Tag: Chris Arroyo

Despite ump show, Florida takes down Georgia to claim series

Despite the antics of home plate umpire Brian deBrauwere, the Florida Gators prevailed over the Georgia Bulldogs, 11-6, Sunday afternoon behind an all-around performance from Jac Caglianone.

Florida defeated Georgia, 11-6, on Sunday, but it was the poor officiating that took center stage just before the Gators put together a five-run eighth to seal the deal.

[autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] entered the game in the top of the eighth with two outs and the bases loaded. Ryan Slater had just walked in a run to cut Florida’s lead down to two, and the Gators needed their best bullpen arm to come through.

The SEC saves leader needed just five pitches to strike out Parks Harber, but he was quickly tossed by the home plate umpire, Brian deBrauwere, after celebrating the punchout. All Neely did was pump his fist as he walked toward his dugout and glanced at Georgia while shouting, “Come on!”

If that’s not allowed, then what is? Is the rule a declaration of no fun in baseball? The umpires have been atrocious all year in the SEC, particularly this weekend, but this was another level.

The fans let deBrauwere hear it, but the offense couldn’t let things slide either. [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] singled, [autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag] walked and [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] singled to drive in a run. [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] took a pitch on the elbow and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] delivered his second home run of the day (and 21st of the season), a grand slam to left field that put Florida up 11-4.

At that point, losing Neely wasn’t a problem. [autotag]Chris Arroyo[/autotag] walked a lefty to lead things off, and Sully quickly brought out [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag]. He got the first two outs of the inning without any issues, but gave up a homer to cut the lead to five. An error extended things, but Ficarrotta got a fly ball to end the inning and claim Florida’s fifth-straight series win against SEC clubs.

The big question coming into the day was whether Caglianone could rebound from a string of bad starts or not. The left-handed sophomore answered with five innings of two-run ball and struck out four. Caglianone featured his best fastball control in over a month and fooled some of Georgia’s hitters with his slider, too. At the plate, he went 2 for 3 with seven RBIs and a walk.

Kevin O’Sullivan turned to the bullpen for the final four frames of the afternoon, but he had everyone on a short leash after Friday’s disastrous finish. [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] started the sixth, but he was pulled in favor of [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] after allowing a pair of baserunners on a hit and a walk.

Fisher got three groundouts to finish the sixth, but Georgia’s best hitter, Charlie Condon, got to him for a run in the seventh. [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] got the final out of the inning and started the eighth, but it took two more arms to get out of the frame with just a two-run lead.

[autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] loaded up the bases for Connor Tate — the same Bulldog that hit a ninth-inning, game-tying grand slam on Friday — and got him to pop out into shallow center. Although the run was briefly prevented, Slater lost Condon on a full count in the next at-bat, walking in a run.

That’s when all of the Neely drama happened.

Lost in all the late-inning commotion was a strong performance from Florida’s offense against Georgia’s best arm, Liam Sullivan. [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] got to him early for a two-run homer and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Rivera is having an all-time season for the program and has played himself into a first or second-round draft pick.

Robertson drove in another run in the second and Caglianone’s first home run came in the second as well.

Florida is now 30-7 overall and 11-4 against the conference. Up next is a midweek game at home against Florida A&M, and then the Gators have a major road series against South Carolina on the road, starting Thursday.

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Gators mercy ruled in series finale against No. 11 Tennessee

Florida still won the series, but the Gators are leaving Knoxville with a bitter taste in their mouth after falling, 14-2, in eight innings against Tennessee on Saturday.

Florida hasn’t swept the Tennessee Volunteers since 2011, and the Gators will have to wait at least another year before breaking that streak after dropping the 2023 series finale, 14-2, on Saturday in eight innings.

Unlike the first two games of the series, Florida struggled to get UT’s starter, Drew Beam. He lasted seven innings for the Volunteers, giving up just two runs on a seventh-inning home run from Florida catcher [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag].

Beam nearly had a shortened complete game as Tennessee threatened a mercy-rule win with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, but the Gators held on to play eight. The duo of Kirby Connell and Aaron Combs got the Vols through the eighth.

Things started off badly on the mound for Florida. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] didn’t make it out of the first inning, allowing three runs to score on six walks and no hits. Caglianone has struggled over recent weeks with his fastball command, but he’s at least made it to the fourth inning in his last two starts.

After this one, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Cags get a weekend off, but Georgia might be the perfect get-right opponent for him. It will be interesting to see how Kevin O’Sullivan approaches the situation. Yes, location is a problem, but Caglianone is in his head and that problem doesn’t typically disappear on its own.

[autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] pitched the next three innings for Florida, giving up five runs overall but only two earned. An error from [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] in the third inning led to all three unearned runs and served as a turning point in the game.

Griffin Merritt smashed a two-run shot off Nesbitt in the fourth, bringing the lead to eight, and Florida turned to [autotag]Nick Ficarotta[/autotag] to get through the fourth and fifth. Fic had the only scoreless [autotag]Chris Arroyo[/autotag] came in to pitch the sixth and walked both batters he faced. Sully quickly replaced him with [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag], who allowed three runs to score. It hasn’t been a good year for Jameson.

Blake Purnell walked three but got through the seventh without giving up a run. Unfortunately, he gave up a go-homer (a walk-off home run that delivers a mercy-rule victory, as defined by D1Baseball.com’s Stephen Schoch), and the Gators walked off the field looking like a completely different team than they were over the first two games of the series.

There’s no doubt that rain played a role in this game, but that score can’t be blamed on Mother Nature entirely. A bad pitching day killed any momentum Florida had early and the Gators seemed fine with losing.

It’s a disappointing finish to an otherwise great series win for UF, and the mercy rule might keep the Gators from taking over the No. 1 spot in the country.

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Freshmen lead No. 3 Florida to sweep of No. 13 Ole Miss

Florida baseball hasn’t lost a series this season and is sweeping teams ranked No. 13 overall in the nation. If you’re not paying attention yet, now is the time to get on the bandwagon.

After taking both games of a Saturday doubleheader, Florida kept its winning ways going against Ole Miss on Sunday and completed the three-game sweep, 7-2.

The freshmen led the day for the Gators, both at the plate and on the mound. Catcher [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] homered twice, once in the fourth and again in the eighth, and second baseman [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] finished the day 3 for 5 with four RBIs. Kurland also homered in the eighth and singled in runs in the fourth and sixth.

[autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag], who started on the mound for Florida, got the scoring started in the first with his nation-leading 17th home run of the year. He’d finish the day 2-for-5, but things didn’t go so well on the mound.

Caglianone lasted just 3 2/3 innings against Ole Miss and walked eight batters, including three in the fourth. His command wasn’t there from the start with his arm side stuff, but the walks didn’t hurt him until the fourth. Fortunately, [autotag]Blake Purnell [/autotag]was able to get the final out of the inning without giving up any more runs, which is a big outing for a guy who has struggled this season.

Left-handed freshman [autotag]Chris Arroyo[/autotag] made a rare appearance and might have earned himself some more playing time. He faced the minimum through two innings, striking out four batters and holding the Rebels hitless. His slider was working well in particular, buckling the knees of lefties and baiting righties to swing and miss at it.

[autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] pitched a clean seventh but saw ran into trouble in the eighth after the second error of the day from [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag]. The team’s closer [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] came in for Abner after an unearned run scored and traded a run for a double play.

He closed out the eighth and ninth innings for Florida, securing the first road sweep of Ole Miss for the program since 1988.

Defensive honors go to [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] at first and [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] in right for each making a diving play that saved a double during the game.

This was a massive series win for Florida that validates the No. 3 ranking. Alabama and Miami were good wins too, but the reigning national champions are a different story.

Up next, Florida plays its neutral site game against Florida State on Tuesday and then prepares for a four-game homestand against Auburn and Bethune-Cookman.

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Florida baseball commits square off in state-champion showdown

Two of the top arms in Florida’s 2023 recruiting class took the mound against one another Tuesday night, and Gators Wire caught up with them to talk about the future.

The future of Florida’s pitching staff is incredibly bright.

The Gators routinely welcome recruiting classes that rank among the top in the country, and the class of 2023 will be no exception. Near the top of Florida’s next crop of freshmen are two of South Florida’s finest arms, right-hander [autotag]Christian Rodriguez[/autotag] and left-hander [autotag]Frank Menendez[/autotag].

Rodriguez pitches and plays outfield for the reigning back-to-back FHSAA Class 7A state champion Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagles, and Menendez is the ace for the reigning Class 6A state champion Doral Academy Firebirds. The two programs clashed on Tuesday night, and both Florida commits were on the mound.

With nearly 40 college and pro scouts in attendance, Menendez and Rodriguez came out throwing heat. Rodriguez topped out at 97 mph and held 95 mph through the sixth inning, while Menenedez peaked at 95 mph and flashed his slider and changeup early.

Rodriguez ended up owning the night on his home field with 13 strikeouts through 6 1/3 innings of one-hit ball. He took a no-hitter into the sixth and generated 22 swings and misses throughout the night in a dominant performance against a good-hitting team.

A four-walk second inning cost Menendez the game, but he bounced back strong and finished out 4 2/3 innings. Menendez and Doral ended up taking a 3-0 loss to Rodriguez, but it was nothing but love between the two after the game. The two are incredibly close and could plan on being roommates next year if they both make it to Gainesville.

“If we end up at UF, I’m pretty sure we’re going to be roommates, me, him and (Jacob) Gomberg,” Menendez said. “So, we’re pretty close. I played with their summer team, Fitz’s summer team.”

Douglas head coach Todd Fitz-Gerald is part of the reason these South Florida arms are connected to Florida’s baseball program.

“(Florida assistant coach) Chuck Jerolomon played for me in the summers, and then Kevin (O’Sullivan) I’ve known for a long time. I had guys that played for him at Clemson,” Fitz-Gerald said. “We’ve got two guys up there now, [autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Arroyo[/autotag], and we’ve got three or four more going there.”

Along with Rodriguez, left-hander Jacob Gomberg, junior right-hander [autotag]Jayden Dubanewicz[/autotag] and freshman outfielder [autotag]Lorenzo Laurel[/autotag] are committed to UF. Rodriguez called Douglas the “headquarters” for Gators recruiting in a way.

“They like our guys,” Fitz-Gerald said. “They know that when they go in there, they are going to compete and aren’t going to slow anyone down. They’ll just have to bide their time, and when they get it, they’ll go off to great careers because they do a great job developing guys over there, especially on the pitching side.”

Rodriguez praised his head coach for linking him up with the Gators and said that he ended up picking UF because it was the best fit for him.

“The coaching staff, the track record, the facilities, everything you want, it’s the whole package (at Florida),” Rodriguez said. “Education, the area, there’s really nothing I don’t like over there. I love it… It’s really the full package like I said, and it’s just really hard not to choose Florida.”

Menendez was initially committed to Miami, but he changed things up and switched to the Orange and Blue in November of 2021. Rodriguez had already committed a month before, so he was a natural influence on his friend to flip. In the end, Menendez said he made the decision he thought would be best for his career.

Both arms might have to make another career decision over the summer once the 2023 MLB draft is underway. Florida got lucky in the most recent draft, but high school arms that hit 95+ mph are a rare commodity. If the Gators can get both guys to campus over the summer, the team will be adding another pair of dangerous arms to the staff.

Perfect Game ranks Rodriguez fifth among right-handers in Florida and No. 16 overall in the state. Nationally, he’s inside the top 100 at No. 96 overall and No. 23 among righties. Menendez is No. 186 overall on Perfect Games’ national rankings and No. 27 among left-handers in the class of 2023. He’s No. 26 overall in the state of Florida and No. 5 among lefties.

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Ninth-inning collapse leads to Florida’s first loss of season

An epic ninth-inning collapse led to Florida’s first loss of the season Wednesday night. USF splits the season series with a 10-9 win.

Florida (4-1) led for most of the game against USF Wednesday night, but a ninth-inning meltdown led to the Gators blowing a five-run lead and taking the loss, 10-9.

There was plenty to like from UF, including a decent outing from freshman right-hander [autotag]Yoel Tejeda Jr[/autotag]. in his first-career start, but the late collapse is going to overshadow any positives from the evening. For what it’s worth, every Florida starter got a base hit, and [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] was stellar out of the bullpen.

Game Recap

Tejeda got the start for Florida and lasted three innings. He had a clean first inning despite walking Bobby Boser on four pitches, but the second and third were tough for Tejeda. He got out of a jam in the second, stranding a pair of Bulls in scoring position, but wasn’t as lucky in the third.

Tejeda started what should have been a 1-6-3 double play, but shortstop [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] made an errant throw to first and allowed a run to score. The 6-foot-8-inch freshman should have been out of the inning, but he surrendered another run after giving up a walk and a single instead.

At that point, Florida’s offense hadn’t gotten going yet and only managed to score a single run through the first two innings. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] homered in the first, but it took until the second time through the lineup for Florida to add some more runs.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] hit a long sac fly into foul territory to tie things up in the bottom of the third, and Rivera came through with a single to left-center that scored him and gave Florida the lead. Caglianone was intentionally walked in between the two at-bats.

Ficarrotta was strong in relief for the Gators. He lasted 3 2/3 innings, striking out seven without giving up a base on balls. Ficarrotta surrendered just one run on the evening and limited damage to get out of a fifth-inning jam that started with three-straight singles.

Florida also had a big fifth inning and scored three runs. [autotag]Dale Thomas[/autotag], who got his first start of the season at second base, started things off with a double, and [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] moved him over to third on a bunt single.

Langford struck out looking at three pitches, but Caglianone drove in Thomas with a single to right field. Rivera followed that up with his second RBI single of the day, and [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] singled in a run as well. A double play from [autotag]Tyler Shlenut[/autotag] ended the run.

Left-handed freshman [autotag]Chris Arroyo[/autotag] got the final out of the seventh for Florida after Ficarrotta allowed a pair of baserunners. Arroyo returned for the top of the eighth but was immediately pulled after giving up a base hit to start the inning. Kevin O’Sullivan gave him a pat on the back after taking the ball from him, which probably means that he was pulled to fit the matchup against a pinch hitter rather than for poor performance.

[autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] was the third arm out of the bullpen for Florida and got out of the eighth without issue. He did walk USF’s No. 9 hitter with two out but nothing came of it.

[autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] could have earned his second save of the season, but Florida added what it thought was a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth.

[autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] scored after doubling and getting knocked in by Thomas. Robertson extended the lead to five runs with an RBI single of his own, and Langford doubled on a checked swing to put men on the corners. Caglianone drew his second intentional walk of the night, but Rivera couldn’t come up big again despite entering the at-bat hitting .660 with runners in scoring position.

Purnell came back out to pitch the ninth but things went south pretty quickly. He gave up a leadoff home run to start the inning and never recorded an out after an error in right field and walking a batter. O’Sullivan turned to [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] next, which turned out to be a mistake.

Jameson struck out the Bull with the highest average on the team for out No. 1, but it was all downhill from there. USF catcher Nelson Rivera singled in a run to cut the lead to three, and then center fielder Jackson Mayo sent the ball out of the yard to tie things up.

Disaster.

[autotag]Anthony Ursitti[/autotag] replaced Jameson but gave up a two-out triple to blow the lead. To rub some salt in the wound, USF scored what wound up being the deciding run on a passed ball.

[autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] pinch hit for [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag], who entered as a defensive replacement at third base for Tyler Shelnut, and drew a one-out walk to start a ninth-inning rally. USF ignored him on the base paths, so he easily got to third while [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] pinch hit for Heyman.

Riopelle struck out, but [autotag]Matt Prevesk[/autotag] batted for Lastres and singled in Kurland to put the Gators within one of a tie game. Unfortunately, [autotag]Richie Schiekofer[/autotag] grounded into a fielder’s choice on the very first pitch he saw to end the game.

Key Takeaway

The bullpen completely melted down after Purnell struggled to start the ninth. Jameson and Ursitti can’t afford to pitch like that when Sully puts them in a tense spot, and he’s unlikely to forget what happened.

The question is whether O’Sullivan will adjust or not. There were several times throughout the 2022 season when Florida made the wrong call out of the bullpen, and there were shades of that tonight. To be delicate, the only way Florida’s bullpen is below average in 2023 is through mismanagement.

The undefeated season may no longer be feasible, but at least Florida has now faced some adversity and can prove itself over the weekend against Cincinnati.

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2023 Baseball Season Preview: Bullpen

Florida didn’t lose a ton from last year’s bullpen, so the experience should help a good group become great in 2023.

With one day left until the start of the 2023 college baseball season, Gators Wire is looking at Florida’s bullpen.

The first thing that stands out is just how much depth there is separate from [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag]’s starting rotation. The team is returning seven contributing arms from a season ago and has added one key transfer and four freshmen to the ‘pen.

In a big game, it’s fairly clear who would pitch the seventh, eighth and ninth innings for Florida, and there are plenty of options that can go long if a starter has to leave a game early. Florida’s only losing about 20 innings out of last year’s bullpen, so fans should see a considerable amount of growth from the sophomore class.

Leading the way statistically are [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] and [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag]. Junior college transfer [autotag]Clete Hartzog[/autotag] is in line to step into the closing role, at least to begin the season, and there’s a handful of second and third-year guys ready to eat innings.

This should be an efficient group for Florida, but the top of the bullpen is a lot stronger than the middle and bottom.

2023 Baseball Season Preview: Starting Pitchers

The Gators have an elite 1-2 punch at the top of the order, but there are some questions about how the rest of the rotation will play out with so much depth on the team.

Gators Wire is breaking up the pitching preview for Florida’s 2023 baseball season into two parts. The first will cover starters and potential starters for the team, and the second will discuss those who are primed to come out of the bullpen.

As usual, Florida has a fairly strong group of arms on the mound to lean on this year. Getting [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] back was massive for the program, and Hurston Waldrep transferring in gives Florida a pair of potential first-rounders at the top of the weekend rotation.

Things are less clear after those two, though. Florida’s would-be Sunday guy is stealing on the road back from back surgery, and there could be some early competition for that spot. Of course, Florida has plenty of four-game and five-game weeks in the early season, so some more depth will be needed.

The freshman class has some talent that could be used early, and the fans will always want to see [autotag]Carsten Finnvold[/autotag] on the mound after his legendary performance in the NCAA Tournament last year.

2023 Baseball Season Preview: Outfielders

Wyatt Langford is not just the guy to watch on the Gators this season, he’s one of the best college baseball has to offer. But what about the rest of Florida’s outfield?

Florida’s outfield returns two starters after losing [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] and [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] to the MLB draft, but one of them is [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag], who should be a top-five pick in this year’s draft.

Langford rose to stardom a year ago after hitting 36 home runs and tying the school’s season record. He hit leadoff and in the middle of Florida’s lineup throughout the season, finishing the season as one of the best in college baseball. This year, he’ll be the guy the rest of the SEC is planning for, so there won’t be any doubt about him when the draft rolls around.

Alongside Langford are presumed starters [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] and [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] in center field and right field, respectively. Robertson sat out all of last year with an injury, but he should bring elite speed to the team in 2023. Evans took over in right field at the end of last year once Thompson moved to second base, so he should start the season off there again.

What’s next for Florida baseball: A post-mortem of the 2022 season

Buckle in, Gators Wire’s 2022 Baseball Season Recap is finally here. We dive into all 35 players one by one and go over where they stand after the season.

The Florida Gators’ 2022 baseball season ended Monday with a 5-4 loss in the regional finals of the NCAA Championship Tournament against Oklahoma. The year was filled with ups and downs, but being six outs away from a Super Regional berth isn’t too shabby for a team with 16 new players on the roster.

Pitching was a bit of a disappointment early on, but a few freshmen started to stand out from the bunch. That depth allowed the Gators to make a deeper run than most expected in the playoffs and finish the year 42-24.

Conference play was a bit of a struggle. UF finished the regular season .500 against the SEC, including series losses to Georgia (sweep), LSU, Tennessee (sweep) and Vanderbilt. A 9-3 finish against the weaker members of the conference (Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri and South Carolina) allowed Florida to finish with a respectable record, but things didn’t really turn around until Texas A&M beat them via the mercy rule.

After that 10-0 loss, Florida played like the team it needed to be all year. It even got legendary performances from the likes of Carsten Finnvold, a freshman who hadn’t seen game action since April when he got the start against Tennessee in theSEC Tournament.

Then there’s the offense. At times, the veteran group didn’t back up the young pitching staff as it was expected to. Jud Fabian was a disappointment down the stretch, hitting just .185 against the conference and going 1-for-30. To his credit, Fabian struck out 10 times less than he did a year ago in about 40 more plate appearances. Walks were also up considerably, so his eye definitely improved despite the low average.

On the other side of things, Wyatt Langford made a complete transformation over the offseason and became one of the best leadoff guys in baseball. He led the team in most major offensive categories and tied Matt LaPorta’s 2005 school record of 26 homers in a season.

There’s a lot to celebrate about with this team, and a lot to address moving forward. Many of them have played their final games in the Orange in Blue, and others are just starting to tell their story.

What will the team look like next year? There’s only one way to properly answer that question and it’s long-winded. Feel free to jump to the sections that interest you the most as we break down the team position by position.