2017 Gator Softball: April Recap

The No. 1 Florida Gators (50-5, 20-3 SEC) hit their stride in the month of April as they secured the seventh (and third consecutive) SEC regular season title in program history. They posted a record of 15-2 (12-2 SEC) in the month with their only losses coming on the road to No. 22 Kentucky (36-17, 12-12 SEC) and No. 8 Tennessee (44-10, 16-7 SEC). Both these losses were by scores of 5-1.

The Gators played two games that ended in five innings, had 11 shutouts, and allowed just 15 total runs throughout the month. They won all five of their series in April (sweeping No. 24 Arkansas, No. 18 Georgia, and No. 20 Ole Miss and taking two out of three from No. 22 Kentucky and No. 8 Tennessee) while defeating six ranked opponents (No. 24 Arkansas, No. 18 Georgia, No. 20 Ole Miss, No. 22 Kentucky, and No. 8 Tennessee).

Here are some notable Gator performances and accolades from this past month:

• On April 4th, freshman catcher Jordan Roberts earned her first SEC Player of the Week award after hitting .545 with two home runs and 10 RBI's in the Arkansas series.
• 4/12 vs No. 1 Florida State - In front of a record crowd of 2,574 people, the No. 3 Florida Gators won their sixth straight over the Seminoles by a score of 1-0. Junior Kayli Kvistad was the hero as she hit a walk off single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
• 4/16 vs No. 22 Kentucky - Sophomore right-hander Kelly Barnhill tossed her second career no-hitter and struck out 15 Wildcats as the Gators won the series by a score of 2-0.
• On April 18th, Kelly Barnhill had to make some serious room in her trophy case. She was honored as the USA Softball Co-Player of the Week, the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Pitcher of the Week, and SEC Pitcher of the Week. The trio of awards was well deserved as she went 4-0 with a no-hitter and 47 strikeouts in 23 innings of work.
• On April 25th, senior left-hander Delanie Gourley was selected by the Scrap Yard Dawgs as the 12th overall pick in the third round. She became the 13th Gator ever selected in the NPF College Draft.
• Also on April 25th, Kelly Barnhill and Kayli Kvistad were honored with SEC Pitcher of the Week and SEC Player of the Week, respectively. Barnhill struck out 16 in a two-hit shutout over Ole Miss and finished that weekend 2-0 with 25 strikeouts in 12 shutout innings. Kvistad finished the week with a .636 average (7-11), three doubles, eight RBI's, and a run scored.

And now, here are the Gator stat leaders after a month of play:

Offense

Hits: Amanda Lorenz (59) (Sophomore)

RBI's: Kayli Kvistad (47)

Doubles: Nicole DeWitt (14) (Junior)

Triples: Amanda Lorenz/Alesia Ocasio/Jamie Hoover (3) (Junior/Freshman)

Home Runs: Amanda Lorenz (9)

Batting Average: Kayli Kvistad (.390)

Slugging Percentage: Amanda Lorenz (.652)

On Base Percentage: Kayli Kvistad (.583)

Stolen Bases: Jacqui Switzer (18) (Freshman)

Runs Scored: Amanda Lorenz (52)

Total Bases: Amanda Lorenz (101)

Strikeouts: Jordan Roberts (32)

Walks: Kayli Kvistad (60)

Hit By Pitch: Nicole DeWitt (16)

Sacrifice Bunts: Sophia Reynoso (8) (Redshirt Freshman)

Sacrifice Flies: Nicole DeWitt (5)

Defense

Assists: Sophia Reynoso (77)

Putouts: Janell Wheaton (452) (Junior)

Errors: Sophia Reynoso (6)

Fielding Percentage: Janell Wheaton/Jordan Roberts/Amanda Lorenz/Aleshia Ocasio (1.000)

Pitching

Wins: Kelly Barnhill (22)

Losses: Delanie Gourley (4)

Strikeouts: Kelly Barnhill (278)

Walks: Kelly Barnhill (27)

Earned Run Average: Kelly Barnhill (0.33)

Shutouts: Kelly Barnhill (9)

Saves: Kelly Barnhill (3)

Appearances: Kelly Barnhill (29)

Innings Pitched: Kelly Barnhill (146.2)

Looking Ahead

With the regular season done and their SEC Tournament run over after an early exit in the quarterfinals, the No. 1 Florida Gators will await their seeding for the National Tournament. Here is how they fared in the month of May thus far:

May

3rd: @No. 2 Florida State (L 3-1)

5th: North Texas (W 8-0)

6th: North Texas (W 9-0)

7th: North Texas (W 8-1)
7th: Florida A&M (W 7-1)
SEC Tournament

11th: No. 19 Ole Miss (L 2-0)

Florida became the first No. 1 seed ever to not make the SEC semifinals after losing 2-0 to Ole Miss (38-18, 10-14 SEC) this past Thursday. They have no need to fret, however, as two of their national championship runs have come after early exits from the SEC Tournament. The Gators should be back in action at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium next weekend as they host the Gainesville Regional.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

**Rankings of some teams may have changed since playing Florida

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UF Baseball: No. 5 Florida Stumbles Against No. 23 USF

The No. 5 Florida Gators (35-14) saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end with a 15-10 loss to the No. 23 South Florida Bulls (38-10) at the Mac tonight.

Pitching

True freshman Garrett Milchin (4-2, 2.39 ERA) made just his second start and did fairly well. In two innings of work, he allowed two earned runs on two hits while walking two batters. When he exited before the third inning, Florida was down 2-1. Then the wheels came off.

True freshman Nate Brown entered the game and walked three batters while also giving up an RBI single. He was pulled with the bases loaded and USF up 3-1 after not recording a single out. In his place came senior sidearmer Frank Rubio.

It only got worse from here. Frank got the first out with a groundout, but it was now 4-1 USF. Back-to-back hits would make it 6-1 before Frank got the second out. The fourth hit of the inning would push the lead to 8-1 before a groundout ended the madness. Four of those six runs that came across in the third inning were charged to Brown. 

Rubio would go 2.1 innings with just one strikeout before being pulled with a runner on second base and one out in the fifth inning. It was 8-2 at this point when junior left-hander Nick Horvath toed the rubber. An error from second baseman Blake Reese would make it 9-2, but the run would be unearned.

After working a fairly clean fifth, Horvath would hit a brick wall in the sixth. He gave up a leadoff home run and two straight doubles as the USF lead grew to 11-3. The game was half completed and there was no rain in sight, the Gators were in trouble.

Horvath was pulled for true freshman Tyler Dyson, who came out of the gate with two strikeouts and worked past a walk to throw a clean inning. Like Horvath though, Dyson met his end in the very next inning. In the seventh, he gave up a two-run homer that upped the advantage to 13-3. Two consecutive walks later and he was out of the game for true freshman Kirby McMullen.

The Ocala product saved Dyson's ERA as he used a strikeout and a fielder's choice to escape the frame. In the eighth, McMullen walked the bases loaded. However, he was able to emerge unscathed to give Florida's pitching just their third scoreless frame of the night. He was the only Gator pitcher to not allow a run as he struck out two and walked three in his 1.2 innings of relief.

In the ninth, the fifth true freshman in Austin Bodrato took the mound for Florida. He walked four batters in the inning and gave up two runs to give USF their final total of 15 and a 10-run lead entering the bottom half of the inning. In all this chaos, Garrett Milchin would be pinned with his second collegiate loss.

Batting

In most circumstances, Florida scoring 10 runs would all but guarantee victory. When it comes to these midweek games though, the Orange and Blue always seem to forget one of the three phases of baseball (pitching, batting, and defense).

The Gators banged out 12 hits, but only scored a run in the second, fourth, and fifth innings. They put up two in the eighth, and five in the ninth to make this game look closer than it actually was. The ninth inning rally is not even worth an in-depth look as the Gators still came up short by a substantial margin. So let's get right into the offensive dignitaries.

Three Gators had multiple hits in this slugfest. At the top of the lineup, senior left fielder Ryan Larson went 2-6 with two RBI's. Down in the five-hole, sophomore third baseman Jonathan India went 2-3 with a double, a solo home run, a sacrifice fly, two runs scored, two RBI's, and a walk. Rounding out the multi-hit crew from the nine-hole, sophomore Blake Reese went 2-3 with two runs scored, a team-high three RBI's, and two walks

For the Gators with one hit, junior shortstop Dalton Guthrie went 1-3 with an RBI out of the two-hole. Behind Guthrie in the three-hole, true freshman outfielder Austin Langworthy went 1-5 with an RBI. In the cleanup spot, JJ Schwarz smacked his team-leading seventh home run of the year as he went 1-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

In the five-hole, Christian Hicks went 1-5 with a run scored. As a defensive replacement in the eighth inning, true freshman Andrew Baker managed to go 1-2 with two runs scored. To finish off the Gator lineup, Austin Bodrato went 1-1 out of the designated hitter's spot with a run scored, an RBI, and two walks. His seventh inning single would be the first hit of his college career.

Final Takeaway

The final score of this game had me pretty shocked to say the least. I knew USF was good, but not 15-10 over the Florida Gators good. Fortunately for Florida, their midweek games for 2017 are over. They will have no one but their three weekend pitchers to blame for any potential woes moving forward, as the offense seems to be clicking quite well.

Before previewing the Alabama series, here are my final thoughts on tonight's loss:

• This is the first time since 2012 that Florida has lost to USF. 
• Overall, the Gators are now 16-2 against the Bulls in the Kevin O'Sullivan era.
• Florida finishes with a record of 8-5 in their midweek games for 2017.
• This is the sixth time this season that Florida has scored double-digit runs in a game.
• This is Ryan Larson's 10th, Jonathan India's eighth, and Blake Reese's third multi-hit game of the year.
• India's double was his team-leading ninth of the season.
• India's home run was his sixth of the year and is currently second-best on the team.
• India's sacrifice fly was his third of the year.
• USF true freshman starter D.J. Roberts (3-0, 3.07 ERA) threw a gem. In seven innings, he allowed three earned runs on six hits while striking out four and walking two.
• USF's notable offensive performers Part I were: junior shortstop Kevin Merrell (1-5 with three RBI's and two walks), senior designated hitter Luke Borders (1-2 with a home run, three runs scored, two RBI's, and three walks) sophomore first baseman Joe Genord (3-5 with two home runs, three runs scored, four RBI's, and a walk)
• USF notable offensive performers Part II were: sophomore third baseman David Villar (2-4 with a double, two runs scored, and two walks), sophomore infielder Coco Montes (2-5 with two doubles, three runs scored, two RBI's, and a walk), and sophomore center fielder Garrett Zech (2-5 with a double, two runs scored, and a walk).
• The Florida pitching staff tonight walked 17 BATTERS! I do not need to comb through the Gator baseball archives to tell you that is a new infamous record.
• 3,114 were in attendance for nearly three and a half hours of brutality.

Looking Ahead

With their winning streak gone, the No. 5 Florida Gators (35-14, 16-8 SEC) will now focus on their last road series of the year. Their opponent will be the Alabama Crimson Tide (18-29, 5-19 SEC), who are the worst team in the conference. Though the Tide can seat roughly 8,500 at Sewell Thomas Stadium, they have not necessarily been unbeatable at home. They are 13-19 at the friendly confines, boasting the most home losses in the SEC.

However, Florida has had their struggles on the road and got swept last time they came to the state of Alabama for a weekend series (March 17th-19th against Auburn). Though much different two months later, the Gators will need to rely on their weekend starters and keep the offensive intensity up to walk out of Tuscaloosa with a sweep.

Florida has won their last five series against Alabama, and hold a 14-4 regular season record against the Tide under Sully. The last time they lost to 'Bama in Tuscaloosa was in 2008, which was Sully's first season.

Though history and the numbers point to Florida being the favorite in this series, it cannot be forgotten that Alabama just swept Auburn (32-18, 14-10 SEC) to hinder their arch-rival's shot at an SEC West title. If Florida comes in looking ahead to the Kentucky matchup next week, they may find themselves out of first place in the SEC East by the weekend's end.

For this series, Florida's probable starters will be junior right-hander Alex Faedo (7-1, 2.42 ERA) on Friday night, sophomore right hander Brady Singer (5-3, 2.23 ERA) on Saturday night, and sophomore right-hander Jackson Kowar (8-0, 3.79 ERA) on Sunday afternoon.

Alabama will counter with junior right-hander Jake Walters (5-4, 3.82 ERA), sophomore left-hander Dylan Duarte (2-5, 5.22 ERA), and senior right-hander Nick Eicholtz (2-0, 5.96 ERA) in some way or form.

The first two games are set for 7 p.m. and can be seen on the SEC Network+. The series finale is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will be telecasted on the SEC Network. All of the games can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network.

As for USF (38-10, 12-6 AAC), they will ride the momentum of this Top 5 win into their weekend road series with the UConn Huskies (26-20, 10-8 AAC). This series will have some American Athletic Conference regular season title implications as the Huskies trail the Bulls by just two games for first place.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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UF Baseball: No. 7 Florida vs Ole Miss Series Recap

The No. 7 Florida Gators (35-13, 16-8 SEC) remained one of the hottest teams in the country as they swept the Ole Miss Rebels (29-20, 11-13 SEC) at the Mac this past weekend. Here is a recap of each game!

Game 1 (May 5th)
In the series opener on Cinco de Mayo, the No. 7 Florida Gators (33-13, 14-8 SEC) obliterated the Ole Miss Rebels (29-18, 11-11 SEC) by a score of 11-2.

Pitching
Earning his seventh victory of the season, junior ace Alex Faedo (7-1, 2.42 ERA) was magnificent. He scattered three hits, struck out nine, and walked three in six shutout innings. After 98 pitches and with Florida up 9-0 lead in the seventh inning, Faedo was lifted for true freshman Tyler Dyson.

In his two innings out of the pen, the Bradenton product was absolutely untouchable. He retired all six batters he faced with five of those outs coming via strikeout. In the ninth, true freshman Cole Maye came on for just his third appearance of the season.

The 6'7 lefty got touched up for two runs on two hits while also issuing a walk, but was able to put the Rebels away to secure the victory.

Batting
The Florida offense sprang back to life tonight as they scored 11 runs on 12 hits. They had a seven-spot in the fourth, put up two in the fifth, and scored once more in the seventh and eighth. Here's how that big fourth inning went down:

Fourth Inning
Deacon Liput fouled out for the first out and then Dalton Guthrie followed with a single to center field. Austin Langworthy drew a walk and Nelson Maldonaldo struck out for the second out of the inning. JJ Schwarz then walked to load the bases and Christian Hicks followed with a walk as well to plate the first run of the contest.

With the bases still loaded on a 1-2 count, Ryan Larson then smacked a bomb to left field for his first career grand slam! It was now 5-0 Florida. Jonathan India then singled to center field and subsequently stole second base. He would come in to score on a Keenan Bell single to left center to make it 6-0 Florida.

Like India, the true freshman Bell would swipe second and come around to score on a Deacon Liput single to center field. It was now 7-0 Florida. Liput would conclude the inning getting thrown out at second base, but the damage had been done.

Offensive Performers
Three Gators had multiple hits in the game with every starter but JJ Schwarz notching at least one hit. In the two-hole, junior shortstop Dalton Guthrie went 3-4 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI via sacrifice fly.

Two spots down in the cleanup spot, sophomore right fielder Nelson Maldonaldo went 2-4 with a solo home run in the seventh that made it 10-0 Florida. This would be his only run scored and driven in.

Jumping all the way down to the bottom of the lineup, first baseman Keenan Bell went 2-4 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI out of the nine-hole.

For the remainder of the lineup, sophomore second baseman Deacon Liput went 1-4 with an RBI and a walk out of the leadoff spot. In the three-hole, true freshman center fielder Austin Langworthy went 1-4 with a double, two runs scored, an RBI, and a walk.

Though hitless in the game, JJ Schwarz did score a run and had an RBI groundout on an 0-3 night. Behind JJ, junior third baseman Christian Hicks went 1-3 with a double, a run scored, an RBI, and a walk. After him, Ryan Larson went 1-4 with his lone hit being a big one in that fourth inning grand slam.

Finally, Jonathan India was back in the lineup after a nine-game hiatus. I do not know if it was due to an injury or disciplinary issue, but regardless it's good to have the former freshman All-American back in the lineup. In his first game since April 15th, India went 1-4 with a run scored as the Florida designated hitter.

Final Takeaway
With this victory, the Florida Gators have extended their winning streak to seven games and are now tied for first place with Kentucky (31-15, 14-8 SEC) in the SEC East! Before previewing Game 2, here are my final tidbits on the Cinco de Mayo victory:

• The Florida Gators are 2-2 all-time on Cinco de Mayo under Kevin O'Sullivan's watch.
• The Gators have now won two straight over Ole Miss.
• This is the fifth time this year that Florida has scored double-digit runs in a game.
• Dalton Guthrie, Austin Langworthy, and Christian Hicks all hit their seventh doubles of the season, Keenan Bell hit his fourth.
• Ryan Larson's grand slam and Nelly's solo shot were both their fourth dingers of the year.
• This is Guthrie's 16th, Nelly' 11th, and Bell's eighth multi-hit game of the season.
• Jonathan India stole his eighth bag of the year while Keenan Bell swiped his third.
• JJ Schwarz threw out his fifth baserunner of the year to end the the top of the third inning.
• The power of Cinco de Mayo was strong tonight, as just 3,447 fans made it out to the Mac for the opener.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

Game 2 (May 6th)
The No. 7 Florida Gators (34-13, 15-8 SEC) won their eighth straight game and took the series over the Ole Miss Rebels (29-19 SEC, 11-12 SEC) with a closer 7-4 victory on Saturday night.

Pitching
Sophomore right-hander Brady Singer (5-3, 2.23 ERA) toed the rubber on Saturday night and worked seven innings for the Gators. Within those frames, he allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits while striking out six Rebels. At 102 pitches, Singer was removed with the game tied at 4-4 going into the eighth.

Out of the pen for relief was junior left-hander Nick Horvath. He worked a perfect inning while sandwiching a strikeout between a groundout and a fly out. After Florida put up three in the bottom half of the inning to take a 7-4 inning, it was Michael Byrne time.

The sophomore closer had no problems at all, as he retired all three batters he faced and ended the game with a strikeout. It was Byrne's 12th save of the year and in the process awarded Nick Horvath his third win of the season.

Batting
The Gators were down 4-0 at one point before putting together some good at-bats in the later innings. The offense again banged out double-digit hits with 13 on the night with seven runs to show for it.

Florida's scoring occurred with a three-spot in the fifth, a run scored in the seventh, and then another three-run spot in the eighth. Before looking at the offensive standouts, here's how the game-winning rally in the eighth took place:

Eighth Inning
Mark Kolozsvary struck out to start the frame and then Ryan Larson fouled out. With two fairly quick outs, Dalton Guthrie singled to right center field on a full count to keep the inning alive. Austin Langworthy then drew a four-pitch walk to put runners on first and second.

JJ Schwarz was now up in the cleanup spot and came through on a 2-2 count with a single to right field. Guthrie came around to score and Florida now led 5-4. JJ then stole second with Langworthy already on third and they both scored on a Nelson Maldonaldo single to center field to make it 7-4. Nelly was thrown out trying to take second to end the rally.

Offensive Performers
Four Gators had multi-hit nights as all but two starters had a base knock. First up was JJ Schwarz. After a hitless night in the opener, JJ quickly turned it around as he went 3-4 with a double, two runs scored, three RBI's, a walk, and his fifth stolen base of the season.

Two spots down, Christian Hicks went 2-4. After him, Jonathan India went 2-3 with a walk and the game-tying RBI single in the seventh inning. Rounding out the quartet of multi-hitters, junior catcher Mark Kolozsvary went 3-4 with two doubles and a run scored.

Among those with one hit, both Ryan Larson and Dalton Guthrie went 1-4 with a walk and a run scored while Nelly's lone hit provided huge insurance in the eighth. Though hitless, Austin Langworthy did find a way to score two runs while also notching an RBI in the fifth inning and drawing a walk.

Final Takeaway
This is Florida's fourth straight SEC series win and their sixth overall. With the Kentucky win over Georgia (18-29, 6-17 SEC) on Saturday, the two foes remained tied atop the SEC East standings. Before recapping the series finale, here are my final tidbits on yet another series victory for Florida:

• This is the fourth time in the Kevin O'Sullivan era that the Florida Gators have taken the series over Ole Miss.
• The Gators have now won three straight over Ole Miss.
• This is Brady Singer's fourth no-decision of the year.
• JJ Schwarz's double was his eighth of the season while Kolo's pair puts him at six for the year.
• This is JJ's 11th, India's seventh, Hicks's 14th, and Kolo's fourth multi-hit game of the season.
• Florida had one error in the game. It came on a bad throw from Dalton Guthrie with one out in the top of the fourth inning. Ole Miss would capitalize as that runner would score to make it 4-0 Rebels.
• Ole Miss's leading hitter was junior second baseman Tate Blackman. He went 3-5 with a double and a run scored.
• 4,227 fans showed out at the Mac for this one.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

Game 3 (May 7th)
In the series finale, the No. 7 Florida Gators (35-13, 16-8 SEC) won their ninth consecutive game with a 6-4 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels (29-20, 11-13 SEC).

Pitching
Sophomore right-hander Jackson Kowar (8-0, 3.79 ERA) upped his record to a perfect 8-0 after his outing on Sunday. Going 6.2 innings, Kowar allowed two earned runs on six hits. He had three strikeouts while issuing just one walk.

At 93 pitches, Kowar was given the hook after walking a batter with two outs and a 6-2 lead. In his place came true freshman Garrett Milchin, who needed just two pitches to induce a groundout and end the inning.

In the eighth inning, two hits cut the lead to 6-3 and Milchin was pulled with one out. On for the five-out save was closer Michael Byrne. He generated a groundout that plated a run (which was charged to Milchin) and then got another groundout to end the frame.

With the score 6-4 in the ninth, Byrne worked past a leadoff walk to induce three straight fly outs to earn the sweep over Ole Miss. It was Byrne's 13th save of the year, which tied the single season school record!

Batting
Florida had nine hits in this game and did a chunk of their scoring in the early-mid innings of this one. They plated a run in the third, two in the fourth, and three in the fifth.

Three Gators had a multi-hit day. In the leadoff spot, Ryan Larson went 2-5 with a solo home run in the fifth inning. This increased the lead to 4-1 at the time and accounted for Larson's only run scored and batted in.

Back at it again with a couple base knocks were JJ Schwarz and Christian Hicks. Out of the cleanup spot, JJ went 2-4 with a run scored. Two spots below him, Hicks went 2-4 with an RBI double in the sixth inning that pushed the Gator lead to 6-1.

Three other Gators round out the offense with one hit a piece. In the five-hole, Nelson Maldonaldo went 1-3 with two runs scored, an RBI single in the fourth, and a walk. His lone hit gave Florida a 2-1 lead.

Two spots down, Jonathan India announced his return in dramatic fashion as he belted a solo homer run over the right field fence in the third inning. It was the first run of the game and could be a message to all stating that India is back for good. He finished the day 1-2 with a walk as well.

All the way down in the nine-hole, Deacon Liput went 1-3 with a beautiful push bunt single down the first base line in the third inning.

Final Takeaway
This is the second time under Sully that Florida has swept Ole Miss. This sweep was also huge in terms of the SEC East race as Kentucky lost on Sunday to give Florida sole possession of first place. Before diving in deeper into the home stretch of the SEC title race, here are my final tidbits on the series finale and the series as a whole:

• Under Sully, Florida has now won and lost four series a piece against Ole Miss.
• The Gators are 14-10 all-time against the Rebels in the regular season.
• The Gators have now won four straight over Ole Miss.
• Christian Hicks's double was his eight of the year.
• Jonathan India's and Ryan Larson's home runs were both their fifth of the season.
• Deacon Liput had his second sacrifice bunt of the year in this game while Kolo had his second sacrifice fly of the season.
• This is Ryan Larson's ninth, JJ's 12th, and Hicks's 15th multi-hit game of the season.
• JJ Schwarz threw out his sixth baserunner of the year to yet again end the top of the third inning.
• Ole Miss had three guys with multi-hit games. They were Tate Blackman (2-3 with a home run, a double, two runs scored, and a walk), junior center fielder Will Golsan (2-4 with a run scored), and sophomore first baseman Nick Fortes (3-4 with a double, and two RBI's).
• Florida and Ole Miss finish the series with only one error a piece. The Rebels' error in this game came on a bad pickoff attempt to first base from starter David Parkinson. It allowed Austin Langworthy to reach third base and subsequently score to give Florida a 2-1 lead.
• 3,747 fans braved the heat and came out to watch this one on a toasty Sunday afternoon.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

Looking Ahead
With another SEC series in the books, the now No. 5 ranked Florida Gators (35-13, 16-8 SEC) have their last midweek game of the year this upcoming Tuesday. Their opponent will be the No. 23 ranked USF Bulls (37-10), who the Gators sport a nice 16-1 all-time record against in the O'Sullivan era.

However, this USF team may be different from past ones as they have an impressive 37-10 record and are currently in first place atop the American Athletic Conference standings. They also have a winning streak of their own as they have won five straight. First pitch at the Mac is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. It can be seen on the SEC Network+ and heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network.

After the USF contest, the Gators will head on up to Tuscaloosa to face the struggling Alabama Crimson Tide (18-29, 5-19 SEC). Unlike football, baseball is not exactly the Tide's forte as they have the worst record in the SEC.

That being said, they shocked the college baseball world this past weekend with their sweep over the then No. 9 ranked Auburn Tigers (32-17, 14-10 SEC) in Auburn. Prior to that series, the Tide had lost seven straight games. This shows how unpredictable the sport of baseball can be.

Florida needs to not play down to Alabama's level with a super important series against Kentucky (32-16, 15-9 SEC) looming in that following weekend. At the same time, Florida needs to not overlook the Tide lest they suffer the same fate as Auburn did.

The first two games are scheduled for 7 p.m. and can be seen on the SEC Network+. The series finale will be at 4 p.m. and telecasted on the SEC Network. All of the games can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network.

As for Ole Miss (29-20, 11-13 SEC), they will return to Oxford as they prepare to host the No. 19 Texas A&M Aggies (34-15, 14-10 SEC) in a three-game set. Their chances of winning either the SEC or even the West division are about slim to none at this point. However, they can still play spoiler and knock Texas A&M out of the running.

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UF Baseball: No. 7 Florida Splits Series with Jacksonville

The No. 7 Florida Gators (32-13) extended their winning streak to six games with a 6-2 victory over the Jacksonville Dolphins (26-18) this past Wednesday night at the Mac.

Pitching

Making his first career collegiate start, true freshman Nick Long (0-0, 11.25 ERA) went two innings and allowed two earned runs on two hits. He walked four and struck out two. When the first two runners in the third inning reached base via walk, Long was pulled for fellow true freshman Nate Brown.

With Florida up 1-0, Brown would walk his first two batters to plate a run before surrendering the lead on a groundout to second base. Both runs would be charged to Long as Brown ended up throwing two scoreless innings of one-hit relief. He issued two walks and struck out a pair.

Entering in the fifth inning with the game tied at 2-2 was junior left-hander Nick Horvath. He went the longest of any Gator reliever as he threw 2.2 innings out of the pen. In those frames, he struck out three Dolphins and allowed two hits.

When the eighth inning rolled around, Horvath was pulled for true freshman Tyler Dyson with Florida up 6-2. The flame-throwing right-hander would cruise in his two innings of work, registering one strikeout and retiring all six batters he faced. The win would be awarded to Nick Horvath to put him at 2-0 on the year.

Batting

Yet again, the Florida offense banged out nine hits while only needing to overcome a 2-1 deficit after the third inning. The Orange and Blue scored a run in the first and fourth innings while putting up two in the sixth and seventh.

Junior first baseman Christian Hicks was the main man for the Gators tonight as he went 2-4 with two home runs, two runs scored, and three RBI's. His first bomb was a solo shot to right field in the fourth inning that tied the game at 2-2.

In the sixth, Hicks jumped on the first pitch of the at-bat and again sent the ball over the right field fence. This two-out dinger came with Austin Langworthy on first base and gave Florida a 4-2 lead.

It was not just Hicks who got the Florida offense going as two other Gators had multiple hits in the game. Hitting in front of Hicks in the five-hole, junior catcher JJ Schwarz went 2-4 with two RBI's. He had an RBI single in both the first and seventh innings. Rounding out the multi-hit trifecta in the three-hole, true freshman center fielder Austin Langworthy went 2-3 with two runs scored and a walk.

Among those with one hit, senior outfielder Ryan Larson went 1-4 with his sixth stolen base of the season, true freshman first baseman Keenan Bell went 1-4, and sophomore left fielder Blake Reese went 1-2 with an RBI single in the seventh.

Final Takeaway

Avenging their loss to Jacksonville in early February with this win, the Gators are firing on all cylinders entering their weekend series against the Ole Miss Rebels (). Before previewing this matchup, here are my final tidbits on Florida's sixth straight victory:

• The Gators are now 8-3 (7-2 at home) all-time against Jacksonville since Kevin O'Sullivan took over in 2008.
• Florida's six-game winning streak is their longest of the season.
• This is the 13th multi-hit game for Christian Hicks, 10th for JJ Schwarz, and fifth for Austin Langworthy.
• Though hitless on the day, true freshman designated hitter Garrett Milchin drew a team-high two walks for Florida in this game.
• Two players accounted for all of Jacksonville's hits in this game. They were redshirt sophomore first baseman Evan Fernandez (2-3 with a double and a walk) and sophomore designated hitter Mike Cassala (2-4 with a triple).
• People were not feeling the Wednesday night ball game, as just 2,760 fans made their way out to the Mac tonight.

Looking Ahead

With another midweek win in the books, the No. 7 Florida Gators (32-13, 13-8 SEC) will now turn their attention back to conference play as the Ole Miss Rebels (29-17, 11-10 SEC) come to town.

The Gators have not played the Rebels since 2015, where they dropped two of three in Oxford. They have not won the series against the Rebels since 2013, where they took two of three at the Mac.

The Gators will go with the usual suspects for this weekend. Junior right-hander Alex Faedo (6-1, 2.63 ERA) will get the Friday night start, sophomore right-hander Brady Singer (5-3, 2.09 ERA) will have the Saturday night game, and sophomore right-hander Jackson Kowar (7-0, 3.90 ERA) concludes the series on Sunday afternoon.

Ole Miss will probably trot out junior left-hander David Parkinson (5-2, 3.43 ERA), sophomore right-hander James McArthur (3-3, 3.08 ERA), and freshman right-hander Will Ethridge (1-2, 2.25 ERA) for their trip to Gainesville.

Being just one game out of the lead for the SEC East, Florida will again need to win or preferably sweep this series to keep pace with the No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats (31-14, 14-7).

The first two games are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and can be seen on the SEC Network+. The series finale is at 2 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network. All of the games can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network.

As for Jacksonville (26-18, 10-2 A-Sun), they return home for a three-game weekend set with the Stetson Hatters (20-25, 8-4 A-Sun). This series will be crucial with potential first place in the Atlantic Sun up for grabs.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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UF Baseball: No. 7 Florida Narrowly Defeats Florida A&M

The No. 7 Florida Gators (31-13) came away with a closer than expected 8-7 victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers (23-20) this past Tuesday night at the Mac.

Pitching
Making his first collegiate start, true freshman Andrew Baker (1-2. 7.15 ERA) had a rough outing. Throwing just one inning, the left-hander allowed three earned runs on five hits with one strikeout. He did not come back in the second inning with Florida down 3-0.

Instead, fellow true freshman Kirby McMullen entered and kept Florida in the game. Though he allowed two earned runs, the Ocala product tossed 3.1 strong innings of one-hit relief. He had three strikeouts, but walked and hit two batters a piece.

At 53 pitches and with runners on first and second with one out, McMullen was removed in the fifth inning with Florida up 6-3. In his place came senior Frank Rubio, who sprinkled one strikeout in-between the three hits he gave up in the inning. FAMU would cut the lead to 6-5 off Rubio, with Florida right fielder Nelson Maldonaldo cutting down the potential tying run at the plate to end the inning.

After the fifth, Rubio worked two perfect innings. In the eighth, he used a double play along with a strikeout  to keep Florida ahead 8-5 going into the final frame. He finished with 3.2 innings of relief with one earned run on five hits allowed and two strikeouts.

With Rubio departing with a runner on first and no outs in the ninth, true freshman Garrett Milchin would enter to close this one out. Closer Michael Byrne had worked all three games in the Georgia series and thus was given the night off.

With a three-run cushion, Milchin gave up two straight hits that cut the lead to 8-6. A wild pitch moved the runners up before a strikeout and groundout cut the lead to 8-7. With the tying run 90 feet away, Milchin induced and fielded a comebacker that he flipped to first base to extend Florida's winning streak to five games. It would be Milchin's first career save and the third career win for Kirby McMullen.

Batting
The Florida offense banged out nine hits and did a good job overcoming an early 3-0 deficit. The Orange and Blue scored once in the second, five times in the fourth, and twice in the seventh. Here's a rundown of Florida's offensive outburst in the fourth inning:

Fourth Inning
Junior first baseman Christian Hicks showed no hesitation as he blasted the first pitch he saw over the right field fence for a home run. It was now 3-2 FAMU. Senior left fielder Ryan Larson then singled to center field on a full count.

After true freshman designated hitter Keenan Bell was hit by a pitch, the long ball struck again for Florida as Garrett Milchin drilled his first career home run to right field. Like Hicks, Milchin jumped on the first pitch he saw. It was now 5-3 Florida.

Going back to the top of the order Deacon Liput smacked a double to left center on the first pitch of his at-bat. He would reach third base on a passed ball and scored on an Austin Langworthy sacrifice fly. JJ Schwarz would hit before Langworthy and strike out while Nelson Maldonaldo hit after the true freshman and flew out to end the inning.

Offensive Performers
Two Florida Gators had multiple hits while all but two batters had at least one hit in the contest. In the two-hole, junior shortstop Dalton Guthrie went 2-5. Down a couple spots in the six-hole, Christian Hicks went 2-4 with his second home run of the season, two runs scored, and an RBI.

For the rest of the Gator lineup, sophomore leadoff man Deacon Liput went 1-5 with his seventh double of the season. In the three-hole, Austin Langworthy went 1-4 with the sixth double of his college career and an RBI as well. Hitting cleanup, sophomore Nelson Maldonaldo nearly replicated Langworthy. He too hit his sixth double of the year in a 1-4 effort while also scoring a run and drawing a walk.

In the seven-hole, Ryan Larson posted a 1-2 night with a team-high two runs scored, an RBI, and two walks. Rounding out the Florida lineup in the ninth spot, Garrett Milchin went 1-4 with his first career home run, a career-high four RBI's, a run scored, a sacrifice fly, and a walk.

Final Takeaway
The Gators have now won two straight against Florida A&M and are 3-1 against the Rattlers since Kevin O'Sullivan took over in 2008. Before previewing Florida's upcoming game against the Jacksonville Dolphins (26-17), here are my final tidbits on tonight's victory:

• Both Austin Langworthy's and Garrett Milchin's sacrifice flies were the first of their Gator careers.
• This is the 15th multi-hit game for Dalton Guthrie this season and 12th for Christian Hicks.
• JJ Schwarz threw out his fourth runner of the year in the third inning of this game.
• Although he went hitless, JJ did draw two walks and scored once in the contest.
• Florida A&M's top hitters on the night were: Dallas Oliver (2-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base), Brian Davis (2-5 with two runs scored and two RBI's), Kodi Russ (2-4 with two RBI's), and Garrett Wilkinson (2-4 with an RBI).
• FAMU had one error in the game while Florida played clean for the sixth consecutive game.
• Nelson Maldonaldo's assist in the fifth inning was his fifth of the season.
• The fan support for Florida was strong as 3,238 showed out for this midweek contest.

Looking Ahead

After avoiding the upset at home (to put it bluntly), the No. 7 Florida Gators (31-13) will now turn their attention to the Jacksonville Dolphins (26-17). In their previous meeting earlier in the year, the Dolphins walked off on the Gators in Jacksonville after scoring three runs in the ninth inning.

They were then supposed to play the Gators in Gainesville that very next day, but inclement weather forced both schools to reschedule the bout to May 3rd. Unlike Stetson, Jacksonville will get their second shot at the Gators as they attempt to sweep the midweek series for the first time ever.

The Gators are 2-1 all-time against the Dolphins at the Mac, and will be on the lookout after the stunning upset in late February. There is a good chance that Sully goes with either Nate Brown (1-0, 3.45 ERA) or Austin Langworthy (1-0, 4.63 ERA) to start this one. If not these two, I guarantee that a a true freshman will get the start in some way, shape, or form.

First pitch for this rescheduled contest is set for 6:30 p.m. It can be seen on the SEC Network+ and heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network. 

As for Florida A&M (23-20), they will play host to the North Florida Ospreys (30-15) before opening a three-game home set against the North Carolina AT&T Aggies (21-21) in MEAC play. The winner of this series will grab the lead in the Southern division of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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UF Baseball: No. 8 Florida vs Georgia Series Recap

The No. 8 Florida Gators (30-13, 13-8 SEC) earned their second SEC sweep of 2017 after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs (17-28, 5-16 SEC) this week in Athens. Here is a recap of each game!

Game 1 (April 28th)
The No. 8 Florida Gators (28-13, 11-8 SEC) won the series opener over the Georgia Bulldogs (17-26, 5-14 SEC) by a score of 6-4 with their second ninth-inning comeback of the year.

Pitching
Junior ace Alex Faedo (6-1, 2.63 ERA) had a decent outing in his fourth road start of the year. He allowed three earned runs on six hits, struck out seven, and walked two in 6.1 innings. When Faedo departed with one out in the seventh, Florida held a 3-1 lead with runners on second and third.

In for relief was junior left-hander Nick Horvath. After recording a groundout that plated a run, Horvath served up a two-out double that tied the game. That was all Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan needed to see, as he pulled Horvath for true freshman Garrett Milchin.

The right-hander would surrender the lead on a hit to center field. The run would be charged to Horvath. After a fairly clean eighth from Milchin, the Gators used a ninth inning rally to grab a 6-4 lead and set the stage for sophomore closer Michael Byrne.

Working past a leadoff walk, Byrne sandwiched a strikeout in-between two fly outs to complete the comeback and notch his ninth save of the season. In the process, Milchin was awarded win No. 4 on both the year and his career.

Batting
The Gator offense banged out 12 hits while scoring in the second, third, and ninth to down the Dawgs tonight. Before highlighting the offensive dignitaries, here's the rundown of Florida's very patient ninth inning comeback:

Ninth Inning
Down 4-3, the top of the Gator lineup was due to bat. Deacon Liput led off the inning with a strikeout. Dalton Guthrie singled to put the tying run on base. Austin Langworthy then walked. After a pitching change, Ryan Larson flied out but was able to advance Guthrie to third. Nelson Maldonaldo then walked to load the bases.

With JJ Schwarz up to bat with two outs, a ball got away from reliever Justin Glover and allowed Dalt to scamper home and score the game-tying run. Langworthy and Nelly also moved up to 90 feet to put runners on second and third. JJ then walked.

Christian Hicks came up and then he too drew a walk to plate the go-ahead run. Mark Kolozsvary was next, and he drew the fourth consecutive walk of the inning to make it 6-4 Florida. With the bases still loaded, Keenan Bell came up and struck out to end the rally. All in all, the Gators used five total walks (including four straight) to grab the late lead and eventual win over Georgia.

Offensive Performers
Three Gators had multi-hit games tonight. Sophomore second baseman Deacon Liput went 2-4 with a walk out of the leadoff spot. Behind him in the two-hole, junior shortstop Dalton Guthrie went 2-5 with a run scored. Rounding out the trio, junior third baseman Christian Hicks went 3-4 with a double, two RBI's, a run scored, a walk, and a stolen base.

Among those with one hit, sophomore right fielder Nelson Maldonaldo scored two runs while going 1-4 with a stolen base, junior first baseman JJ Schwarz drew a game-high two walks and stole a bag as well in a 1-3 night, and sophomore designated hitter Blake Reese plated two in the first inning on a 1-3 performance.

Final Takeaway
The Florida Gators yet again showed their resiliency with another late-inning comeback. To do it on the road nonetheless makes it even more impressive. Before recapping Game 2, here are my final tidbits on the series opening victory:

• Florida is 4-2 in SEC series openers this year.
• The Gators have now won three straight games over the Bulldogs as well as three straight in Athens!
• Christian Hicks's double was his sixth of the year.
• Austin Langworthy got down his first collegiate sacrifice bunt in the fourth inning of this game.
• Langworthy also stole his fifth base of the season tonight.
• Speaking of stolen bases, Christian Hicks stole his fifth, while both Nelson Maldonaldo and JJ Schwarz swiped their third bags of the season.
• This is Alex Faedo's fifth no-decision of the season.
• This was Liput's ninth, Guthrie's 14th, and Hicks's 11th multi-hit games of the year,
• Georgia's top hitters in this game were leadoff man Tucker Bradley (3-5 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI) and eight-hole Will Proctor (2-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI).
• 2,126 fans were in attendance for the game.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

Game 2 (April 29th)

The No. 8 Florida Gators (29-13, 12-8 SEC) secured their fourth consecutive series win over the Georgia Bulldogs (17-27, 5-15 SEC) with a 6-3 win.

Pitching
Sophomore right-hander Brady Singer (5-3, 2.09 ERA) was sensational. Throwing at least eight innings for the fourth time this season, Singer allowed three earned runs on 10 hits while striking out five. He walked one and hit a batter as well on a 109-pitch day.

When Singer was removed heading into the bottom of the ninth, Florida had a comfortable 6-3 lead. On for the second straight day, Michael Byrne got two quick outs and worked past two straight hits to induce the game ending foul out. It was Byrne's 10th save of the year and gave Brady win No. 5.

Batting
Florida banged out 10 hits while scoring once in the third inning and five times in the seventh to grab the lead for good. Before highlighting the individual Gator offensive performances, here is a look at how that seventh inning unfolded.

Seventh Inning
Down 3-1, Florida had the bottom three of the order up. Christian Hicks kicked things off by getting hit by a pitch on a 1-2 count. Keenan Bell then singled and both he and Hicks advanced on a wild pitch. Mark Kolozsvary then walked to load the bases.

After a pitching change, it was back to the top of the order. Deacon Liput singled to plate Hicks and cut the deficit to 3-2. Dalton Guthrie then hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Bell and tie the game at 3-3. With one out now, Austin Langworthy came up and smacked a single to send Kolo home and give Florida a 4-3 lead.

Nelson Maldonaldo then strode to the plate and hit a sacrifice fly that scored Liput and made it 5-3 Gators. For the final run, JJ Schwarz had a two-out knock up the middle to bring Langworthy around and up the lead to 6-3. A Ryan Larson groundout would end the inning, but Florida had again used a late-inning rally to seize a lead that would inevitably hold.

Offensive Performers
Only two Gators had multiple hits in this game. Out of the three-hole, center fielder Austin Langworthy tied his career-high for hits in a single game with a 3-4 day. He had a double, scored, drove in a run, and stole his sixth base of the year.

Fellow outfielder Ryan Larson joined Langworthy as Florida's other multi-hit culprit on the afternoon. He went 2-4 with his fifth stolen base of the season.

Among those with one hit, Deacon Liput scored twice, drove in a run, walked, and stole his team-leading 11th base on a 1-4 day. Mark Kolozsvary also had Florida's only other extra-base hit with a double in the fifth inning. He finished 1-3 with a run scored and a walk.

Final Takeaway

With their third straight SEC series in the bag, the Gators set their eyes on just their second conference sweep of 2017. Before recapping how that was attained in the finale, here are my final tidbits on Game 2:

• Florida has now won four straight over Georgia.
• Austin Langworthy's double was his fifth of the season, while Kolo's was his fourth.
• Dalton Guthrie's sacrifice fly was his fourth of the year while Nelly's was his third.
• This is Langworthy's fourth multi-hit game of the year and Larson's eighth.
• Georgia's top hitters were Tucker Bradley (3-5 with two doubles), Cam Shepherd (2-5), and Mitchell Webb (2-4 with a double and an RBI).
• Keegan McGovern drew Georgia's only walk of the game in the second inning.
• Foley Field was nearly filled to capacity (3,291) as 3,082 fans showed out for this game.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

Game 3 (April 30th)

In the series finale, the No. 8 Florida Gators (30-13, 13-8 SEC) secured their sweep over the Georgia Bulldogs (17-28, 5-16 SEC) with a 4-3 victory.

Pitching
Tying his longest outing of the season, sophomore right-hander Jackson Kowar (7-0, 3.90 ERA) delivered seven strong innings for Florida. In those frames, he allowed three earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts. He walked three and hit a batter as well.

After the first three Georgia hitters reached base and the lead was cut to 4-2, Kowar was removed with no outs. He finished with 78 pitches thrown and left a runner on second base for the bullpen to deal with. The first arm out of the pen was Garrett Milchin.

The freshman obtained the first out of the inning via pop out. He then threw a wild pitch that allowed the runner to reach third and walked a batter. He would then be pulled for Nick Horvath, who got the second out on a full count strikeout.

After Horvath completed his job as the lefty specialist, it was now on to Michael Byrne for the four-out save. He gave up a single that cut the lead to 4-3 and put the tying run on second base. However, Byrne settled in and induced a line out to end the inning.

In the ninth, Georgia got the tying run on base after the leadoff man popped up. He would never reach second though, as a fielder's choice and fly out to right field would end the game and give Florida the sweep. It was Byrne's third consecutive save and 11th of the year. With his outing, Jackson Kowar upped his record to a perfect 7-0 on the year.

Batting
The Gators had nine hits as a team and scored sporadically as they put up two in the second, and one in the fourth and sixth innings.

Like yesterday, two Gators again had multiple hits in the game. In the clean-up spot, Nelson Maldonaldo went 2-3 with two runs scored and a walk. Right behind him, JJ Schwarz had a day as he went 3-4 with a home run, a run scored, two RBI's, and his fourth stolen base of the season. Schwarz's bomb was a two-run shot that kicked off the second inning and was his sixth of the year.

The other four Gators with hits were Deacon Liput (1-5), Dalton Guthrie (1-4 with a walk), Ryan Larson (1-4 with a run scored and a walk), and Keenan Bell (1-2).

Final Takeaway

The sweep over Georgia now puts No. 8 Florida just one game out of first place in the SEC East. On a four-game winning streak now, the Gators will have a jam-packed week before clashing with Ole Miss () at the Mac. Before previewing the week ahead though, here are my final tidbits on the series finale and the series as a whole:

• Florida has now won five straight over Georgia.
• This is the ninth time in Sully's ten years that Florida has taken the series over Georgia.
• This is the fourth time in five trips to Athens that Florida has left with the series victory.
• This is the fourth time that Florida has swept Georgia in Sully's tenure.
• In the Kevin O'Sullivan era, the Gators are 23-7 against the Dawgs in the regular season.
• This was Nelly's 10th multi-hit game of the year and JJ's ninth.
• Christian Hicks's sacrifice bunt in the fourth inning was his team-leading fifth of the year.
• Hicks also stole his sixth bag of the year in this contest.
• Mark Kolozsvary's sacrifice fly in the fourth inning was his first of the season.
• Georgia made two total errors in the series while Florida had their first errorless SEC series of the season.
• Georgia's leading hitters were Mitchell Webb (2-4 with an RBI) and Austin Biggar (2-3 with a run scored).
• With this sweep, Florida has won 30 games for the ninth time in the Kevin O'Sullivan era.
• Georgia did not have much fan support in this one, as only 1,945 fans showed up for the finale.

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

Looking Ahead
With a successful road trip in the books, the now No. 7 ranked Florida Gators (30-13, 13-8 SEC) will be at the Mac for all five of their games this week. They will square off with the Florida A&M Rattlers (23-19) on Tuesday before meeting up with the Jacksonville Dolphins (25-17) on Wednesday. Both games are scheduled for 6:30 p.m, can be seen on SEC Network+, and heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network.

For their weekend series, the Gators will square off with the Ole Miss Rebels (27-17, 11-10 SEC) in their first meeting since 2015 in Oxford. The Rebels have not been to the Mac since 2013, which resulted in a series win for Florida. As a whole, Ole Miss taken four of the last seven series against Florida since Kevin O'Sullivan took over in 2008.

With a 2-4 record against the SEC West, Florida will need another crucial series win to stay neck-and-neck with the now No. 5 ranked Kentucky Wildcats (31-14, 14-7 SEC) for the East. They will trot out Alex Faedo for the Friday night start, Brady Singer for Saturday night, and Jackson Kowar to bring it all home on Sunday afternoon.

Ole Miss will most likely counter with junior left-hander David Parkinson (5-2, 3.43 ERA), sophomore right-hander James McArthur (3-3, 3.08 ERA), and freshman right-hander Will Ethridge (1-2, 2.25 ERA) in some fashion over the weekend.

Both the Friday and Saturday games are set for 6:30 p.m. with the Sunday game scheduled for 2 p.m. All but the Sunday game can be seen on SEC Network+ with the finale being telecasted on the actual SEC Network. All three games can be heard on the Gator IMG Sports Network.

As for Georgia (17-28, 5-16 SEC), they will again be tasked with a rough weekend as they head into Lexington to take on another great SEC foe in the No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats.

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