Tag: Brandon Sproat

Series Preview: Florida looking to pull off massive upset versus No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers

Florida’s chance to upset the Volunteers this weekend after Hunter Barco was ruled out with elbow discomfort.

Florida baseball and head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] received a devastating blow on Wednesday when Kendall Rodgers of D1Baseball reported that ace [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] will be out indefinitely with elbow discomfort. The absence of its star pitcher will make the Gators’ attempt to pull a massive upset over the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers much more difficult. The series kicks off Friday at 6:30 p.m. EDT at the newly named Condron Ballpark. Graham Hall of the Gainesville Sun reported that Florida Ballpark is renamed after Gary Condron, the largest donor in Gator Boosters history.

In Barco’s place, O’Sullivan announced that reliever [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] will start Friday. Then [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] will take the mound first on Saturday and Sunday.

The Volunteers are rolling currently and have only dropped one game so far in SEC play. They enter this weekend holding an outstanding 34-3 record. Tennessee also holds the NCAA lead for most dingers with 88.

Florida’s pitching staff will need to have its best stuff if it wants to pull off the series upset.

Florida falters down the stretch vs Vandy, drops weekend series

The Gators were swinging some mightly lumber early on led by BT Riopelle but the pitching completely sputtered.

Florida baseball continued to find ways to seize defeat from the jaws of victory in Southeastern Conference play on Saturday night, surrendering an early lead and ultimately losing in Nashville to the Vanderbilt Commodores, 8-6. The Gators brought the bats in the second game of the weekend series, crushing four dingers — including three by catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] — but simply did not have the pitching needed to keep the team buoyant during a middle-inning push by the opposition.

The first inning was quiet for both teams, but Riopelle led off the second with his first dinger of the day against starter Carter Holton for a 1-0 lead. Gators starter [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] kept the ‘Dores off the board for the opening three frames, going 1-2-3 in the first and third innings while escaping a leadoff hit and a follow-up walk in the second inning.

Florida struck again in the top of the third, landing three runs on a majestic opposite-field two-run Riopelle homer and a [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] round-tripper a batter later; [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] gave the ball a good run himself between the two. Vandy would answer in the bottom half with a leadoff solo home run by Dominic Keegan to get on the board and make it a 4-1 game, signaling the turning point for the Commodores.

The home team added another in the fifth inning and then exploded in the sixth, knocking Sproat out of the game after 5 2/3 innings having given up eight hits and six earned runs — thanks in large part to inherited runners scoring off [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] after his departure. Vanderbilt took a 6-4 lead into the seventh and would not trail again.

The Gators were able to tie things up in the top of the following frame thanks to Riopelle’s third dong — another two-run shot — that gave the Orange and Blue some hope. However, Nesbitt got in trouble, and [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] turned to his most trusted reliever [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] to put out the fire. My friends, I regret to tell you that this story does not end like you hoped, as the sidearmer allowed a runner across the plate and gave the ‘Dores a lead they would not relinquish.

Vanderbilt added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth off [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] before closing things out in the ninth for the win. The two teams meet tomorrow at 1 p.m. EDT on ESPN2 as the Gators try to prevent another SEC road sweep.

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Series Preview: Florida baseball travels to Vanderbilt for weekend matchup

Another weekend, another three days of SEC baseball. Florida and Vanderbilt both need a series win to get back to the top of the conference.

Florida is back on the road after a tough loss to Florida State in Tallahassee to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in a weekend series in Nashville.

The Gators have a had a rough go in conference play early on, starting out with a 5-7 record against the SEC. Things opened up well with a road-series win against Alabama, but UF’s pitching was exposed against LSU after [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] was taken out of Game 1. Then, Georgia swept Florida in Athens and the panic level was raised back home.

A series win against No. 2 Arkansas got the Gators back in the top 25, but all progress seemed to be lost on Tuesday in a 5-0 loss to FSU. For the first time this season, Florida had been shut out and it leaves plenty of question marks around the team heading into another road series.

The good news is [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] does seem to be figuring things out as the team’s No. 2, but there’s still the Sunday spot to address and a lineup that’s hitting beneath its capabilities in conference play.

Vanderbilt is going through similar struggles right now. The Commodores were swept at the hands of No. 1 Tennessee two weeks ago and couldn’t bounce back against Auburn last week.

Here’s a look at everything you need to know about the weekend series between Florida and Vanderbilt.

Florida baseball steals one versus No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks to even the series

Florida baseball starter Brandon Sproat propelled the Gators to victory versus the No. 2 Razorbacks.

Florida baseball pitcher [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] has now strung together two strong outings versus No. 23 Georgia last weekend and No. 2 Arkansas after mediocre outings against Alabama and LSU. He shut down the potent Razorbacks lineup Friday night to help his team force the rubber match.

The right-hander went 5 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits, two walks and one earned run while striking out five. His strong start propelled the Gators toward a 7-2 victory Friday at Florida Ballpark to even the series.

Florida’s lineup came out guns blazing after only recording three hits in an 8-1 defeat Thursday. Center fielder [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] doubled after second baseman [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] flew out to center field. Fabian advanced to third on a passed ball and then was driven in by a right fielder [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] sacrifice fly. Left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] then blasted an opposite-field homer to give them a 2-0 advantage after the first inning.

The Gators picked up where they left off in the next inning. Arkansas starter Hagen Smith loaded the bases and walked third baseman [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] to send a runner home. Halter then drove in shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag] to push their lead to 4-0. Catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] snuck a solo shot over the right-center-field wall to add another run.

Arkansas took advantage of a Halter error in the top of the fifth to finally get on the board. Florida responded quickly, earning that run in the bottom half. Riopelle drove in Thompson via a sac fly and first baseman [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] doubled down the left-field line, scoring Langford to increase the lead to 7-1.

The Razorbacks scored one more run when designated hitter Brady Slavens tripled to center field, driving in Braydon Webb.

Florida then held on in the ninth to clinch the 7-2 victory, breaking a six-game losing streak versus SEC opponents. Langford finished the night 2-for-4 with a homer and an RBI. Riopelle went 2-for-3 with a longball and two RBIs. The Gators lineup also only struck out four times versus Arkansas.

They’ll return Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT to play Arkansas at Florida Ballpark for the series victory.

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LSU overwhelms Florida baseball to even weekend series

LSU’s offense trounced Florida’s pitchers for six runs in the third inning on the way to a 16-4 victory.

The LSU Tigers overwhelmed Florida’s pitchers after its staff held them to two runs on Saturday. The Tigers put up crooked numbers in the third and ninth innings in a 16-4 victory over the Gators Saturday night at Florida Ballpark.

The Tigers struck first when [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] walked the lead-off batter and fell behind 3-1 to first baseman Tre’ Morgan, who then made him pay as he launched a pitch to right-center to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

Sproat bounced back the following inning by not allowing a base runner, but he unraveled in the third inning. The sophomore right-hander walked the lead-off hitter again, then Morgan doubled to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. LSU then scored a run on a sac fly and on an error by first baseman [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] to increase its lead to 4-0.

Coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] pulled Sproat for [autotag]Timmy Manning[/autotag] after he allowed another walk. Sproat finished his outing, only going 2 1/3 innings while surrendering six runs, five earned runs, four hits and two walks.

But Manning didn’t fare much better, either. He entered and gave up a three-run homer and a solo shot to the first two LSU batters he faced in designated hitter Brayden Jobert and left fielder Gavin Dugas. The Tigers added another run in the fifth.

Florida finally broke the shutout in the sixth via a solo home run from third baseman [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag]. Then Gators’ right fielder [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] blasted a two-run homer to right and Calilao doubled in a run to trim LSU’s lead to 9-4.

Florida failed to cut into the Tigers’ lead any further in the final three innings. LSU tacked on seven runs in the top of the ninth to increase its lead to 16-4.

The Gators only managed five hits in Saturday’s contest, and Thompson — who recorded two of them — was the lone bright spot. LSU held star center fielder Jud Fabian hitless. He went zero for four with a strikeout. Florida’s defense also committed two errors.

Florida and LSU return for the rubber match Sunday at noon EDT and can be streamed on SEC Network+.

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Florida baseball evens up weekend series against Miami

A five-run ninth inning helped Florida baseball tie up the series against Miami on Saturday.

Florida baseball evened up the series against the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday with an 8-1 victory in Coral Gables.

The floodgates opened up in the top of the ninth, but this was a tightly contested battle for eight innings before that. Center fielder Jud Fabian hit a two-run home run in the third inning to give the Gators a 3-0 lead that would last until the bottom of the eighth. Miami strung together a few hits to bring one man around before the final frame, and then Florida responded with five runs.

Hurricanes fans began to pile out of Mark Light Stadium after Gators first baseman Kendrick Calilao hit a three-run home run. The explosion of offense late in the game might have even overshadowed what was a very strong pitching performance by the Gators.

Right-hander Brandon Sproat tied a career-high with eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings of scoreless pitching. He worked his way out of two jams and earned his second win of the season. Nick Ficarrotta got the final eight outs for Florida in 42 pitches. He continues to be one of the more consistent arms in the bullpen, and his solo relief effort leaves plenty of options available for tomorrow if Timmy Manning has another short start.

Florida has struggled to put up runs against Miami aside from the big inning mentioned above. The  Gators rounded the bases just five times in 17 innings against Miami this season before that, so taking the series on Sunday may be easier said than done.

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Here is Florida baseball’s complete 2021 summer league roundup

Here’s how all nine Florida baseball players participating in the college summer leagues fared in wooden bat competition.

As August quickly consumes the calendar, the collegiate baseball summer leagues are winding down leaving a short season’s worth of stats to pore over for baseball enthusiasts. For fans of the Florida Gators, there were nine current members of the Orange and Blue in action over the past few months, including a pair of pitchers representing the Gator Nation with the USA Collegiate National Team.

UF players also saw action in the various leagues across the country, namely, the prestigious Cape Cod League, Valley League, Coastal Plains League, and close to home in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. Among them, three Gators earned all-league or all-star honors as a result of their standout performances. Here is a look at how all nine Gators fared this summer in wooden bat competition.

Brandon Sproat could be a mainstay of Florida’s rotation next season

Sproat has the chance to take over as a weekend starter in 2022.

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Name: Brandon Sproat

Number: 8

Position: Right-Handed Pitcher

Class: Freshman (COVID-19)

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 205 lbs

Hometown: Pace, Florida

High School: Pace

Twitter: @BrandonSproat

2021 statistics:

G GS W-L IP H R BB K ERA WHIP
16 2 2-1 21.2 29 19 15 18 6.65 2.03

Overview:

One of the better high school baseball prospects in the country, it was unclear if Sproat would make it to campus. The Pace, Florida, native was ranked the No. 149 player in the country in the class of 2019, and he was selected by the Texas Rangers in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB draft.

But he elected to pass on the pros, instead making good on his commitment to the Gators and joining coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s team. He saw limited action as a true freshman in 2020, totaling just six innings across four games before the season was canceled.

It was an impressive six innings, though, as he struck out eight batters with an ERA of just 1.50. Entering the 2021 season, Sproat was expected to play a major role in Florida’s bullpen. Though he made 16 appearances as a “COVID” freshman, he only saw 21.2 innings across the whole season, making just two starts.

Though his 2-1 record was solid, his bloated 6.65 ERA was not (though it sat below 4.0 before Sproat allowed seven runs in 2/3 innings in the season finale against South Alabama). He allowed almost as many walks as strikeouts.

He didn’t see much action once SEC play started, but that will likely change in 2022. With Tommy Mace likely heading to the professional ranks, that leaves an open spot in UF’s weekend rotation. It could be reclaimed by Jack Leftwich, but if he remains in the closer role that seemed to suit him, Sproat is a primary candidate to take over.

He’ll have the opportunity to work on his game quite a bit this summer. He’s a part of the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and he was also selected to join the 2021 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, alongside O’Sullivan, who will serve as the pitching coach.

Whether he’s a weekend starter at the beginning of the season or not, he will see a lot more action both out of the bullpen and in midweek games. The Gators will need him to be much sharper than he was in 2021.

Video:

O’Sullivan named pitching coach for 2021 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team

Kevin O’Sullivan will have the opportunity to coach two of his players this summer with Team USA as the squad’s pitching coach.

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Florida baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan has been named the pitching coach for the 2021 USA Collegiate National Team this summer. The team announced the news on Wednesday.

O’Sullivan, who just finished his 14th season as the Gators head coach, will make his debut coaching for USA Baseball when the team takes part in a series of 11 scrimmages July 2-15. Two of O’Sullivan’s players, pitchers Hunter Barco and Brandon Sproat, are on the roster.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the pitching coach for the 2021 USA Collegiate National Team and to work with some of the top student-athletes in our game today,” O’Sullivan said in a release. “I look forward to helping the players on this year’s team develop their game for the next level and want to thank USA Baseball for this great opportunity.”

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O’Sullivan is one of the nation’s top coaches, especially when it comes to coaching pitchers. He was the National Coach of the Year in 2017 when the team captured the first national title in school history, and he has been named the SEC Coach of the Year on three occasions.

“We are honored to welcome eight tremendous coaches to assist the Collegiate National Team this summer,” USA Baseball General Manager of National Teams Eric Campbell said. “This year will be unique for the collegiate program as we welcome in 48 athletes to represent Team USA. As we constructed this season for the athletes, the need for an experienced and versatile coaching staff became a priority to heighten the overall development experience, and we are confident we have done just that. These coaches bring a wealth of knowledge that will impact every single athlete who will wear the red, white and blue in a positive way now and for many years to come.”

Though he has never coached the national team before, he has sent 14 players to it in the past, including Alex Faedo (2016), Dalton Guthrie (2016), Mike Rivera (2016) and Tommy Mace (2019). Now, O’Sullivan is properly a part of the team and will look to coach a pair of his players to success this summer.

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