Tag: baseball

Former Florida head coach Urban Meyer eulogizes Hank Aaron

The sports world lost one of its biggest personalities on Friday when baseball Hall of Famer and civil rights legend Hank Aaron passed away.

The sports world lost one of its biggest personalities on Friday when baseball Hall of Famer and civil rights legend Hank Aaron passed away at the age of 86. Prior to Barry Bonds eclipsing his home run record in 2007, “Hammering Hank” sat in the top spot for over three decades and still holds several significant major league records.

Believe it or not, former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer was once a member of the Atlanta Braves organization as a minor league player back in the early 1980s, when Aaron was still very active with the organization. Here is what he had to say in his eulogy for the lost legend.

RIP to a true gentleman @HenryLouisAaron it was an honor to spend some time with Mr. Aaron during my time playing in the Braves organization. Its bittersweet that the only autograph I have from Hank is my unconditional release from the team.

In case you were wondering, Meyer played two seasons in Atlanta’s rookie leagues as an infielder, with a career slash line of .183 batting average, .321 on-base percentage and a .585 OPS with a home run and a couple of stolen bases in 110 at-bats. A stark contrast to the recently deceased Hall of Famer, for sure.

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Southeastern Conference finally releases 2021 baseball schedule

The SEC announced its schedule for the 2021 baseball season on Tuesday, putting the final touches on this spring’s action on the diamond.

The Southeastern Conference announced its schedule for the 2021 baseball season on Tuesday, putting the final touches on what we all hope is a successful campaign on the diamond.

The official press release included the following.

The 2021 SEC baseball season is comprised of the traditional four weeks of non-conference play followed by 10 weeks of conference series. The NCAA permits teams to being play Feb. 19, and the first weekend of SEC series is March 19-21. The schedule is subject to change for television, including the move of some conference series to begin on Thursdays.

The SEC Tournament is scheduled for May 25-30 at the Hoover Met.

Nine SEC baseball teams were ranked in the D1Baseball Preseason Top-25 released Monday, including five in the top-10.

In response, the University of Florida has updated its website to reflect the newly-minted schedule. The Gators are a preseason consensus No. 1 selection among three major publications and look to begin defending their perch atop the standings against the Miami Hurricanes for a three-game set starting Feb. 19 at the brand new Florida Ballpark.

Florida’s first SEC series is a three-game set against the Texas A&M Aggies starting March 19, again at the nascent friendly confines of the new venue.  Further details are still pending for all scheduled games.

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Southeastern Conference finally releases 2021 baseball schedule

The SEC announced its schedule for the 2021 baseball season on Tuesday, putting the final touches on this spring’s action on the diamond.

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The Southeastern Conference announced its schedule for the 2021 baseball season on Tuesday, putting the final touches on what we all hope is a successful campaign on the diamond.

The official press release included the following.

The 2021 SEC baseball season is comprised of the traditional four weeks of non-conference play followed by 10 weeks of conference series. The NCAA permits teams to being play Feb. 19, and the first weekend of SEC series is March 19-21. The schedule is subject to change for television, including the move of some conference series to begin on Thursdays.

The SEC Tournament is scheduled for May 25-30 at the Hoover Met.

Nine SEC baseball teams were ranked in the D1Baseball Preseason Top-25 released Monday, including five in the top-10.

In response, the University of Florida has updated its website to reflect the newly-minted schedule. The Gators are a preseason consensus No. 1 selection among three major publications and look to begin defending their perch atop the standings against the Miami Hurricanes for a three-game set starting Feb. 19 at the brand new Florida Ballpark.

Florida’s first SEC series is a three-game set against the Texas A&M Aggies starting March 19, again at the nascent friendly confines of the new venue.  Further details are still pending for all scheduled games.

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Gators baseball has unfinished business as Perfect Game’s preseason No. 1

The Gators got a big boost from star pitchers Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich returning to Gainesville and rejoining an already promising core.

The coronavirus pandemic extinguished what looked to be a season destined for a national championship finish for the Florida Gators in 2020 as the team tore through its schedule before a loss in the final game against the Florida State Seminoles. Looking ahead to 2021, many in the media expect to see more of last year’s brilliance.

The Gators got a big boost from the shortened Major League Baseball draft, as star pitchers Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich went unselected, returning to Gainesville and rejoining an already promising core. Even without the two, expectations were sky-high for the Gators in 2021; with them back in the rotation along with Hunter Barco and co., this team could be a veritable juggernaut.

As such, Perfect Game placed the Gators at the top of their preseason rankings on Wednesday, predicting another exciting season on the baseball diamond for the Gator Nation.

Here is what Perfect Game’s feature writer Jeff Dahn had to say about this season’s Gator squad.

The straw that stirs the drink is sophomore center fielder Jud Fabian from Ocala, Fla., a 2021 PG Preseason First Team All-American and an alumnus of both the 2018 PG All-American Classic and the 2018 PG National Showcase. Fabian had 20 hits in 17 games last season, including six doubles and five home runs, and drove in 13 runs while scoring 19.

Sophomore outfielder Jacob Young (’17 PG National), junior first baseman/left-hander Jordan Butler (’16 PG National), redshirt freshman catcher Nathan Hickey, redshirt freshman infielder Josh Rivera (‘18 PG National), senior infielder Kirby McMullen, sophomore first baseman Kendrick Calilao (’17 PG National) and sophomore infielder Cory Acton (’17 PG National) all return with loads of experience. (It’s worth noting that Rivera was also the MVP at the 2018 PG WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., while playing with the Florida Burn).

A schedule for Florida baseball’s 2021 season has not yet been released but it is hoped that things can get started as early as Feb. 19. Whenever the first pitch is eventually thrown, the university will unveil its brand-new, $65 million Florida Ballpark at Alfred A. McKethan Field with its 7,000 fan capacity stadium for the Gators’ home opener.

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This college baseball preseason poll has Florida at No. 1

In Collegiate Baseball’s initial preseason poll, Florida ranks No. 1 in the nation. UF is above fellow SEC squad Vanderbilt who ranks No. 2.

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Among the many costs of COVID-19 was what was shaping up to be a stellar season for Florida’s baseball program. The Gators started the year 16-0, and they suffered their lone setback in 2020 to FSU in the final game before the season was canceled due to the virus.

UF benefitted tremendously from the shortened MLB Draft, as star pitchers Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich went unselected. With both returning, expectations are high for the Gators in 2021.

In Collegiate Baseball’s initial preseason poll, Florida ranks No. 1 in the nation. UF is above fellow SEC squad Vanderbilt, who ranks No. 2.

The Gators lost two signees to the draft, but no players from its current roster. Understandably, Florida is a big favorite to bring home the national title heading into 2021.

Here are Collegiate Baseball’s full preseason rankings.

Rank Team (2020 Final Record) Points
  1. Florida (16-1) 498
  2. Vanderbilt (13-5) 493
  3. UCLA (13-2) 491
  4. Texas Tech. (16-3) 488
  5. Mississippi (16-1) 484
  6. Miami, Fla. (12-4) 482
  7. Louisiana St. (12-5) 480
  8. U.C. Santa Barbara (13-2) 477
  9. Mississippi St. (12-4) 474
10. Arizona (10-5) 473
11. Louisville (13-4) 470
12. Georgia (14-4) 469
13. N.C. State (14-3) 465
14. Virginia (14-4) 462
15. Arizona St. (13-4) 461
16. East Carolina (13-4) 457
17. Oklahoma St. (13-5) 454
18. Michigan (8-7) 453
19. Texas Christian (11-4) 451
20. Texas (14-3) 449
21. South Carolina (12-4) 447
22. Arkansas (11-5) 445
23. Coastal Carolina (11-5) 442
24. Dallas Baptist (12-4) 438
25. Clemson (14-3) 436
26. Texas A&M (15-3) 435
27. Alabama (16-1) 431
28. Florida St. (12-5) 430
29. Southern Mississippi (12-4) 427
30. Texas St. (14-4) 426
31. Stetson (11-4) 423
32. Central Florida (15-3) 421
33. Pepperdine (12-3) 418
34. Georgia Tech. (11-5) 416
35. Tennessee (15-2) 413
36. Duke (12-4) 409
37. Auburn (13-5) 405
38. Central Michigan (11-6) 402
39. Indiana (9-6) 399
40. Winthrop (11-4) 396
41. Oklahoma (14-4) 394
42. U.C. Irvine (8-7) 392
43. Tulane (15-2) 389
44. Long Beach St. (10-5) 385
45. Wichita St. (13-2) 382
46. Minnesota (8-10) 377
47. Notre Dame (11-2) 373
48. Houston (6-9) 370
49. Oregon St. (5-9) 368
50. Stanford (5-11) 365

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Assessing the potential new names for Cleveland’s baseball team

SportsPulse: Cleveland Rocks? How about the Naps? Maybe it’s time to go European? Mackenzie Salmon assess the top candidates for the new nickname for Cleveland’s baseball team.

SportsPulse: Cleveland Rocks? How about the Naps? Maybe it’s time to go European? Mackenzie Salmon assess the top candidates for the new nickname for Cleveland’s baseball team.

Former Gator Mike Zunino struggled in the MLB playoffs, is now a free agent

Zunino, a Florida alum, wasn’t a big factor in the Tampa Bay Rays’ postseason push. What’s next for him as he enters free agency?

The smattering of former Florida Gators in Major League Baseball sent one of their own to the World Series in 2020. Catcher Mike Zunino was a member of the Tampa Bay Rays during their ill-fated October quest to a championship. Being one of the best baseball prospects to ever don the blue and orange, it’s worth taking a look at how well he played for Tampa Bay and what’s next for the backstop.

Bluntly, he was not a useful batter in Tampa Bay’s postseason run. Over the course of 19 games, he hit .170/.196/.396. According to wRC+, a metric designed to level any statistical offensive output and compare them on even terms, that line was a monstrous 45 percent below the league-wide average. Striking out almost half the time and walking only once was no help, either.

The bright spot in his largely unfortunate postseason campaign was the excellent rate at which he was hitting home runs. In that same 19-game sample in which he only got on base one out of ever five times at bat, he was hitting home runs at an above-average pace. That’s no small feat, but Zunino has impressive power locked away in his 6-foot-2-inch, 235-pound frame.

An argument could be made that he was getting unlucky, and on the surface, that argument may seem to hold water. On balls he put into play, Zunino’s batting average was only .217, whereas the league averages approximately .300 on balls in play. This measurement (referred to as BABIP) is generally thought of as an indicator of luck. Higher than .300, and a player was overly fortunate. Lower than .300, and he may not have played up to his true talent level.

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Best fan-submitted photos of Week 9

The top photos from around all of the high school sports action.

An over the top tackle opens up a new week of ScoreStream’s fan-submitted photos, as we move from the football field in Delaware to the pitch in Ohio and the baseball field in Texas.

Interested in becoming a ScoreStream fan? Head here for more info.

Now, let’s get to this week’s top shots!

Related: Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8

Gators’ brand new Florida Ballpark baseball stadium unveiled

Intrasquad scrimmages on Thursday and Friday marked the opening of UF’s brand new Florida Ballpark, which replaces McKethan Stadium.

UF’s brand new Florida Ballpark finally saw some action this week, as the Gators baseball team competed in two intra-squad scrimmages on Thursday and Friday.

It marked the debut of the new park, which replaces Alfred A. McKethan Stadium, built in 1988. The stadium was announced in May 2018, and construction started the following February. It finished in August.

The park seats 7,000 fans, though that can be expanded to over 10,000. It features a shaded overhang that covers most of the 4,000 chairs with seat backs, something McKethan notoriously lacked.

McKethan Stadium never received a proper send-off due to COVID-19, which ended Florida’s 2020 baseball season, its final one in the old park, prematurely.

The replacement of the aging stadium, which lacked amenities like shading and seatbacks most other stadiums in the SEC have, has been highly anticipated for years now.

The Gators will have to wait until February to officially christen the stadium with a real game, but for now, fans at least get a taste of what’s to come with the new ballpark.

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