UF BSB: Top-25 Florida vs. Georgia Faceoff Begins Thursday

Florida is 14-7 vs. Georgia across the last 21 meetings while winning six of the previous seven series in the rivalry.

ATHENS, Ga. – No. 14 Florida hits the road for a three-game series against archrival No. 23 Georgia from Thursday, March 31 to Saturday, April 2.

Game one of the series airs on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night, while the final-two games of the set will stream live on SEC Network+ on Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (2 p.m.).

Florida (18-7, 3-3 SEC) and Georgia (19-6, 3-3 SEC) last met in Gainesville during the 2021 campaign, with the Gators winning the first-two games to clinch the series (W, 4-3 / W, 9-2) before dropping the finale on senior day (L, 1-6). In game one, shortstop Josh Rivera<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15104&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=fR5ZJeh45vaqETeRXmNmcR8brC_5LDn7xW99PU7nOjg&e= > singled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. In game two, All-American outfielder Jud Fabian<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15127&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=SqMOpVIacvfaOsJNI423MBSegX_8Q-f_pRnZB1pt4FY&e= > became one of just five players to hit 20 home runs in a season in Florida baseball history, tying Matt LaPorta’s 2007 mark for sixth all-time in a single campaign.

Under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_coaches.aspx-3Frc-3D1445&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=INFNy1QK0vkVP0ORAtP0DqlEyZJD0BTe4VlDDtaYoWM&e= >, Florida is 28-13 vs. Georgia including an 11-7 mark in Athens. The Gators have won 14 of the last 21 meetings including 11 of the last 17, while winning six of the previous seven series. The Gators lead the all-time series, 191-111-2, and hold an 87-62-1 edge on the road.

Entering week seven of the season, Florida is ranked inside the top-18 of every major poll, peaking at No. 12 on the USA Today Coaches Poll while coming in at No. 14 on the D1Baseball Top 25.

LAST TIME OUT
This past Tuesday, Florida defeated No. 5 Florida State in Jacksonville, Fla. as Rivera finished a triple shy of the cycle with three RBI. The Gators went 2-2 last week, picking up a midweek win over Bethune-Cookman (3-2) and going 1-2 vs. No. 21 LSU at home. In the game one win vs. LSU, left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15091&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=z4VzJvJC1m9fjE2xpP8pixjP_AS7ZNcfIITRNk6ARiI&e= > threw seven shutout innings to earn the win with eight strikeouts. Last Tuesday, Florida edged out Bethune-Cookman thanks to J. Fabian’s seventh-career multi-homer game and a combined one-hitter by the Gators pitching staff.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Georgia is 19-6 through the first 25 games of the season, including a 14-2 record at home. In the SEC Coaches Preseason Poll, the Bulldogs were picked to finish third in the SEC East, behind Florida and ahead of Tennessee. Entering the weekend, Georgia is hitting .289 as a team and sports a 4.75 ERA as a staff.

SULLY WINS 600TH
With a 13-6 victory to clinch the series vs. Alabama on March 19, O’Sullivan won his 600th game as Florida head coach – on the same day Georgia head coach Scott Stricklin<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_staff.aspx-3Fstaff-3D487&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=m4sLLgtURYnrTThXpxEPusi1MhU_l0BFuZs4Vyh2E4I&e= > accomplished the feat. 2022 represents O’Sullivan’s 15th season at Florida, during which he owns a 603-285 (.679) record, passing the legendary Dave Fuller (556-354-6) for the most wins in program history on March 9, 2021. O’Sullivan’s .679 winning percentage ranks third among all active Division I head coaches, while Florida’s .620 clip in SEC play since 2008 stands as the top mark in the conference.

GATORS GOING YARD
Florida ranks third in the nation with 49 home runs. The Gators hit their 40th home run of the season in just their 20th game on March 20 at Alabama in 2022, whereas last year, Florida’s 40th home run occurred in the team’s 33rd game – on April 11 at Tennessee.

SCANNING THE BARCO
In his first-six starts, Barco owns a 5-1 record with a 1.41 ERA, which ranks 26th nationally. Among the top-40 qualifying pitchers for the national ERA title, Barco’s 38 1/3 innings pitched rank second. The Florida ace also ranks fifth in the nation with a 0.63 WHIP and 13th with a 10.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. With 52 strikeouts (T-16th nationally), Barco’s ratios translate to 12.2 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9. The sophomore* southpaw is 12-2 across his last 16 starts dating back to the 2021 season.

MILCHIN IT
In his six seasons at Florida, right-handed pitcher Garrett Milchin<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15100&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=If7oaE8jjhztxKPm9DkrsCtqhusNZsJL0x09756vyO8&e= > has made 10 starts on the mound for the Gators – but Saturday will mark his first-ever weekend and SEC start. Milchin has made two prior appearances vs. Georgia – on April 28 and 30, 2017 – pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two hits allowed, one walk and one strikeout.

JUDDY JACKS
J. Fabian is tied for the SEC lead with 10 home runs (T-12 nationally). Fabian recorded his seventh career multi-homer game on March 22 vs. Bethune-Cookman and now sits at 42 career homers, which ranks sixth all-time at Florida. Five of Fabian’s last six multi-homer games have seen him go yard in back-to-back at bats. The Ocala, Fla. native’s next home run milestone will come at 47 career homers, where Gator great Mike Zunino sits in fifth. Fabian is tied for 12th in the country with 24 walks, and has drawn more free passes than strikeouts (20). He leads the Gators with 10 multi-RBI games.

BREAKOUT STER
After batting .301/.396/.470 with All-SEC Freshman Team honors in 2021, outfielder Sterlin Thompson<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15108&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=wjpMXSi5P0gRWW_VCxtJUMnerzQN_eaBgAE1MAUxDtE&e= > has raised his slash line to a .350/.417/.640 clip through the first 25 games of his sophomore season with a team-high nine multi-hit games. Thompson owns a career-high seven home runs in fewer than half as many games as last season (55), while leading Florida with 35 hits. Last weekend vs. No. 21 LSU, Thompson paced the Orange & Blue in all three slash categories (.500/.667/1.125).

EASY AS BLAKE
Making his first-11 career appearances, right-handed relief ace Blake Purnell<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15103&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=zECtXrsoDGAurqR-ZYGeWA1iA9N9CNevDLWQ34rmAO8&e= > did not allow an earned run across 19 1/3 innings to open the season. Purnell now sports a 0.77 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, two saves, 22 strikeouts and two walks over 23 1/3 innings. Purnell has allowed an earned run in just one of his 14 outings – on March 20 at Alabama.

TELL ME WYATT
Over Florida’s last 11 games, outfielder Wyatt Langford<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15097&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=pfWSCnnj0k-RBxl1Stm3ZGO-HlPeCeMVK-cCcaHVHo8&e= > leads the Gators in every slash category with a .378/.440/.911 line. Langford has six home runs, two triples, two doubles, 17 RBI, 15 runs and four steals in that span. On the season, Langford paces Florida in batting (.351), slugging (.713), OPS (1.166), RBI (27) and stolen bases (five).

STATE OF THE DEFENSE
With 18 errors in 921 defensive chances, Florida ranks 12th nationally with a .980 fielding percentage.

MIDWEEK MAGIC, IN-STATE SUCCESS AND WEEKEND WINS
Florida is 7-0 in midweek games this season and 8-1 vs. in-state teams. On top of that, the Gators are 4-1 on Fridays and 5-2 on Saturdays this year.

HITS PARADE
Florida was hitting .186 as a team after opening weekend vs. Liberty, but the Gators now own a .295 average. Florida has outscored opponents by a 183-103 margin on the season (+80).

DRAFT BUZZ
After being selected 40th overall in last year’s draft, Fabian is again projected as Florida’s top prospect by MLB Pipeline, coming in as the No. 45 overall prospect for the 2022 MLB Draft. Barco follows closely behind at No. 54, while Thompson (No. 90) and right-hander Brandon Sproat<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15106&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=aqxxQcSEzWz-bnZV5e9tutTLBRuUSr5Ze771KGa1BDs&e= > (No. 98) fell just inside the top 100. The Gators’ middle infield duo of Colby Halter<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15096&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=8EBVw9LCJZY_YRV4uPrAeF98_NHfNqe2inurHvzwEXw&e= > and Rivera recently received draft buzz as well, with D1baseball ranking the former as the No. 60 college prospect and the latter sitting at No. 78. All six of the aforementioned players were ranked as top-30 prospects in the SEC by D1Baseball, in addition to right-handed pitcher Nick Pogue<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15102&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=TRCRFX1IvCq42VehuxBcG_vxJopU7voQ6n-oxPezqGM&e= >, who was tabbed the conference’s No. 50 prospect.

Recently updated on March 14, Florida placed five players on Baseball America’s top-200 draft prospects list: Barco (No. 23), Fabian (No. 33), Thompson (No. 53), Sproat (No. 96) and Halter (No. 198).

FRESHMAN FLIES
From Feb. 26 to March 2, a Florida freshman hit his first-career homer in four-straight games: Corey Robinson<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15110&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=1Z0i8ooneQWclHyTJNYjfN-OtEYXwCvylwqqBzihcyc&e= > (March 2), Deric Fabian<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15119&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=j11qbAbJnX3lYEjmUSnHUMUtp5dTUOVkpilNOV17_qE&e= > (March 1), Ty Evans<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15111&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=JN-LexFn6xWXCtMqxdw88fc0BCTXGqWuLUCqwVrUx_M&e= > (Feb. 27) and Rene Lastres<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D15115&d=DwIF-g&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=XY304yqQ2kTOIC3O-kkIJCpqPUemfhq-Iya-a2sngiBGvkCxXaldb5vroJie0NrA&s=inzJDzrI5Dk82AZ0rqntv19GBNH3jWx-F2ta0Qq7zqU&e= > (Feb. 26).

ON DECK
Florida returns home for a Tuesday matchup with Florida A&M on April 5 at 6 p.m. The Gators then welcome No. 2 Arkansas to Gainesville for a Thursday-Saturday series. Game one against the Razorbacks will air on SEC Network on Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m. ET.

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