Tag: BT Riopelle

Florida falls short in SEC Tournament championship game against Tennessee

The Vols were clearly the better team, but Florida’s run to the SEC Tournament championship game had the team in much better spirits heading into regionals.

Florida fell just short of winning it all in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday losing to the Tennesee Volunteers, 8-5, in the final round of the SEC Tournament.

The Gators threw [autotag]Carsten Finnvold[/autotag], a freshman out of American Heritage Del Ray in Palm Beach County, Florida, and he kept Tennessee quiet through four innings. His low-speed fastball kept the Volunteers off balance and quiet through four innings, but the No. 1 team in the country got going in the fifth.

[autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] sent a ball to first that [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] couldn’t snag to put a runner on second with no outs. Blake Burke singled Evan Russell over to second and Finnvold got Cortland Lawson swinging. Seth Stephenson bunted for an RBI-base hit on a ball that Finnvold could’ve made a play on if he wasn’t tripped up by his own team. Luc Lipcius took strike three looking for out two in the inning.

[autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] decided to walk the bases loaded for Tennessee’s No. 4 hitter Drew Gilbert and it almost paid off. Finnvold got a fly ball to left field, but [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] came in on the ball and let it go over his head to clear the bases. Four runs were scored in the inning and none of them were earned for Finnvold.

[autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] came in to get out of the inning, but he’d get back into trouble in the sixth. The Vols put up a three-spot on the Gators’ best reliever and took a commanding 7-0 lead. [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] pitched the eighth for UF without much trouble. Only a Stephenson single threatened throughout the inning.

[autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run shot against Ben Joyce, who was throwing over 100 mph. Joyce was Tennessee’s fourth pitcher of the night after lefty Camden Sewell gave the Vols a five-inning start. Will Mabrey and Mark McLaughlin were first out of the bullpen, then Joyce and Zander Sechrist, and finally Kirby Connell finished it up through eight.

The Gators added one more run on a two-out [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] single, but [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag] hit a weak grounder to third for an easy tag out of Jud Fabian.

Gilbert got ahold of another one in the ninth and made it 8-3 with a solo shot. Lipscomb doubled and knocked Abner out of the game for [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag]. Russell almost took another ball out, but Langford got it on the warning track.

Redmond Walsh finished it off for the Volunteers. Pinch hitter Kendrick Calilao popped up on a 2-2 count into foul territory for the first out of the inning. Langford doubled to start the final push, and [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] doubled him home.

Riopelle moved Thomspon over to third, and [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] drove him in on an error by the second baseman who was shifted out of position. [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] gave a ball a ride, but the left fielder tracked it down and Florida’s rally fell short. It’s a disappointing end to a great run by the Gators, especially considering four of Tennessee’s runs came unearned.

Going into the tournament, Florida’s postseason hopes looked bleak. A win or two in the regional round seemed to be the best possible outcome, but this SEC Tournament run has Florida in the conversation to host a regional. The NCAA will announce hosts at 8:30 p.m. EDT Sunday night.

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Florida completes unlikely run to SEC Tournament finals with win over Texas A&M

Two wins in one day have Florida baseball in the SEC Tournament championship, and everything seems to be working for the Orange and Blue.

Florida’s unlikely run to the Southeastern Conference Tournament final has had its share of ups and downs, but the Gators are playing their best baseball of the season when it matters most. A 9-0 win over the Texas A&M Aggies in the tournament semifinals has UF competing for its first conference championship since 2016.

[autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] got things going early with home run No. 22 on the year in the first inning. [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] added another in the third with a sacrifice fly to score Wyatt Langford, and that was really all that starter [autotag]Timmy Manning[/autotag] needed through the first few innings of the game.

“(Manning’s) getting a lot of swings and misses on his breaking ball, so I don’t know if (the Aggies) are having a tough time seeing the spin or what,” O’Sullivan said. “But that was a really nice fastball to finish off that last inning (3rd).”

Fabian walked to start the fourth, and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] — who has been red-hot since joining the lineup — reached on an error hit to second base. [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] bunted both runners into scoring position, and the small ball paid off with a [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag] single that scored two. [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] moved Guscette over to second and Jim Schlossnagle decided to go to the bullpen.

Robert Hogan replaced Ryan Prager and got out of the inning on a line drive smoked by [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] right to the third baseman, but the Gators were already well in command of the game. Florida tacked on another run in the fifth on a double-play ball from [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag]. Two more runs came in the sixth from who else but  Langford and Florida went up 7-0.

Manning’s night came to an end after 90 pitches and giving up a leadoff single in the sixth. Kevin O’Sullivan turned to [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] in hopes of preserving some arms for the championship game. Jameson answered the call and got out of the inning without giving up the shutout.

Caglianone drove in run No. 8 on a sac fly, and the Gators began to threaten a mercy rule against the team that ended their night earlier just two days ago. Men were stranded on second and third to end the seventh, and Florida tacked on one more in the ninth to close out the win. Jameson finished the night with four innings of one-hit, scoreless work and four strikeouts. Evans saved him right field with a trio of incredible defensive plays.

It’s the complete opposite of what happened against Texas A&M on Friday, but Sully couldn’t ask for his team to figure it out at a better time. Either Tennessee or Kentucky looms in the championship, but this run is already a success given the way things looked 48 hours ago.

“They’re having fun,” O’Sullivan said. “I mean, it’s better than the alternative right? It beats being on a bus back to Gainesville.”

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Game Preview: Florida takes on Alabama in SEC Tournament elimination game

The Gators got back on the sticks against Arkansas on Friday and held on to a lead to advance in the SEC Tournament. Next up is ‘Bama.

After managing just one hit against Texas A&M in the second round of the SEC Tournament, Florida baseball got back to business as usual and outscored the Arkansas Razorbacks, 7-5, on Friday. That sets up another loser-goes-home matchup with Alabama on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. EDT for the Gators.

[autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Pogue[/autotag] have already pitched so the Gators are running thin on starting pitchers coming into the game. [autotag]Garrett Milchin[/autotag] was an option, but [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] is going with freshman [autotag]Anthony Ursitti[/autotag] on the bump Saturday. It’ll be the former Canterbury Cougar’s first start at the collegiate level after throwing 18 2/3 innings out of the bullpen over the regular season.

On offense, Sully’s switch-up of [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] and [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] in the lineup seems to be a winner. Fabian played longball for just the second time since hitting three out against USF on May 3, and Riopelle is just too hot to keep in the five-hole.

[autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] have also been red-hot, with the latter driving in the first three runs of the day against Arkansas. Halter, of course, delivered the walk-off against South Carolina in round one and went deep on Friday.

If the bats don’t fall quiet as they did against Texas A&M, the Gators should be able to fight their way into the conference semifinals. That would be a huge boost to the rĂ©sumĂ© going into regional play regardless of the team’s finish in the SEC Tournament.

Three Gators earn All-SEC honors, Jud Fabian not one of them

Three Gators were selected to All-SEC teams this season. It’s the first time in three years that Jud Fabian isn’t one of them.

With the college baseball regular season finished, the All-SEC teams can be released, and there are a few Gators that made the cut.

Catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] was named to the SEC First Team, outfielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] made the Second Team and right-hander [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] rounds things out with an appearance on the All-Freshman Team.

Riopelle quickly emerged as the team’s starting catcher this year after working his way past [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag] on the depth chart. The Coastal Carolina transfer finished the year with a .306 batting average, 57 hits, 14 homers, 50 RBIs and 16 walks. His defense was also solid throwing out 6-of-22 baserunners that attempted to steal on him. He finished the season with a .990 fielding percentage and committed just four errors while allowing five passed balls.

Langford came into the season with questions swirling about whether or not he’d be able to stave off the freshmen and hold onto his starting left field spot. He blasted a conference leading 21 homers in response and became one of the most feared bats in Florida’s lineup. He moved into the leadoff spot after [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] began to struggle and didn’t miss a step.

He led the team in average (.360), on-base percentage (.452), slugging percentage (.720), hits (76), triples (3), home runs and RBIs (55). Somehow, that wasn’t enough to be name to the First Team, but then again SEC coaches don’t like getting spanked by underclassmen.

Neely stepped into the team’s No. 3 spot against Arkansas and moved up to No. 2 after [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] went down for the year. He finished the year with a 3.38 ERA, 64 strikeouts and a 0.98 WHIP. His last outing against South Carolina was his best. He threw seven shutout innings and struck out a career-high 10 batters.

If it feels like there’s a name missing from that list, there is. [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] didn’t make the cut after returning for his junior year. He previously made the Second Team in the shortened 2020 season and was a First Teamer in 2021. He also made the All-SEC Defensive Team last year and was a Third Team All-American.

The problem is Fabian didn’t quite live up to expectations after turning down a second-round offer from the Boston Red Sox. While the strikeouts took a dip and the walks went up as pro scouts desired, Fabian floundered in conference play and was a non-factor down the stretch going 5-for-49 over his last 10 games. He finished the season batting .249 and was .185 against the SEC.

A big run in the tournament could help him get to where he wants to be, but this is by no mean a snub. Things just didn’t go Jud’s way.

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Wyatt Langford blasts a pair of homers (again!) to beat South Carolina

Florida baseball used two homers from Wyatt Langford to blow by South Carolina on Thursday night at Condron Ballpark.

Florida baseball left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] hit a lead-off bomb to kick off the game versus South Carolina and then went long again in the bottom of the eighth inning for his second straight game with two home runs. His power outburst again helped the Gators defeat the Gamecocks, 14-5, Thursday at Condron Ballpark in the opening game of the regular season’s final series.

Langford finished the game 2-for-4 with that pair of solo shots and a walk. His first home run versus South Carolina was his 20th of the season, giving him sole possession of the team lead for the most dingers. He also became the just sixth Florida batter to crush that many round-trippers in a season.

South Carolina briefly grabbed the lead from the Gators in the top of the third. Starter [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] plunked two Gamecocks and walked a third to load the bases. Their right fielder Andrew Eyster then doubled in a pair of runs, 2-1.

Florida knotted it up at two apiece when [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] doubled in second baseman [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag].

Then the Gators provided offensive fireworks. Right fielder [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] homered to center field. Thompson, with the bases juiced, lined out to left field to drive in another run on a sac fly, giving them the 4-2 lead.

The Gamecocks tied the game up once more in the top of the fifth. They scored a run via a shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag] error and doubled in another.

Florida hit back-to-back-to-back singles to start the fifth. On the third one, designated hitter [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] drove in catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag]. The Gators then pushed across two more runs via sacrifice flies to increase their lead to 7-4. They then tacked on seven more insurance runs while allowing South Carolina to only add one in the final innings to cruise to a 14-5 win.

Sproat went 6 1/3 innings allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits, three walks and three hit batters while striking out three. Florida’s offense muscled an impressive 16 hits leading to its 14-run tally. However, the Gators’ defense was not quite as robust, committing two errors in the field.

Florida and South Carolina will face off again on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT and can be seen on SEC Network+.

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Series Preview: Gators baseball closes out regular season against Gamecocks

One more weekend series to close out the year for the boys in Orange in Blue. South Carolina visits the swamp for the first time since 2019.

Florida baseball didn’t have the 2022 season it expected to with a decent amount of returning bats and a top-notch recruiting class to bolster the pitching staff. With three games left to play in the regular season, the Gators need to take two of three games against the South Carolina Gamecocks this weekend to finish 15-15 in conference play.

The pitching staff has taken a step forward recently, but that comes after team ace [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag]’s season ended early with Tommy John surgery. [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] have stepped up nicely, and it appears that [autotag]Nick Pogue[/autotag] has recovered enough from his own Tommy John surgery to be considered the team’s No. 3 starter. [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] has received a bit of help in the bullpen with the emergence of [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] in recent weeks as well.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] continues to be the team’s best bat with a .365 batting average and 19 home runs, and [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] is coming off a three-homer game against FSU where he also delivered a walk-off, two-run shot. [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] has also been clutch for the team, both at the plate and behind it. A betting man would put money down on Riopelle going in the top seven rounds of the draft this year.

On the other hand, [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] is in the slump of his life. He has just one hit in his last 30 at-bats and hasn’t put together a multi-hit game since May 3. A few weeks ago, it seemed like Fabian’s gamble to come back for one more year would pay off, but the decrease in strikeouts and increase in walks only goes so far when you’re batting .162 against the conference.

South Carolina isn’t the toughest team in the SEC to beat, so Fabian and Florida have a good chance at turning things around this weekend against them.

Game Preview: Florida baseball prepares to clash with FSU in final midweek game

I bet you thought we were done with midweek games, didn’t you? The Gators get one last shot at a Tuesday night W against FSU tonight.

Florida baseball’s final series of the regular season against South Carolina kicks off over the weekend, but there’s one more midweek game to play before the Gators can begin to focus on the Gamecocks. Florida State travels to Condron Family Ballpark on Tuesday for a rescheduled game against UF that was originally supposed to take place on March 15.

The Gators took game one of the series at a neutral site in Jacksonville by a score of 6-3, and FSU took game two on April 12 in Tallahassee, 5-0. The rubber match comes at a time when Florida has found its groove again, but that could disappear quickly with the wrong guy on the mound. [autotag]Nick Pogue[/autotag]’s four-run first halted all momentum gained going into the last game between these two.

It should be a big day for the bullpen regardless of who starts. At least, that’s how midweek games have gone all year for the Gators, so there’s little reason to expect a change now.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag], [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] and [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] continue to be a force at the top of the order, but [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] is struggling, especially against the Southeastern Conference. He’s hitless through seven at-bats against the ‘Noles this year, but he has managed to draw a pair of walks and scored once.

If UF wants to make a deep run in the postseason, they’ll need Fabian’s bat to do more than just hit for power. This could be the breakout game to do it as it’s likely his last opportunity to get the best of FSU.

Missouri Tigers evens the series versus Florida on Saturday

Florida baseball couldn’t overcome a Missouri three-run blast and fell 5-3 on Saturday as the Tigers even the series up.

Florida baseball looked poised to cruise to another victory like Friday night until the fifth inning. Starter [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] gave up back-to-back singles and then Missouri first baseman Torin Montgomery launched a three-run shot to take the lead, 5-3.

The Gators left a runner stranded in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings as well as a pair in the eighth as they failed to overcome Montgomery’s three-run home run. The Tigers evened the series, taking the second game 4-3 on Saturday in Columbia, Missouri.

Neely only gave up four hits, one walk and one earned run before the fifth inning. Florida head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] pulled him for Fisher Jameson in the fifth. Neely finished his outing, going 4 2/3 innings and allowing seven hits, four earned runs and a walk to go along with four strikeouts.

The Gators struck first to start the ball game. Left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] recorded a base hit then second baseman [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] walked to push him into scoring position. After a center fielder [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] strikeout, catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] singled through the right side to plate Langford.

Riopelle came in clutch for Florida once again in the third inning. He doubled to drive in Thompson who reached earlier.

Neely allowed a lead-off single in the fourth inning to Montgomery. Tigers’ catcher Mike Coletta then drove him in to decrease the Gators’ lead to 2-1.

Riopelle answered once again in the top of the fifth. He hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Langford who walked earlier in the frame.

Missouri then took the lead in the fifth inning via Montgomery’s three-run shot. The Tigers tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning to take a two-run lead into the ninth, 5-3.

Florida failed to force the game into extra innings and fell to Missouri 5-3 on Saturday. The loss shatters the Gators’ six-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Tigers broke a four-game losing skid.

Montgomery finished the game three for five with three RBIs and two runs. For Florida, Riopelle went two for three with three RBIs. Langford finished two for four while Thompson recorded three hits in four at-bats.

The Gators will return Sunday for the rubber match at 2 p.m. EDT and can be seen on SEC Network+.

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Florida baseball steamrolls over Missouri Tigers in series opener

If only that Gators looked this good against every SEC opponent.

Florida baseball kept the winning streak going on Friday night against the Missouri Tigers on the road with a 13-1 victory. [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] got the start for the Gators and looked great while the offense had a field day against the Tigers’ pitching.

However, Florida began with a futile first frame, while Mizzou got on the board bottom half on a solo home run to the second batter that Sproat saw. Besides that blemish, the sophomore sent the rest of the Tigers down for an otherwise clean inning.

The Gators had an immediate answer, scoring a pair in the top of the second on a two-run home run by [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] that scored T[autotag]y Evans[/autotag], who reached on a one-out double. Florida’s right-handed fireballer sent Missouri down in order in the bottom half with a foul out, strikeout and a popup.

The power surge continued in the third when [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] cranked a two-run dinger that scored [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag], who reached on a single to lead things off. [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] drew a two-out walk but the inning ended in a fizzle. Sproat retired the side in 1-2-3 fashion with a pair of Ks followed by an easy groundout to first.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] led off the fourth inning hit parade with a line-drive single up middle, followed by a [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] walk and a bunt base-hit by [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] of all hitters. Riopelle plated a pair on an at-em ball right off the second baseman that ricocheted into the outfield for an error.

But the butterfingers did not stop there as Rivera drove in another Gator on a high bouncer that resulted in a throwing error by the third baseman playing shallow to prevent the run. Up by a 7-1 score, the Gators went down on a K and a groundout to end the rally.

Sproat retired the Tigers in order for the third-straight inning in the fourth, continuing his one-hit effort, while the Gators tacked on five more runs in the top of the fifth thanks in part to a two-run shot off the bat of [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] to make it a 12-1 game.

Florida’s starter continued to deal in the bottom of the frame, once again stymying Mizzou’s offense despite giving a leadoff walk, using a double play and a strikeout to emerge unscathed from the frame. [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] tacked another run on the board with a solo shot in the top of the sixth to keep the rout rolling, making it a 13-1 score.

Nothing really notable happened subsequently and the game ended with that final score. Sproat made it through 6 2/3 innings before giving way to Anthony Ursitti, who spun 2 1/3 innings of no-hit (one walk) ball to close things out.

The Gators seized their sixth-straight win and a crucial opening road game against an SEC opponent. They will return to the field Saturday at 3 p.m. EDT to face the Tigers in Game 2.

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Series Preview: Gators baseball travels to Missouri for weekend series

A sweep this weekend against Mizzou would put the Gators back over .500 in conference play.

Florida baseball has a chance to get back above .500 in conference play this weekend with a three-game series in Columbia against the Missouri Tigers. UF needs a sweep to get it done and history is in the team’s favor after winning 15-straight against Mizzou.

[autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] has been shut down for the year, but the duo of [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] has served the Gators well in his absence. Both are better at keeping opponents subdued than their respective counterparts on the Tigers, so the games could get fairly lopsided if the numbers prove true.

Offensively, Florida seems to be hitting its stride after shaking up the top of the order against Kentucky. The top of the order now goes [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag], [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] and [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag]. Fabian is the only one who is in the same spot as he was when he started the season, and the other two are hitting over .350 since the switch. The trio of Fabian, Langford and Riopelle also leads the nation with a combined 49 homers.

The bullpen has also seen some improvement in recent weeks with the additions of guys like [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] to mainstays like [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] and [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] who have got it done all season.

Florida could be peaking at the right time, but they’ll need to take this series convincingly to get to where they want to be with only one more weekend left in the regular season.