No. 8 Gators Secure Series Victory Over No. 4 Aggies
Luke Heyman and Tyler Shelnut swatted home runs behind 5 1/3 strong frames from Jac Caglianone.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 8 Florida grinded out a 4-2 win in the finale against No. 4 Texas A&M to secure an SEC series victory at Condron Family Ballpark on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, Florida claimed it’s 14th-consecutive regular-season, three-game home series at Condron Family Ballpark dating back to the 2022 season.
Sunday starter Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/16365> was dominant on the hill yet again, chucking 5 1/3 innings with two runs (one earned) allowed and seven strikeouts. He also picked up two hits at the plate, as did Luke Heyman<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/luke-heyman/16370> (2-for-4) and Tyler Shelnut<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyler-shelnut/16376> (2-for-3). Heyman and Shelnut both cranked homers in the victory, with Shelnut’s being a go-ahead, two-run blast in the eighth inning.
The Aggies (18-2, 1-2 SEC) took a 1-0 lead in the first, scoring a lone unearned run. After a single and pair of walks, Hayden Schott reached on a throwing error at second base as Jace LaViolette came in to score.
The Gators (12-7, 2-1 SEC) evened the tally in the second at 1-1. Shelnut drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a groundout and flyout. With two outs, Cade Kurland<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/cade-kurland/16372> came through with an RBI single to shortstop to knot it up.
Caglianone pitched a scoreless third, aided by catcher Tanner Garrison<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/tanner-garrison/16622> hosing Jackson Appel as he attemped to steal second. The southpaw fanned two more in the fourth to make it three-consecutive scoreless innings.
Texas A&M regained the lead in the fifth on a solo home run to left field by Braden Montgomery, but it proved to be short-lived. With two outs in the bottom half, Heyman uncorked a solo shot to left of his own to tie it back up at two runs apiece.
Caglianone retired Schott on a flyout to center to begin the sixth, then was lifted in favor of Ryan Slater<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/ryan-slater/16377> after a walk of Blake Binderup. The right-hander used a strikeout and flyout to send the matchup into the bottom of the sixth inning.
Closer Brandon Neely<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-neely/16373> entered the ballgame at the onset of the seventh. The Gators got two quick outs on a strikeout-throw-them-out double play, as Garrison nabbed LaViolette trying to swipe second. Neely then utilized a strikeout of Ted Burton to retire the side.
Neely blanked the Aggies again in the eighth. Heyman then led off the bottom of the frame with a single to left. With two outs, Shelnut mashed a go-ahead, two run homer to left field. The shot was reviewed and later confirmed after umpire review.
Reliever Luke McNeillie<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/luke-mcneillie/16629> was called on for the save in the ninth. The freshman worked around a leadoff single to record three-straight outs, securing his first-career save and a series victory for the Orange & Blue.
Neely (1-0) earned the victory, firing two shutout innings of relief. He walked two batters and struck out four.
Caglianone was handed a no-decision despite his strong effort, allowing two runs (one earned) in 5 1/3 innings. He was charged with four hits, five walks and seven strikeouts.
Aggies reliever Josh Stewart (1-1) was saddled with the loss. He gave up one run in one-third of an inning on two hits.
Texas A&M starter Justin Lamkin also did not factor into the decision. Across 4 2/3 frames of two-run ball, he surrendered four hits and two walks while fanning five.
NOTABLES
* Sunday’s official attendance was 6,110.
* Florida won it’s 14th-consecutive regular-season, home series at Condron Family Ballpark dating back to the 2022 season.
* The Gators have claimed 20 of their last 22 three-game, regular-season series including 13 of 15 in SEC play.
* The Gators are 30-7 in home series since 2023.
* Florida is 45-12 at home since the start of last season.
* The Gators are 40-14 in weekend series since the start of last season and 49-17 across the team’s previous 22 series at any venue.
* Since Florida’s last home series lost vs. Tennessee from April 22-24, 2022, the Gators have gone 39-17 vs. SEC opponents featuring a 31-14 regular-season mark.
* Caglianone went 17 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run before Montgomery’s solo home run with one out in the fifth inning.
* In his last three starts, Caglianone has allowed one earned run across 17 1/3 innings on seven hits, 11 walks and 27 strikeouts.
* Heyman swatted his sixth home run of the season.
* Shelnut launched his seventh homer of the campaign.
* Heyman and Shelton moved their on-base streaks to 19-straight contests.
* Florida is now 14-16 all-time vs. Texas A&M including 9-4 in Gainesville.
* The Gators are 13-10 against the Aggies under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1752> (8-1 at home), having won seven of the last 11 meetings.
FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O’SULLIVAN
On the victory and Caglianone’s start…
“It was probably the hottest day we’ve had, honestly. His first three innings, the first one he came from the pen and then his second inning he came from on the bases, and then the third one, the next inning, he came in after he hit. So, we are really careful about that as far as taking visits. I took one, I know Tanner took one; sometimes he just needs a breather. Like I said, this is probably the hottest day we’ve had so far and he made a comment before the game about that in the pen. But he battled, his fastball got better as the game went on and he reached back and got 95, 96, 97 when he needed to. His slider was really good today. Change wasn’t quite as sharp as it has been in the last few starts but I mean, obviously you could see the development on where he’s at and we get performances like that from him every Sunday, it puts us in a good situation.”
On the pitching usage of Slater, Neely and McNeillie…
“It’s not how we drew it up. Brandon’s bicep had been bothering him a little bit. It’s nothing serious but certainly not going to run him back out there this early in the season. He’s too valuable. And then McNeillie hadn’t thrown all weekend and this is what we saw from him in the fall. He didn’t give up a run in the whole fall. He just got off to a tough start. But when Brandon said his bicep was hurting a little bit, I immediately went – my thought process – this is an incredible situation, because if he can get through this, it might change his whole year moving forward. Leadoff hitter gets on and he’s been a pain the whole weekend. Then he goes to 3-2 with LaViolette and he’s got to make a pitch. You know he walks him, he’s first or second, one out and we have some problems. Then he lands a slider to Montgomery, maybe a little better feed, maybe we turn a double play there. And then now you’ve got Burton, senior, who hit, I don’t know 12 or 15 home runs last year at Michigan. He did it. He got through it. It was awesome.”
On Garrison’s work behind the plate…
“He played really good defensively. He kept everything in front of him like I said, threw two guys out and LaViolette can really run and he got a great jump, and his release was outstanding… But his at bat after we missed a drag and popped it up, was a really good at bat. He hit a ball to the wall, to the warning track his first at bat and then I don’t know how many pitches exactly it was. And he’s seeing the ball good and they threw everything at him in that at bat, and he hung in there and put a really good swing on one. But yeah, he played really good this weekend.”
UP NEXT
Florida concludes its home stand with a Tuesday tilt against Jacksonville at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
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