Florida is making its 16th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, which ranks second nationally.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators travel to Stillwater, Okla. for NCAA Regionals this upcoming weekend and open competition against Big Ten Tournament Champion Nebraska on Friday, May 31 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Florida is making its 16th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the 39th Regional in program history. The Gators have reached the postseason in every season under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1752>, who took the reins in 2008. Overall, Florida is 129-85 (.602) all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
The Gators have played to an 86-51 mark in Regionals en route to 15 NCAA Regional Titles, most recently winning the 2023 NCAA Gainesville Regional on their way to the program’s 13th College World Series appearance. UF has advanced to the NCAA Super Regional Round 11 times in the current format.
Florida’s opening game vs. Nebraska marks the second-ever meeting between the Gators (28-27, 13-17 SEC) and Cornhuskers (39-20, 16-8 Big10). Florida wields a 1-0 record in the head-to-head series, having defeated Nebraska in Omaha, 7-4, on June 19, 2005.
Pitching Matchups
Friday | 3 ET (ESPN+)
Florida RHP Liam Peterson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/liam-peterson/16631> (2-4, 5.83 ERA)
Nebraska RHP Brett Sears (9-0, 2.00 ERA)
Links WATCH<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a9bbbb43-f0f4-408a-be39-b7751bcf8a1b> | LISTEN<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5449>
VERSUS THE REST OF THE REGIONAL FIELD
Although Florida and Niagara have never played, the Gators are 2-4 all-time against Oklahoma State including 1-2 in Stillwater, Okla. The Orange & Blue claimed the most-recent meeting on Feb. 18, 1996 in Gainesville by a tally of 5-4 in 10 innings.
LAST TIME OUT
Prior to exiting the SEC Tournament with a 6-3 loss to Vanderbilt, Florida posted a vital series win at No. 9 Georgia, rallying for wins in the final two games after dropping the opener (L 9-4, W 7-14, W 19-11). Florida was led by catcher Luke Heyman<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/luke-heyman/16370> (5-for-15) and second baseman Cade Kurland<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/cade-kurland/16372> (4-for-13), as both players drilled three home runs, finishing with 10 RBI and 6 RBI, respectively. Outfielder Michael Robertson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/michael-robertson/16375> (5-for-12) also starred, leading the team with a .417 average while chipping in one double, four RBI and two runs. Right-handed pitcher Brandon Neely<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brandon-neely/16373> was nails out of the pen in the game-two win, chucking 4 2/3 frames of one run ball on two hits while striking out six to earn the win. In the finale, Florida posted a season-high 19 runs thanks to a 12-run fourth inning, signifying the team’s most runs in one frame since Feb. 27, 2002 vs. Siena (15).
REGIONAL SCOUTING REPORT
Nebraska enters the series with a 39-20 record and 16-8 mark in Big Ten play. Having won the Big Ten Tournament, the Huskers are winners of five-straight games. Nebraska has slashed .289/.392/.455 with 66 home runs while pitching to a 4.40 ERA backed by a .975 fielding percentage. As for the host team, Oklahoma State is 40-17 and 19-9 in Big 12 play while also winning their conference tournament. The Cowboys are hitting .284/.401/.519 as a team featuring 111 long balls. OSU wields a 4.06 ERA and .971 fielding percentage. Meanwhile, Niagara is 38-15 and 20-4 in MAAC action. The Purple Eagles own a .306/.410/.478 batting line with 69 homers. Niagara has worked to a 5.40 ERA and .963 fielding percentage.
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Florida boasts 15 come-from-behind wins on the season, with 12 of the team’s 13 SEC victories occurring in comeback fashion. The Gators wield three walk-off victories this year.
SEC’S SUPREME
Across their last 84 conference tilts, the Gators have gone 50-34 vs. SEC opponents featuring a 42-30 regular-season mark.
NATIONAL LEADERBOARDS
Florida ranks seventh nationally and fourth in the SEC with 116 home runs this season (2.1 per game). Meanwhile, the Gators sit 12th in the country and fifth in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (10.5). At .981, Florida ranks third in the SEC and 13th in the NCAA in fielding percentage.
DOUBLE-DIGIT JACKS x 7
For the first time since the 1998 season, Florida has seven different hitters with double-digit home runs: first baseman/left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/16365> (29), shortstop Colby Shelton<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/colby-shelton/16639> (18), Heyman (14,) outfielder Ty Evans<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/ty-evans/16368> (13), infielder/outfielder Tyler Shelnut<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/tyler-shelnut/16376> (13), Kurland (13) and catcher/designated hitter Brody Donay<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/brody-donay/16621> (11). Those seven players have accounted for 111 of the Gators’ 116 home runs this season (95.7%). In 1998, Florida was led by Brad Wilkerson with 23 home runs, followed by David Ross (19), Jason Dill (16), Derek Nicholson (15), Mark Ellis (14), Greg Catalanotte (13) and Casey Smith (12). Last year’s SEC Championship team had six players hit 10-plus homers highlighted by five with 17-plus.
CAGLIANONE’S GOLDEN SEASON
As a top candidate for the Golden Spikes Award, Caglianone delivered three extraordinary feats over the course of the regular season. After homering in an NCAA-record nine-straight games from April 6-19, Caglianone followed the act with an equally brilliant one by going 66-consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout from April 7-27. The slugger then proceeded to post a 30-game hitting streak from March 23 through May 12 to tie the all-time program mark set by Jacob Young in 2021. He now owns each of the two-most-prolific home run seasons in Gators history, setting the team record with 33 last season while his 29 bombs this year rank second.
This season, Caglianone has slashed .415/.525/.844 with 29 home runs, 67 runs scored and 58 RBI – all of which lead the Gators. The two-way standout ranks fourth nationally in home runs (second in SEC), sixth in slugging (second in SEC), sixth in batting average (second in SEC) and 11th in on-base percentage (third in SEC). On top of that, the Tampa, Fla. native has drawn 20 more walks (41) than strikeouts (21), ranking as the 54th-most-difficult hitter to strikeout in the nation with 10.1 at bats per strikeout and wielding a minuscule 8.0% K- rate.
On the mound, Caglianone wields a 5-1 record, 4.35 ERA and 9.9 strikeouts per nine. In addition to pacing the Orange & Blue in ERA, he leads in innings pitched (62.0), games started (13) and batting average against (.217), the latter of which ranks ninth in the SEC. Caglianone has also allowed the third-fewest hits (49) and second-fewest homers (four) among qualified SEC hurlers.
CHECK THE FRESH LP
Freshman right-hander Liam Peterson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/liam-peterson/16631> was lights out across the final month of the regular season and will start on Friday vs. Nebraska. Dating back to April 19, Peterson has made five appearances (four starts) and leads the Orange & Blue with a 2.33 ERA and .211 batting average against in 19 1/3 frames. The right-hander from Palm Harbor, Fla. is 1-0 in that span with just 15 hits allowed, nine walks and 20 strikeouts. Overall, Peterson enters the postseason with a 2-4 record and 5.83 ERA, although his .251 BAA and 10.5 strikeouts per nine paint an even better picture. As a true freshman, he ranks second on the roster in innings pitched (54.0) and games started (12) behind Caglianone.
HEALTHY SIP OF JAMESON
Across the team’s last 20 games, righty Fisher Jameson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/fisher-jameson/16371> has made 11 appearances and produced a team-best 3.47 ERA across 23 1/3 innings. In that span, Jameson has struck out 30 batters while issuing just four walks. He wields a 2-0 record, two saves and a .261 batting average against in his previous 11 outings.
2-WAY 2 DOMINANT 2 HANDLE
In the 13 games Caglianone has started on the mound, he is hitting .432 (19-for-44). He has six home runs in those 44 at bats while surrendering only four to the opposing 266 batters he has faced. Sixty-six of those batters have struck out while Caglianone has only two strikeouts at the plate in the games he has pitched. Florida has won in 10 of Caglianone’s 13 starts.
THANK YOU, I’LL HAVE ANOTHER
Both Heyman and Kurland posted multi-homer games in the regular-season series finale at No. 9 Georgia, after Shelton and Heyman collected multi-homer games three weekends back vs. Kentucky. Florida hitters have cashed in on 13 multi-homer games this season and 42 in the past three years (2022-24), after having batters collect just 32 multi-homer games in the previous 10 seasons prior (2012-21).
ALL-SEC DUO
Two Gators collected All-SEC honors on Monday, May 20 from the league’s coaches in Caglianone and Peterson, with Caglianone being named First Team All-SEC at first base and Peterson an All-SEC Freshman Team recipient. For Caglianone, the honor marks his second-straight season as the All-SEC First Team first baseman. Meanwhile, Peterson’s first-career All-SEC accolade follows two Freshman of the Week nods on Feb. 26 and May 20.
FIREWORKS IN THE FOURTH AT FOLEY
Trailing 3-0 in the series finale at No. 9 Georgia after three frames, Florida erupted for 12 runs in the fourth inning. The outburst marked the most runs (12) in a single inning of the Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1752> era (2008-present) and the most since Feb. 27, 2002 vs. Siena (15) in what was a 31-3 drubbing by the Gators. Two Gators had multiple hits in the frame: outfielder Ashton Wilson<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/ashton-wilson/16638> (single, two-run double) and Shelnut (double, two-run double). Heyman drove in four runs in the inning. The Gators combined for seven extra-base hits and also hit for the cycle as a team.
THE SCORING STREAK
Florida’s scoring streak of 134-consecutive games is the third-longest in program history (May 27, 2022-present). The only longer streaks in team history have occurred from March 12, 1995-April 7, 1999 (268 games) and from 1957-63 (184). The Gators were last shut out on May 26, 2022 vs. Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.
SULLY SUPERLATIVES
Since O’Sullivan’s 2008 arrival, no college program has more CWS trips (8), Super Regionals hosted (nine), top-eight national seeds (10) and NCAA Tournament bids (16) than the Florida Gators. Overall, Florida’s 16-straight NCAA bids represent the second-longest active streak in the sport. The Gators have also hosted 12 NCAA Regionals out of a possible 16 during O’Sullivan’s tenure (no NCAA Tournament in 2020).
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