40 batters against just four walks in 27 innings, equating to 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.3 walks per nine.
NATION’S NO. 1 OFFENSE
The Gators lead the nation in runs (232), hits (264) and slugging percentage (.626) while ranking inside the top five with 51 home runs (second), a .335 batting average (third) and 12 triples (fourth). Florida sits atop the SEC in batting average, runs, hits, slugging, triples, at bats and total bases (489) – boasting 51 more bases than the next-closest team (South Carolina).
THE GRAND RIVERA
Starting shortstop Josh Rivera<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/josh-rivera/15504> has reached base in 26-straight games dating back to the 2022 season and is tied for third in the NCAA (first in SEC) with a career-high 37 RBI. Rivera has already set a personal best with 10 home runs as well, ranking T-fourth in the SEC and T-ninth in the nation. Backed by a robust .417/.514/.821 slash line, he also ranks T-sixth in the NCAA with 31 runs (fourth in SEC) and T-ninth with 69 total bases (T-fourth in SEC) while sporting more walks (16) than strikeouts (10). After averaging a homer every 24.9 at bats in 2022, Rivera has homered every 8.4 at bats so far in 2023.
NOT JUST JOSHING
Florida’s hot start has been fueled up and down the lineup. Four Gators (Cade Kurland<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/cade-kurland/15514>, Rivera, Wyatt Langford<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/wyatt-langford/15497>, Caglianone) sit inside the top-11 in the SEC in runs while three rank top-nine in hits (Caglianone, Rivera, Kurland). Five Gators have already driven in 26 or more runs. Last season, only seven Gators drove in 27 runs or more.
SWING KINGS
Florida has a run differential of plus-125 and has scored in 95 of 176 batted innings this season (60.0%). The Gators boast 264 hits through 23 games (11.5 hits/game).
ROTATIONAL STABILITY
Florida’s weekend rotation of Brandon Sproat<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-sproat/15508>, Hurston Waldrep<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/hurston-waldrep/15517> and Caglianone has combined for a 10-1 record, 3.29 ERA, .172 BAA and 122 strikeouts in 82.0 innings through five starts apiece. The trio is striking out 13.4 batters per nine innings and all three arms have struck out 32 or more batters.
CAN’T ROCK THE SPROAT, BABY
Sproat is coming off one of the best outings in team history, tossing a complete-game, one-hit shutout vs. No. 24 Alabama in the SEC opener. He walked two and struck out a career-high 11 batters, earning him SEC Pitcher of the Week and NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week honors. Over his last two starts vs. SEC teams, Sproat has allowed one run and five hits over 17 1/3 frames with 18 strikeouts. Dating back to April 29, 2022 when he took over the Friday-night role vs. UK, Sproat has made 11 starts and is 9-0 with a 2.08 ERA, 76 strikeouts and 25 walks in 69 1/3 innings – and Florida is 11-0. Sproat has not lost a decision since April 23, 2022 vs. Tennessee.
HURST CUZ U MISS ME
Waldrep concluded his Southern Miss tenure against Ole Miss in the 2022 Hattiesburg Super Regional, striking out a then-career-high 12 batters across five innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and four walks as SMU dropped both games to Ole Miss. Through five starts at UF, Waldrep’s 47 strikeouts are tied for the fifth-most nationally and rank third in the SEC. He takes a 3-1 record and .225 batting average against into Saturday’s start.
JAC OF ALL TRADES
Caglianone is tied for the NCAA lead while pacing the SEC with 13 home runs. The Tampa, Fla. native also paces the SEC with nine more total bases (83) than the next-closest player and ranks third with a .902 slugging percentage (sixth in NCAA), T-third with 35 hits and T-fifth with 33 RBI (T-15th in NCAA). Fresh off his second-career four-hit game on Tuesday at FSU, Caglianone is slashing .380/.441/.902 with 21 extra-base hits and 27 runs in 92 at bats. On the mound, the left-hander wields a 3-0 record, 3.20 ERA, .159 batting average against and 32 strikeouts across 25 1/3 frames. He is the only player in the country with double-digit homers and 30-plus strikeouts.
PEN(T) UP ENERGY
The Florida bullpen has shown substantial improvement over the last nine games, going 4-0 with three saves and a 2.10 ERA. During that period, Gators relievers have struck out 50 batters in 34 1/3 innings (13.1 K/9) while walking just 10 (2.6 BB/9).
PHIL OF THE HILL
Abner is having a breakout sophomore season, entering the series with four-straight scoreless appearances spanning seven innings. Across eight appearances (T-second on team), Abner is 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA, .205 batting average against and a 16.5 strikeouts per nine.
NEELY DEALS
Neely is 3-for-3 in save chances to begin the year. Through 10 appearances stretching 16 1/3 innings, Neely wields a 3.86 ERA and .210 BAA with 26 strikeouts (14.3 K/9) against six walks (3.3 BB/9). UF pitchers have struck out the side nine times this season, with Neely accounting for three of those.
CADER MADE
Kurland should be in high school, but enrolled early at UF and leads the Gators with 33 runs (second in NCAA). He homered in each of his first two SEC games vs. No. 24 Alabama and has hits in 17 of his first 21 career starts.
BLAST OFF
Florida has homered in 20 of 23 games this season including going yard in 15-straight contests from Feb. 21 through March 12 – the team’s longest-such streak in the last 25 years. UF’s 51 homers equate to 2.2 per game and rank second in the SEC and NCAA behind South Carolina’s 56. The Gators are on pace to hit 122 home runs in the regular season alone, which is just 10 shy of the school record set in 1998 (132).
RIGHT WHERE WE WANT ‘EM
Of the Gators’ 19 victories, nine have been come-from-behind wins. Florida has two-straight comeback wins in the eighth inning or later after having zero such comebacks across 66 games in 2022.
ON DECK
At the conclusion of the series at Ole Miss, Florida takes on Florida State in Jacksonville on Tuesday, March 28 with coverage on ACC Network at 7 p.m.
###
