The Florida Gators are one win away from returning to the College World Series Finals, but the Texas Christian Horned Frogs are looking to spoiler as they hope to avoid elimination for a third-straight game.
Florida is the favorite coming into Wednesday’s contest having played just 14 innings at the CWS and on rest since Sunday night’s win over Oral Roberts. TCU will have true freshman, Kole Klecker, go on short rest after going five innings on Friday against ORU.
The Gators are expected to turn to Jac Caglianone, the team’s typical No. 3 starting pitcher, on Wednesday. Brandon Sproat and Hurston Waldrep each delivered quality starts for UF, but Caglianone is the most volatile of the trio.
Although he’s struggled with fastball location in the past, Caglianone has steadily lowered his ERA from 4.91 to 3.78 since May. The bullpen should be well-rested if anything goes wrong, though.
Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan apologized for losing track of how many mound visits the team had spent on Sunday. The blunder forced Brandon Neely out of the game and true freshman Cade Fisher onto the mound after just four warm-up throws in the bullpen.
Sully should have everything under control against TCU, especially after an incident like that, but it’s worth noting that veteran coaches who have been to Omaha can crack under the pressure in Omaha. It’s not easy to win there, yet Florida has a chance to sweep its pool and advance to the Finals.
Florida is the away team today. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT.
Here’s everything you need to know about Florida-TCU in the College World Series Semifinals on Wednesday.