Between weekend series against Alabama and LSU, Florida has Bethune-Cookman University to deal with on Tuesday.
The Wildcats hold a respectable 8-11 record and have beaten some of the same opponents the Gators have this season. That’s not to say that Bethune-Cookman is at the same level as No. 9 Florida, but this won’t be the easiest game on the schedule either.
Florida will come in with plenty of confidence at the plate. The Gators put up 27 runs over the weekend against a solid Crimson Tide pitching staff. A walk-off loss was a sour way to end the series on Sunday, but it doesn’t change the fact that Florida is seeing the ball well right now.
Wyatt Langford has been crushing it and enters Tuesday’s game with a slash line of .400/.483/.759. He leads the team with eight home runs and is part of a lethal top-of-the-order for Florida. Jud Fabian has also come along nicely and is taking more walks than strikeouts, which should help his draft stock.
On the mound, Kevin O’Sullivan is giving Nick Pogue a chance to get back on the mound as a starter. Pogue made his first appearance back from Tommy John surgery in a start against Seton Hall. He wound up eating the loss after being removed in the second inning and giving up just one run.
The good news is Bethune-Cookman’s offense isn’t too powerful right now. Only two players have gone yard this season and two others are batting over .300. Infielder Matthew Garcia leads the team with a .342 average in 79 at-bats.