After dropping two of the first three games of the 2022 season, Florida baseball is looking to build on its midweek improvements in a weekend series against Georgia State.
Florida struck out 31 times against Liberty in the opening series, but the Gators only fanned 10 times over the week against Stetson and North Florida. This weekend series will be a good opportunity for Jud Fabian and Kris Armstrong to get back into their grooves. Fabian, who struggled with strikeouts last year, leads the team early on with six strikeouts, and Armstrong is batting just .050 through his first 20 at-bats.
Fortunately, others have stepped on the offensive side of the ball. Sterlin Thompson’s bat continues to be on fire — he’s batting .400 with three home runs so far this season — and Colby Halter has notched a hit in each of Florida’s five games.
Pitching is still a work in progress, but things are coming along nicely. Ryan Slater was named the closer until further notice, and he proved his worth with a 2 1/3 innings save against North Florida on Wednesday.
Hunter Barco will be back on the mound Friday night for Florida. He received national attention after his 11-strikeout performance on opening night. Timmy Manning and Pierce Coppola will round out the weekend rotation, but the two will swap days after Manning got the Tuesday start against Stetson.