The No. 14 Florida Gators (28-12, 11-7 SEC) welcome the No. 2 Vanderbilt Commodores (31-7, 13-5) to Gainesville this weekend for a three-game set that could be UF’s biggest challenge yet this season. The two Southeastern Conference foes take the field opposite each other on Friday night for the first time since 2019.
Coming into the weekend, the Commodores have been one of the most dominant teams in the nation, headlined by a pair of starting pitchers projected to be taken at the top of the 2021 MLB draft this summer. Florida will face both of them in this series: Kumar Rocker in the first game and Jack Leiter in the second. Vandy has won seven of its last 10, including two wins in a three-game series against the No. 4 Mississippi State Bulldogs last weekend.
Historically, Florida holds the edge all-time since their first meeting in 1997, 48-31, but the series has been back-and-forth over the past few years, with Vanderbilt sweeping three games at home in 2019 after the Gators won four straight from 2017 to 2018. UF holds the longest winning streak between the two, stretching eight games from 2000 to 2002; Vandy’s best run was a four-game streak from 2006 to 2007.
Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for this weekend’s series along with the projected starting lineup. Scroll down further for interesting excerpts from the media guide.