Florida is 35-20 vs. FSU under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan including wins in 22 of the last 27 meetings.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 6 Florida travels to 121 Financial Ballpark in Jacksonville, Fla. to take on in-state rival No. 17 Florida State for the second of three meetings this season. Tuesday’s matchup begins at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.
The Gators dropped the first installment in the season series against the Seminoles at home, 12-8, back on March 12. One year ago, Florida swept the season series over FSU with three come-from-behind victories.
Despite trailing in the all-time series by five games at 127-132-1, Florida is 35-20 vs. the Noles under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1752> including an 8-9 record in neutral-site battles. The Gators are 22-5 against FSU across the last 27 meetings overall.
Pitching Matchups
Tuesday | 6 ET (SEC Network+)
FSU LHP Andrew Armstrong (2-0, 3.75 ERA)
Florida RHP Alex Philpott<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/alex-philpott/16632> (2-1, 4.50 ERA)
Links WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/892f1588-2235-42cb-8074-fdaa9021a2e9> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5375>
The Gators remained at No. 6 in the D1Baseball Top 25 this week, being jumped by a Texas A&M team they just defeated in a series one week ago as well as Tennessee, who won two of three at home against Ole Miss. Florida is ranked No. 4 in the country by both Baseball America and Perfect Game.
GET TO KNOW THE NOLES
After starting the season with a perfect 19-0 record, Florida State was swept this past weekend at No. 3 Clemson. The Seminoles blew four-run leads in all three contests. Now, Florida State takes a 19-3 record and 3-3 ACC mark into Tuesday’s contest. The Noles are slashing .344/.434/.601 as a team with 44 homers and pitching to a 4.03 ERA on the mound.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gators are coming off a series win at No. 5 LSU in Baton Rouge, rebounding from a 6-1 game-one loss to claim each of the final two contests, 6-4 (11) and 12-2 (8). With the performance, Florida posted its second top-five series victory in as many weekends. In fact, Florida is the only team in the nation with a pair of top-five series wins this season. The Gators were led by red-hot outfielder Ty Evans<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/ty-evans/16368>, who went 8-for-15 (.533/.533/1.067) in the series with two home runs and two doubles. He was the lone Gator to hit above .250 in the series and had multiple knocks in every game.
NON-CON DOMINANCE
Florida has won 23 of its last 29 regular season, non-conference games. Dating back to 2023, the Gators are 32-9 in regular-season, non-con action.
THE SEC’S FINEST
Since Florida’s last home series lost vs. Tennessee from April 22-24, 2022, the Gators have gone 41-18 vs. SEC opponents featuring a 33-15 regular-season mark. In that span, Florida has won 14 of its last 16 SEC series. Dating back to O’Sullivan’s first year at UF in 2008, Florida’s .618 winning percentage is the best in the conference (281-174).
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Down to its final out in game two at LSU after dropping the opener, Florida rallied for come-from-behind victories in both of the final two games. The Gators now own six comeback wins on the campaign. In game two at LSU, Evans hit a game-tying single to center field with two outs in the ninth inning to keep UF alive. First baseman/left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/16365> added to the heroics with a two-run home run in the 11th inning to win it. Down 1-0 after four innings in the finale, Florida erupted for 12 runs in the final four frames to run-rule the Tigers, 12-2 in eight frames.
HISTORIC GATOR TATERS
In Florida’s 12-2 thumping of LSU on Sunday, the Gators exploded for a season-high six home runs – the team’s most since launching six vs. LSU in game two of the 2023 College World Series Finals. Infielder Colby Shelton<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/colby-shelton/16639> went yard twice, while infielder Cade Kurland<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/cade-kurland/16372>, Evans, Caglianone and outfielder/infielder Tyler Shelnut<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyler-shelnut/16376> also blasted homers. Most notably, Evans, Caglianone and Shelnut connected for back-to-back-to-back jacks in the eighth inning. It marked UF’s first set of three-consecutive homers in 19 years – since Brian Jeroloman, Brandon McArthur and Brian Leclerc accomplished the feat vs. FSU on June 10, 2005.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Having launched 52 home runs in 23 games (2.3 HR/G), Florida ranks sixth nationally and third in the SEC in big flies. Despite a tough weekend defensively, the Gators remain among the top-10 in the country in fielding percentage, ranking seventh in the NCAA and second in the SEC at .983. With 259 strikeouts in 203 innings, Florida sits ninth nationally and fourth in the SEC in strikeouts per nine (11.5).
NEELY DEALIN’
Two weeks removed from SEC Pitcher of the Week and NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week honors, closer Brandon Neely<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-neely/16373> has thrown eight-consecutive scoreless innings spanning five appearances. In that time, he has 13 strikeouts against two walks, allowing just two hits for a minuscule .080 batting average against.
TICKING TYME BOMB
Evans is on an unprecedented tear at the plate, owning 11 multi-hit games in Florida’s last 13 contests (including four-straight and 9 of 10). Across the last 13 games, he is hitting .439/.484/.719 with four home runs (.467/.500/.756 in last 10). Evans ranks second on the team in batting average (.389), on-base percentage (.471), hits (35) and multi-hit games (12) behind Caglianone. He has hits in 20 of his 22 games this year.
MURDERER’S ROW
Florida has four qualified hitters with an OPS above 1.000 and each of the top-six hitters in the UF lineup sit above .920: Caglianone (1.211), Shelton (1.195), Shelnut (1.153), Evans (1.138), Kurland (.927), and Heyman (.922). The top-six in the Gators’ lineup has accounted for 48 of the team’s 52 home runs and have driven in 136 of UF’s 182 runs (74.7%). All six players are slugging above .520.
THIS PHILLY AIN’T CHICKEN
True freshman right-hander Alex Philpott<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/alex-philpott/16632> will be making his second-career start on Tuesday vs. FSU. His first start came two weeks ago against the Noles, allowing three runs (one earned) in 1 2/3 innings. The righty takes a 2-1 record, 4.50 ERA, .203 batting average against and 10.0 stikerouts per nine into Tuesday’s matchup.
JAC OF ALL TRADES
Not only is Caglianone pacing UF in batting (.394), OBP (.474) and hits (39) on top of 11 homers, but he has been the team’s best pitcher through six weeks. The southpaw is 3-0 on a team-low 1.65 ERA and .130 batting average against, and ranks second in strikeouts with 39 in 27 1/3 innings. In his last four starts, Caglianone has allowed two earned runs across 24 1/3 innings on 10 hits, 16 walks and 32 strikeouts. Caglianone’s .130 BAA is second in the SEC behind Hagen Smith while his 1.65 ERA ranks sixth. He has also improved his offensive approach, drawing 13 walks against 10 strikeouts in 99 at bats.
GARY ON GUARD
Defensive guru Tanner Garrison<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/tanner-garrison/16622> owns a 1.000 fielding percentage across 113 chances behind the plate and leads the SEC with six runners caught stealing. Garrison has thrown out six of seven would-be base stealers this season for an absurd 85.7% caught stealing rate.
MCNEILLIE MAGIC
Coming off three-straight scoreless outings spanning 5 2/3 innings, freshman right-hander Luke McNeillie<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/luke-mcneillie/16629> has lowered his ERA from 17.28 to 10.29. Over the weekend at LSU, McNeillie blanked the Tigers across 2 1/3 shutout frames to help UF deliver the comeback victory in game two.
ON DECK
Florida welcomes No. 21 Mississippi State to Gainesville for a three-game series this upcoming weekend. All three games will stream on SEC Network+.
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