Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Gators sports continue to roll on as we take another step into the week, with four programs in action yesterday and today.
Gators sports continue to roll on as we take another step into the week, with four programs in action yesterday and today. Florida athletics will reach its crescendo tomorrow when the softball team plays a doubleheader, while the baseball team plays a midweek match and the women’s golf team wraps up its final tournament.
But enough about tomorrow’s news… let us take a look at the latest from Florida’s finest.
He earned the honor mostly with his contributions in the clinching game on Saturday, in which he started at shortstop but also pitched.
The No. 15 Florida Gators baseball team won two out of a three-game series this weekend against the No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels to get back on the winning track in conference play after getting swept by the then-No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks on the road the weekend prior.
One of the major contributors to the series win was freshman Jordan Carrion, who put up an all-around impressive effort for the Gators to earn the Southeastern Conference co-Freshman of the Week award, which was announced on Monday. He joins outfielder Jud Fabian as the second Florida player to earn a weekly conference award.
#SECBSB Freshman of the Week: @__jordan__5
Full release » https://t.co/fGVadQ72aV. pic.twitter.com/7Y6dJp8o2X
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) April 5, 2021
He earned the honor mostly with his contributions in the clinching game on Saturday, in which he started at shortstop and hit his first collegiate home run to give the Gators a 3-0 lead at the time. He was later switched to the mound in the seventh inning as the Rebels threatened with runners on first and third and managed to get the third out of the inning to avoid any damage; he followed up pitching a 1-2-3 eighth and recording the first out of the ninth.
Interestingly, Carrion was the first UF player to strike out a batter and hit a home run in the same game since Austin Langworthy achieved the same feat back in 2017 in the decisive game of the Gainesville Regional against Bethune-Cookman.
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UF has won at least one SEC championship a record 43 consecutive years, which is simply astounding, while other teams keep winning as well.
Welcome back from a weekend full of Gators sports as the university’s athletic programs continue to make us proud to be Florida Gators. The biggest news is a milestone that the Gator Nation reached on Sunday — a gift from the Easter bunny, if you will — as UF earned its 250th Southeastern Conference title when the No. 1 men’s tennis team beat Kentucky to clinch. The Gators have won at least one SEC championship a record 43 consecutive years, which is simply astounding.
But the guys on the hardcourt were not the only ones to see great success this weekend — check out the rest of the teams in action and how they fared over the past few days.
Jack Leftwich struggled to close the game strong on the mound Friday night as Ole Miss evens the series with the Gators.
Utilizing the opener strategy worked wonders for the Gators in their series opener against Ole Miss on Thursday night, as Franco Aleman pitched the first four innings with usual starter Tommy Mace closing out the final five. The opener part worked out for Florida in Game 2 on Friday night, as Christian Scott delivered a bend-but-don’t-break performance. However, Jack Leftwich, who would be starting this game under normal circumstances, didn’t perform well.
He allowed six runs in the final two innings as the Rebels broke a game that had been close most of the way wide open. The Gators had no hope of recovering, and after an 8-2 win, the series is even at one game apiece.
Scott put away the first two batters he faced, but he got into some trouble in the latter part of the first inning. After allowing a double, a single from Tim Elko on the next at-bat scored the game’s first run. Mississippi scored its second run in the following inning when Calvin Harris hit an RBI single.
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The Gators struggled to hit off Ole Miss starter Doug Nikhazy in the first inning, but it managed some unorthodox offense in the second. Jordan Butler reached base on a walk, and he advanced to third after a throwing error. Kris Armstrong hit a single that scored him later in the frame, allowing UF to get a run back.
The defenses took over after that for a bit. The two teams combined for just two hits over the next four innings, and the scoreboard didn’t change. That is, until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Jud Fabian finally ended his cold streak with a game-tying home run.
However, Leftwich (who had played well in the sixth and seventh innings) lost control in the eighth. He gave up a single to lead off the frame, and a home run from Jacob Gonzalez put the Rebels back up by two runs. Florida went three up, three down in the bottom of the eighth, and things just got worse for Leftwich at the top of the ninth.
He gave up a single and a walk to his first two batters, and an RBI single from Peyton Chatagnier made the Ole Miss lead 6-2. It wasn’t done though, as Gonzalez added his third and fourth RBIs of the game with a single to stretch the lead to six.
Whatever chance Florida had at a comeback was quickly stuffed in the ninth, as Taylor Broadway struck out Kirby McMullen, Butler and Fabian in order, clinching his seventh save of the season. Though the opener strategy got it a win in Game 1, another disappointing performance from Leftwich threw a wrench into things on Friday night. Still, the Gators have the chance to take a series win against the third-ranked Rebels in the rubber match on Saturday.
Usual Game 3 starter Hunter Barco is expected to take the mound in that one with first pitch set for 1 p.m. EDT. Florida will try to win its second SEC series of the season while handing the Rebels their first series loss (and just their second loss overall) in conference play.
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We have nine UF athletic programs to report on, including the baseball team’s big win over its highly-ranked opponent, and other action.
Well folks, we have almost successfully made it through another week — pending the completion of today — and as the workweek winds down, Gators sports heats up heading into the weekend. Today, we have nine UF athletic programs to report on, including the baseball team’s big win over its highly-ranked opponent.
So strap in, it is time to take a trip through the Gator Nation.
India hit an 82 mph slider down the left-field line into the corner to notch an extra-base hit in his second career MLB plate appearance.
Major League Baseball’s opening day has arrived and currently there are nine former Florida Gators on big league rosters heading into the 2021 schedule — albeit, with one on the injured list for the next month or so. Of those players, there is an infielder who played a major role on UF’s 2017 national championship squad who made his MLB debut on Thursday and started his career with a bang.
Jonathan India got the start at second base for the Cincinnati Reds against the St. Louis Cardinals after a torrid spring training performance that earned him the trip north. He struck out in his first at-bat against Jack Flaherty but his second time up, he proved why the Reds were wise to put him on the field for the first game of the season.
On a 2-2 pitch, India hit an 82 mph slider down the left-field line into the corner for a double in his second career MLB plate appearance. Here is a look at his first career (extra-base) hit.
1st big league game, 1st big league hit for @Reds' Jonathan India. pic.twitter.com/pLEFRiEScD
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 1, 2021
He put up some eye-popping numbers in spring training, which earned him the opening day call-up and he can be expected to continue producing as the year wears on. Congrats to Jonathan from the Gator Nation!
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A look at all nine former Florida Gators baseball players who were included on their respective teams’ MLB roster for opening day 2021.
Major League Baseball’s opening day is here and this time around it looks like the boys of summer will play out their full schedule, COVID allowing. As such, it is time to take a look at our beloved Florida Gators alumni competing in the world’s greatest collection of baseball players.
Kicking off 2021, UF has nine former players listed on MLB opening day rosters, though one alumnus finds himself on the injured list to start the season. The other eight include a home run champion, a few grizzled veterans, a highly-touted pitcher and a member of the national championship making his major league debut.
Below, you can find all nine former Florida Gators baseball players who made the 2021 opening day roster for their respective teams.
The all-time series is knotted at 52 wins apiece though Ole Miss carries the momentum coming with a No. 3 ranking and a winning streak.
The No. 15 Florida Gators (16-8, 3-3 SEC) are set to host the No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels (20-4, 6-0 SEC) for a three-game series in Gainesville starting Thursday night after having its midweek matchup with the Mercer Bears canceled due to weather on Tuesday. UF is coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the then-No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks on the road and are looking to get back on track in league play this weekend.
The Rebels have gotten off to a hot start to the 2021 season despite all four of their losses coming against unranked teams, including a three-game series loss to the UCF Knights; their other two defeats came at the hands of the ULM Hawks and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Otherwise, Ole Miss has been hot, sweeping both of its Southeastern Conference series against the Auburn Tigers and No. 23 Alabama Crimson Tide — with a win over the Central Arkansas Bears sandwiched in between — heading into this weekend’s series.
Historically, the two schools are knotted in a tie when it comes to confrontations on the baseball diamond, with each team owning 52 wins in the series, though Florida holds a 31-14 record at home. The Gators’ longest winning streak came from 1994 to 1997 when they won eight in a row, while their longest losing streak stretched over six games from 2003 to 2007. Ole Miss has won the last three games — a series sweep in 2019 at home — though UF had won four in a row prior.
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.
The series may tilt heavily toward the beginning and the end, but the Mercer Bears have the historical momentum coming into this game.
The No. 15 Florida Gators (16-8, 3-3 SEC) took a tumble in the polls after getting swept on the road by the then-No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks this past weekend to drop their first conference series. Now, the squad looks to get back on track against the Mercer Bears (13-10, 2-1 SoCon) in a midweek solo matchup between two schools with a longer history than you might think.
The Bears lost their last game against the Wofford Bulldogs on Saturday but had been riding an eight-game winning streak prior to that — with three postponed games sprinkled in there as well. Most notably on their schedule is a three-game series they had with South Carolina at the beginning of the month in which they were swept, but also managed to keep the score respectable in all three losses including a 1-0 defeat in the final game.
Historically, the Gators hold a narrow one-win lead in this series that stretches back all the way to 1913 when Florida swept a three-game series in Gainesville. The two battled back and forth in that first decade of play, with Mercer holding a strong upper hand by the mid-20s. The two schools took a 54-year hiatus from 1931 to 1985, but before the break — which featured 40 total games — the Bears held a 24-16 edge on the Gators, though UF won the last two.
Once the series resumed in 1985, Florida went on to win 10 more consecutive games stretching their series-long winning streak to 12 and ultimately accrued 16 wins in 17 games up to 2005. However, Mercer has won the last three meetings — all in Gainesville — in 2006, 2014 and 2018. The series may tilt heavily toward the Gators over the past few decades, but the Bears have the historical momentum coming into this game.
Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for Tuesday’s solo game along with the projected starting lineup. Scroll down further for interesting excerpts from the media guide.
Things have settled down for Gators sports with just the soccer team in action yesterday and the baseball team taking the field tonight.
Today is Tuesday, which means the weekend is well in the rearview mirror and the week ahead is one day shorter. It also means that things have settled down for Gators sports with just the soccer team in action yesterday and the baseball team taking the field tonight. Let us take a look at those two athletic programs.
