UF BSB: No. 4 Florida Faces St. Mary's in Final Non-Con Series

This is the first-ever meeting between the Gators and Gaels on the diamond.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The fourth-ranked Florida Gators are set to take on the St. Mary’s Gaels in their final non-conference series of the season this upcoming weekend at Condron Family Ballpark.

First pitch is set at 6:30 p.m. for games one and two on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The series finale is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games will stream on SEC Network+.

This weekend’s action marks the first-ever meeting on the diamond between Florida and St. Mary’s. It also represents Florida’s second-ever series against a West Coast Conference opponent and the first of the Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1752> era. Back in 1997, the Gators took two out of three against Santa Clara (L 7-4, W, 10-2, W 11-1). Florida outscored its opponent, 25-10, in that series.

Florida remained at No. 4 in the D1Baseball Top 25 this week. The Gators are a consensus top-six team nationally, coming in at No. 6 per Baseball America and Perfect Game.

SERIES PROMOS
Sunday, March 10 vs. St. Mary’s is the Gators’ annual Mario Night. Included in the festivities are an in-game Mario Kart race, mystery boxes hidden throughout the ballpark and a Nintendo Switch giveaway. Head men’s basketball coach Todd Golden will also be in attendance for cerremonial first-pitch honors against his alma mater on Sunday.

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: Chomp Truck by Sodexo, Cilantro Tacos
Saturday: Chomp Truck by Sodexo, Twisted Tikka Indian Food Truck
Sunday: Chomp Truck by Sodexo, Domi Italian Ice

GET TO KNOW THE GAELS
Off to an 8-4 start to the season, St. Mary’s has won each of its first three series against Oakland, Utah Valley and Seattle. As a team, the Gaels are slashing .313/.400/.619 backed by 27 home runs and 17 stolen bases. On the mound, St. Mary’s has pitched to a 5.35 ERA with 120 strikeouts and 51 walks in 106 innings. The Gaels have fielded at a strong .990 clip across 418 defensive chances.

LAST TIME OUT
Florida suffered its second midweek loss of the season on Wednesday, falling to UCF at home by a score of 9-6. First baseman Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/16365>, designated hitter Brody Donay<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brody-donay/16621> and shortstop Colby Shelton<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/colby-shelton/16639> all homered in the defeat while right-handed pitcher Fisher Jameson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/fisher-jameson/16371> threw 3 1/3 innings of no-hit relief. Last weekend, Florida won two of three at Miami (W 7-3, L 10-6, W 8-4), securing their ninth series win in the last 10 against the Canes. Florida was led offensively by Caglianone (7-for-14, 2 HR), outfielder Ty Evans<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/ty-evans/16368> (4-for-12, HR, 3 R), outfielder/infielder Tyler Shelnut<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyler-shelnut/16376> (3-for-10, 1 HR, 2 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI) and Shelton (3-for-13, 2 HR, 5 RBI) in the series.

CAN’T CRACK CONDRON
Florida has won 12-consecutive three-game, regular-season home series at Condron Family Ballpark dating back to the 2022 season. The Gators are 26-5 in home series since 2023 following a sweep of Columbia two weeks back. With wins in 21 of their last 24 games overall at Condron, UF is 41-9 at home since the start of last season. Counting UF’s 2023 Super Regional sweep vs. South Carolina, the Gators have won 13-straight series at home.

SERIESLY WINNING
Florida has won 18 of its last 20 three-game, regular-season series dating back to the 2022 season including 11 of 13 in SEC play. The Gators are 36-12 in weekend series since 2023 and 45-15 over their last 20.

NON-CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Florida has won 21 of its last 25 regular season, non-conference games. Dating back to 2023, the Gators are 30-7 in regular-season, non-con action.

LEATHER FLASHING FACEOFF
The Gators lead the SEC and rank fourth nationally with a .990 fielding percentage behind Northwestern, Creighton and St. Mary’s. This weekend’s matchup features two of the top-four defensive teams in the nation, as both Florida and St. Mary’s have committed four errors and hold a .990 fielding percentage. The Gators’ four errors have come across 402 chances and only two miscues have been made by UF position players all year (two by pitchers). From the second inning of the season opener until the eighth inning on Feb. 28 vs. B-CU, Florida went 67 1/3 innings without committing an error.

MOUND MILESTONES
With 144 strikeouts in 104 innings, Florida ranks seventh nationally and third in the SEC in strikeouts per nine (12.5). The Gators have struck out double-digit batters in 10 of 12 games.

CAGLIANONE IN THE ZONE
Carrying a season-opening, 12-game hitting streak into Friday, Caglianone leads Florida in every slash category with a .480/.559/.800 batting line on top of five home runs and 15 RBI. He sits second in the SEC in batting (29th nationally) and hits (24, t-fifth) behind Charlie Condon, fifth in OBP, t-seventh in total bases, eighth in slugging and t-ninth in homers. Caglianone has drawn eight walks against a team-low five strikeouts amongst qualified hitters while collecting multiple hits in eight games. He is the reigning SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week and Perfect Game Co-National Player of the Week following his standout two-way performance at Miami. The lefty carries a 3.00 ERA, .156 batting average against, 18.0 strikeouts per nine and 4.0 walks per nine into his third start of 2024.

GOING STREAKING
In addition to Caglianone, catcher Luke Heyman<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/luke-heyman/16370> and Shelton have safely reached base in all 12 games this season. Outfielder Michael Robertson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/michael-robertson/16375> also brings a 10-game on-base streak into Friday’s contest.

SHEL-O SHOTS
Ranking second and third on the team in hitting, respectively, Shelnut and Shelton are off to hot starts. Shelton’s six homers and 16 runs pace the team, as the first-year Gator is slashing .318/.458/.773 while starting all 12 games at shortstop. Shelnut’s four home runs rank third on the roster while his 15 RBI are tied for second on the squad. He holds a .333/.447/.744 batting line on four doubles, 11 runs and two steals, and has collected an extra-base hit in four-straight games.

FRIDAY NIGHT FISHER
Across his last two outings vs. Miami and Columbia, Friday night starter Cade Fisher<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/cade-fisher/16369> has struck out 15 batters without issuing a free pass. The southpaw has pitched to a 4.66 ERA and .256 batting average against in his last two outings, going 1-0 with Florida winning both games.

NEW 12 IN TOWN
Although freshman southpaw Liam Peterson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/liam-peterson/16631> gave up five runs in his first-career road start last Saturday at Miami, he rebounded to retire each of the final 10 batters he faced and did not allow a baserunner after the second inning. The rookie takes a 1-1 record, 3.75 ERA, .143 BAA, 14.0 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 into his fourth-career start vs. St. Mary’s. Peterson has thrown at least three scoreless innings with a minimum of six strikeouts in two of his first-three-career starts.

SLATER-AID
Star reliever Ryan Slater<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/ryan-slater/16377> sits second among qualified UF pitchers with a 2.40 ERA. His .140 BAA, six appearances and 15 innings all pace the roster. The right-hander has struck out 17 batters against five walks and has not allowed a home run yet this season.

TRUE FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
Florida true freshman pitchers Alex Philpott<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/alex-philpott/16632>, Robert Satin<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/robert-satin/16637>, Grayson Smith<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/grayson-smith/16640>, Reilly Witmer<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/reilly-witmer/16635> and Peterson have combined to go 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA and 11.7 K/9 across 37 2/3 innings. They have provided 36.2% of Florida’s innings pitched through 12 games.

THIS PHILLY AIN’T CHICKEN
Opening his career with 12 1/3 scoreless innings, Philpott was finally charged with an earned run in Wednesday’s game vs. UCF. Despite that, he has given up just two runs in 12 2/3 frames for a team-low 1.42 ERA, allowing seven hits and seven walks against 15 strikeouts. He has held hitters to a .163 batting average.

TYME BOMBS
Sitting fourth on the team in slugging (.585), Evans has picked up where he left off last season after setting the College World Series record with five home runs. Evans has collected hits in 10 of his 11 games this season while connecting for five extra-base hits (3 HR, 1 3B, 1 2B) across his first 41 at bats.

SULLY SUPERLATIVES
Since O’Sullivan’s 2008 arrival, no college program has more CWS trips (eight), 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 .617 winning percentage (277-172) 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 Condron Family 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 Condron Family 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.
* 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 remains at home to host in-state rival Florida State on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. with television coverage on SEC Network.

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