UF has won 11 of the last 15 meetings while claiming five-straight series vs. UK.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 4 Florida baseball closes out the regular season with a three-games series at No. 19 Kentucky at Blue Bell Park from Thursday through Saturday.
The regular-season finale marks Florida’s first trip to Lexington since taking two of three games against the Wildcats (25-15, 15-12 SEC) from May 6-8, 2021 (L 5-7, W 8-5, W 9-2). The Gators (40-12, 18-9 SEC) also took two in Gainesville last season (W 9-2, W 9-1, L 1-8) to claim its fifth-straight series win over Kentucky dating back to 2017.
The Orange & Blue lead the all-time series by a 146-71-1 tally and are 62-38-1 in Lexington. Florida is 25-20 in the series under Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1551> including a 11-10 record on the road.
Pitching Matchups
Thursday | 6:30 p.m. ET (SECN+) Friday | 6:30 p.m. ET (SECN+) Saturday | 2 p.m. ET (SECN+)
Florida RHP Hurston Waldrep<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/hurston-waldrep/15517> (6-3, 5.00 ERA) RHP Brandon Sproat<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-sproat/15508> (7-2, 4.44 ERA) LHP Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/15489> (5-2, 4.47 ERA)
Kentucky RHP Travis Smith (4-2, 4.81 ERA) RHP Zack Lee (4-2, 3.42 ERA) TBA
Links WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=08d1c343-8dcc-4bcf-be32-fe4392386123> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5161> WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=fe5aee26-3c3b-4c13-baa4-b32fabe9c0e5> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5163> WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=2166d190-6407-4ca2-bfb7-7b84b7cab679> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5164>
Florida jumped from No. 7 up to No. 4 in the D1Baseball Top-25 after sweeping then-No. 5 Vanderbilt over the weekend. The Gators are ranked as highly as No. 2 according to the USA Today Coaches Poll
WHAT TO KNOW ON THE WILDCATS
Kentucky has played to a 35-15 (15-12 SEC) record this season while batting .300/.426/.452 as a team with 41 home runs. On the pitching end, the Wildcats have worked to a 4.21 ERA with 434 strikeouts in 429 1/3 frames. Kentucky holds their own defensively, as evidenced by a .984 fielding percentage.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gators have won eight of their last 10 games after sweeping No. 5 Vanderbilt at home over the weekend (W 10-0, W 6-2, W 6-2) and taking sole possession of the SEC East. Florida outscored the Commodores by a 22-4 margin, posting the team’s fourth sweep over VU since O’Sullivan took the reins in 2008.
IRREGULAR SEASON
By sweeping Vanderbilt, Florida won 40 games for the 28th time in program history, 11 of which have come under O’Sullivan. UF is one win away from tying the 2018 campaign (41-15, 20-10 SEC) for the second-most regular-season wins in program history. Two wins in Lexington would make the 2023 team the second-winningest regular season ballclub ever behind the 2016 squad (44-11, 19-10 SEC).
PITCHING PEAKING
Florida hurlers allowed just three earned runs across 25 innings in the series sweep over Vanderbilt, equating to a 1.08 ERA. That is by far the Gators’ lowest in any series this season, besting the 1.17 ERA produced against Siena. Prior to last weekend, Florida’s lowest SEC series ERA of the season was 3.67 set on SEC Opening Weekend against then-No. 24 Alabama. On top of the low ERA, UF pitchers held Vanderbilt to a .170 batting average, striking out 27 while walking just seven batters.
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Nearly half (42.5%) of Florida’s wins this season have been in comeback fashion (17), surpassing last year’s 66-game total of 13 (30.1%). After going 0-20 last season when trailing after six innings, Florida has three wins in that scenario in 2023 and is 4-1 when tied after six. Even more impressively, the Gators are 14-6 when the opponent scores first this season, compared to 11-15 last year.
SEC SCENARIOS
Trailing Arkansas (19-8) by one game for the top spot in the SEC, the Gators have several paths to an outright or shared SEC Championship this weekend. If Florida sweeps Kentucky and Vanderbilt wins at least two games at home vs. Arkansas, Florida would be the sole SEC Champion. If Florida wins one more game than Arkansas does, the two would share the 2023 SEC title. However, if Florida wins two of three at UK, Vanderbilt sweeps Arkansas and Georgia wins at least once against LSU, then the Gators would share the title with the Dores.
100-STRIKEOUT DUO?
With seven strikeouts against Kentucky, right-hander Brandon Sproat<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-sproat/15508> would eclipse 100 strikeouts in a season for the first time in his career. Since Hurston Waldrep<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/hurston-waldrep/15517> has already struck out 102 batters this season, that would make Sproat and Waldrep the ninth 100-strikeout duo in program history, and the first since Jackson Kowar (115) and Brady Singer (114) accomplished the feat in 2018.
WHATEVER SPROATS OUR BOAT
As a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Week this season, Sproat is 7-2 on the year and 12-2 in his last 18 starts dating back to 2022. Florida is 16-3 in Sproat’s last 19 starts including 12-2 this season. He has gone five innings in all but one of his last 19 starts.
FROM CAGS TO RICHES
Over his last three starts, southpaw Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/15489> is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA and .130 batting average against in 13 1/3 innings. He has struck out 16 batters while walking six, translating to a 10.8 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9. In his first 10 starts, he pitched to a 5.27 ERA, .250 BAA, 10.3 K/9 and 7.7 BB/9.
TOP-10 OFFENSE
Backed by double-digit runs in 21 games and 10-plus knocks in 31 contests, Florida ranks top-10 nationally in home runs (sixth – 106), slugging (sixth – .565) and runs scored (10th – 446). The Gators are scoring in 46.9% of their batted innings (195 of 416).
CAN’T KEEP WYATT QUIET
Outfielder Wyatt Langford<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/wyatt-langford/15497> is quietly having one of the best seasons in the country while improving in nearly every statistic compared to his All-American 2022 campaign. In 45 games, Langford is hitting .400/.535/.813, leading Florida in hitting and OBP while trailing Caglianone in slugging by .04 points. Langford’s 35 extra-base hits equal his 2022 total, in addition to totaling 130 bases, 14 homers, 61 runs and five steals. Langford has drawn 14 more walks (44) than strikeouts (30). In UF’s last 11 games, Langford is hitting an absurd .488/.563/1.024 with five homers and 14 RBI.
KURLAND GOES POW
Second baseman Cade Kurland<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/cade-kurland/15514> was named the SEC Freshman of the Week after hitting .667/.786/1.111 with one homer, one double, six runs, two RBI and one still in the sweep over Vanderbilt. Having already set UF’s single-season home run record (15) for a second baseman, Kurland would own more homers in a season than any middle infielder in team history with one more long ball. Across Florida’s last two series, Kurland is 9-for-21 (.429/.538/.762) with two homers and eight runs.
SECOND TO CAGLIA-NONE
Caglianone broke Florida’s single-season home run record with his nation-leading 27th long ball in game two at Texas A&M. The blast broke a tie with Matt LaPorta (2005) and Langford (2022), as Caglianone is on pace to swat 28 homers in the regular season alone and 34 if the Gators play 66 games, which would break Ivan Melendez’s BBCOR record of 32 set last season. Caglianone ranks eighth nationally with a .817 slugging percentage (second in SEC) and t-ninth with 73 RBI (second in SEC). His 73 RBI are tied for 10th-most in a single season at Florida (Record: Preston Tucker, 85, 2009).
OH, WHAT A RELIEF IT IS!
Florida relievers combined for a 1.59 ERA and 11 strikeouts vs. three walks in 11 1/3 innings vs. Vanderbilt last weekend. Closer Brandon Neely<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-neely/15499> and setup man Philip Abner<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/philip-abner/15488> have seen the bulk of the work this season, with the lefty-throwing Abner leading the way with a 3.55 ERA, .237 BAA, and 14.2 K/9. Neely leads the SEC with nine saves in nine chances and wields a 3.75 ERA, .219 BAA and 12.8 K/9.
WATCH LIST UPDATES
This week, Josh Rivera<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/josh-rivera/15504> was named one of 25 semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award for the nation’s top shortstop while Caglianone was listed as one of 12 semifinalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. Rivera is in line for career highs in every slash category as well as homers, runs, RBI, walks and steals.
CAUGHT A WHIFF
Florida ranks seventh nationally and is in line to set a school record with 10.9 strikeouts per nine as a team (9.9 in 2016). The Gators have double-digit strikeouts in 33 of 52 games.
THE SHELLY DELI
Having been named to the SEC Community Service Team on Wednesday, Tyler Shelnut<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyler-shelnut/15515> is 11-for-32 (.344/.395/.656) with two homers and 10 RBI since becoming the everyday right fielder vs. Mizzou.
ON DECK
The series at Kentucky marks the end of the regular season. The Gators await their seeding and opponent at the 2023 SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala.
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