No. 5 Florida baseball hosts Georgia State Panthers in midweek solo match

The No. 5 UF baseball team is coming off a weekend sweep of FAMU and will continue its homestand on Tuesday against Georgia State Panthers.

The No. 5 Florida Gators baseball team is coming off a weekend sweep of the Florida A&M Rattlers — a much-needed boost of confidence after dropping a midweek matchup with the then-No. 21 Florida Atlantic Owls — and will continue its 13-game homestand with a one-off game on Tuesday against the Georgia State Panthers.

UF enters the day with a 9-3 record, having recovered from its initial stumble out of the gates against the then-No. 21 Miami Hurricanes on opening weekend winning eight of its last nine games. The Panthers, on the other hand, have gone 4-9 so far in the young spring season, posting losing records both at home and on the road. Amazingly, Georgia State has only played ranked teams so far this season and have faced three different SEC teams prior to Tuesday’s matchup: No. 2 Vanderbilt Commodores, No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers.

Florida holds the edge in the all-time series, 9-2, going 8-1 in Gainesville and splitting a pair of games in Atlanta. The series started quite a while back, as the firsts six meetings were played across the 1932 and 1933 seasons. Since then, Florida swept the only three-game series in 1996 — the last time they met — to extend its winning streak to seven games. The Panthers’ last win came on April 20, 1933, in Atlanta.

Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for Tuesday night’s game along with the projected starting lineup. Scroll down further for interesting excerpts from the media guide.

Gators News: Baseball sweeps, basketball falls and the rest of the weekend roundup

Some sports fared better than others, but we all know the Florida Gators are winners. Here’s a look at the weekend results from UF sports.

Welcome back from a weekend full of Florida Gators sports — more than you can veritably share a stick at, for sure. While a few teams swept the competition the past few days, a couple of others were not so successful. Nonetheless, every student-athlete that competes in the Orange and Blue brings pride to the Gator Nation as there is more to life than just who wins a game.

There is a ton to cover, including today’s upcoming events, so without further ado let us dive into UF athletics.

Young breaks hit-streak record as Gators earn a series sweep over FAMU

The Gators earned a sweep over the Rattlers with a Sunday shutout, and Jacob Young earned a hit for a school-record 30th-straight game.

Florida ended an impressive weekend of baseball by closing out its series against Florida A&M with a Sunday shutout, taking an 8-0 victory. UF earned a sweep in the series and its first shutout of the season. The series was a nice bounce-back for the Gators, who suffered a disappointing loss to No. 21 FAU on Wednesday night.

UF (9-3) got its best showing out of the year from pitcher Hunter Barco, who victimized the Rattlers (0-11) batters all afternoon. He pitched five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine batters in the process. It was a very encouraging sign for the Day 3 pitcher, who wasn’t sharp in his first two appearances of the season against Miami and Samford.

Josh Hancock took the mound for FAMU, and his day wasn’t nearly as productive. He was out of sorts from the beginning, allowing three runs in the first inning. He gave up a two-RBI home run to Jud Fabian, which set up a sacrifice double play later in the inning. The Gators added onto their lead in the second when Nate Hickey hit a double that scored two more runs.

Things didn’t get any better for Hancock in the third, as he gave up two hits and allowed a run to score on a fielder’s choice. He was pulled after that, but Zach Morea couldn’t get out of the inning cleanly, as an unearned run scored after a throwout on a steal attempt.

The Rattlers put in Shawn Host for the fourth inning, and he finally got them through an inning without allowing any more runs. That wouldn’t last, though, as Colby Halter hit an RBI double off him in the fourth, and the Gators’ lead was stretched to 8-0.

Freshman Timmy Manning replaced Barco on the mound after five, and though he hasn’t seen a lot of action this season, his three strikeouts in just an inning of work should be exactly what coach Kevin O’Sullivan wanted to see from the young arm.

Jordan Carrion replaced Manning in the seventh, and he had some issues, loading the bases off a hit and two walks with two outs. O’Sullivan made a quick change, replacing him with Christian Scott, who evaded the danger.

Florida’s leader in batting average Jacob Young was in danger of ending his 29-game hitting streak after an 0-for-3 start to the afternoon. But with a full count in the eighth, he singled to the shortstop, who couldn’t field the ball in time to make a throw, pushing his streak to 30-straight games with a hit. That breaks the school record previously set by Tim Olson in 2000.

Franco Aleman took to the mound to close it out in the ninth, and though he’s struggled this season, he came through for the Gators, getting the first two batters to chase. The third Rattlers batter hit a ball with some carry to left field, but it was caught out near the warning track to close out the game.

After an encouraging weekend, Florida will be back in action on Tuesday for a midweek showdown against a good Georgia State team that has scored ranked wins against West Virginia, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech already this season. First pitch for that game is set for 6 p.m. EST.

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Gators win both games in doubleheader against Florida A&M

The Gators clinched a win in their weekend series against the Rattlers by taking both games of their Friday doubleheader.

Florida bounced back from a loss to FAU on Wednesday to sweep a Friday doubleheader against Florida A&M. Game 2, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, was moved to Friday night, and the Gators managed to take the series against the Rattlers in the extended action.With Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich on the mound, UF got two excellent performances from its top pitchers. In the first game, Mace pitched seven innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out five. He earned his third win of the season in the process.He had a lot of run support, which started in the first inning. The Gators got two hits, and a single from Kirby McMullen gave them an early 1-0 lead. The Rattlers managed to knot it back up in the top of the second from an RBI single.

But Florida answered in the bottom of the inning. It retook the lead on a Jacob Young single, though it stranded three on base in the inning and could only grab a 2-1 lead. UF didn’t get anything else going until the fourth, when a wild pitch from FAMU starter Kyle Coleman allowed Colby Halter to score.

Coleman was pulled for Ben Krizen in the fifth, but things didn’t go any smoother, as he allowed a two-RBI single from Cory Acton. A sac-fly from McMullen in the sixth gave UF its third run off Krizen. Mace made one of his few mistakes at the top of the inning, though, giving up a one-run homer. The Gators led 6-2 after six.

Florida managed to get some nice insurance off the bat of Acton, who crushed a grand slam to put it up 10-2. Franco Aleman got some nice redemption after several rough outings to start the year, closing out the final two innings of the victory.

NEXT: Leftwich’s fantastic performance

Series Preview: Gators baseball hosts Florida A&M for weekend series

Not to get too ahead of things, but it looks like the Gators have a really good chance at a three-game sweep this weekend against FAMU.

The No. 6 Florida Gators had their five-game winning streak snapped at home by the No. 21 Florida Atlantic Owls on Wednesday night in an extra-inning affair. Now that the loss is well in the rearview mirror, the team turns its attention to the weekend series scheduled against the Florida A&M Rattlers at Florida Ballpark as UF continues its 13-game homestand.

The Rattlers have struggled mightily this season so far, dragging an empty 0-8 record into Friday’s first game. FAMU opened its schedule with pair of four-game series with the Stetson Hatters and the South Florida Bulls, both of which they were swept in. They also had a one-off game with the North Florida Ospreys last Tuesday originally scheduled but was canceled, making it five days since their last competition.

Florida has an iron grip on the all-time series between the two schools with a 22-1 record — all played in Gainesville — with its only loss coming back in 2014. Not to get too ahead of things, but it looks like the Gators have a really good chance at a sweep this weekend.

Note that the first two games of the series will be played as a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 4 p.m. EST with the second game starting 50 minutes after the first game ends. The third game will be played on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. EST.

Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for the series as well as details on how to follow all three games, along with the projected starting lineup. Scroll down further for interesting excerpts from the media guide.

Gators News: Twelve Florida sports land in top 15 of respective polls

The Gator Nation is currently doing great, with 12 sports currently sitting in the top 15 of their respective sports’ national polls.

Our midweek update has plenty to report on after an active Wednesday with six Gators sports teams in action. While three of those programs ended the day on a winning note, the other half was not quite as fortunate. However, as a whole, the Gator Nation is doing great, with 12 sports currently sitting in the top 15 of their respective sports’ national polls. Scroll to the bottom of the article for a graphic with all of the teams listed.

With that said, let us take a look at the results of yesterday’s athletic competitions.

Florida baseball drops midweek game to FAU in extra innings

A low-scoring pitching duel started by Garrett Milchin finally came to an end in the 10th inning, as UF couldn’t answer and fell 3-2.

Florida’s five-game winning streak came to an end in its lone midweek matchup against Florida Atlantic on Wednesday night, as the No. 21-ranked Owls handed the Gators their third loss of the season. A low-scoring pitching duel finally came to an end in the 10th inning, as UF couldn’t answer and fell 3-2.

Garrett Milchin took the mound for Florida (6-3) his second appearance of the season after undergoing back-to-back Tommy John surgeries. Though his outing finished as a solid one, it was shaky early on. FAU (7-1) rattled off back-to-back singles to lead off the game, and a sac-fly later in the inning gave it an early 1-0 lead.

Its starter, T.J. Stuart, didn’t allow any damage in the first, but he let one get away from him in the second. Colby Halter hit a two-run homer to retake the lead for Florida, though that wouldn’t last very long. Milchin gave up an RBI single in the third and would have allowed another run were it not for an excellent defensive play from Jacob Young.

He got the third out on a throw-out to home from left field with no cutoff, ending the threat and keeping the score tied 2-2. Milchin was pulled after the inning, allowing five hits and two runs in three innings of work.

Those were the last runs scored before extras. Hunter Cooley and Mike Entenza closed out the game without allowing any more runs. Cooley allowed two hits while Entenza allowed none. For the Gators, a committee of Trey Van Der Weide, David Luethje, Jordan Butler and Timmy Manning pitched through the ninth. Both teams stranded a handful of runners, but neither mounted a significant threat.

But at the beginning of extras, Franco Aleman entered the game for Florida, and he continued what has been a rough start to the season. After a single and a fielding error, he put runners at the corners with two outs. He gave up another single that allowed the go-ahead run to score. The Gators didn’t give up anymore, but going into the bottom of the 10th, they needed their first run since the second inning to avoid a loss.

It wasn’t meant to be, though. Halter struck out looking, and after a Jordan Carrion fly-out, UF was down to its final out with Young at the plate. Etenza’s fourth strikeout of the game put it away as Florida Atlantic earned a huge win against the Gators,

Florida returns to action this weekend for a three-game series against Florida A&M at Florida Ballpark. First pitch for the series opener on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. EST.

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No. 6 Florida baseball hosts No. 21 FAU in midweek solo match

Here’s a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for Wednesday night’s game along with the projected starting lineup and other factoids

The sixth-ranked Florida Gators baseball team rides a five-game winning streak into Wednesday night’s midweek affair against their in-state foes, the No. 21 Florida Atlantic Owls as UF’s homestand continues at newly-minted Florida Field. This one-off between the two schools promises to provide some excitement as FAU arrives having won six of its seven games to open the season.

Florida stands at 6-2 after stumbling out of the gates against the then-No. 21 Miami Hurricanes on opening weekend, but since have rediscovered the winning touch against the North Florida Ospreys and the Samford Bulldogs. FAU’s sparkling record comes courtesy of a series win against the Central Florida Knights on opening weekend — in which they lost its only game so far — after which it took a solo match with the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and a three-game sweep of the Seton Hall Pirates.

The Gators lead the all-time series with a record of 24-9, notching an 11-4 mark during head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s tenure. Florida is 18-7 in its home confines historically, while going 5-1 on the road and 1-1 on neutral ground against the Owls.

Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for Wednesday night’s game along with the projected starting lineup. Scroll down further for interesting excerpts from the media guide.

No. 6 Florida baseball hosts No. 21 FAU in midweek solo match

Here’s a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for Wednesday night’s game along with the projected starting lineup and other factoids

The sixth-ranked Florida Gators baseball team rides a five-game winning streak into Wednesday night’s midweek affair against their in-state foes, the No. 21 Florida Atlantic Owls as UF’s homestand continues at newly-minted Florida Field. This one-off between the two schools promises to provide some excitement as FAU arrives having won six of its seven games to open the season.

Florida stands at 6-2 after stumbling out of the gates against the then-No. 21 Miami Hurricanes on opening weekend, but since have rediscovered the winning touch against the North Florida Ospreys and the Samford Bulldogs. FAU’s sparkling record comes courtesy of a series win against the Central Florida Knights on opening weekend — in which they lost its only game so far — after which it took a solo match with the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and a three-game sweep of the Seton Hall Pirates.

The Gators lead the all-time series with a record of 24-9, notching an 11-4 mark during head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s tenure. Florida is 18-7 in its home confines historically, while going 5-1 on the road and 1-1 on neutral ground against the Owls.

Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for Wednesday night’s game along with the projected starting lineup. Scroll down further for interesting excerpts from the media guide.

Gators News: Six Florida sports engaged in midweek action

Today UF’s sports programs are back in action with six sports slated to compete for the glorious Orange and Blue.

Remember how yesterday I said that the Gators were taking a breather? Well, that wee nap is over and today UF’s sports programs are back in action with six sports slated to compete for the glorious Orange and Blue. There are the both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, the softball and baseball teams, plus lacrosse and women’s golf to report on.

So put on your athletic shoes, grab a glove or a ball, and get ready for the pride of the Gator Nation.