Tag: Frank Menendez

Several Florida Gators headed to Cape Cod Baseball League for summer

Cape Cod will be littered with Gators this summer as Florida baseball sends seven players up north for the summer.

Seven Florida Gators are headed to Massachusetts for the summer to play in the Cape Cod Baseball League, according to On3’s Nick de la Torre.

The CCBL is considered the top wood-bat summer league in baseball. It’s loaded with SEC talent and regularly develops top-level players. Ty Evans and Fisher Jameson are two recent examples of Gators who found success after spending the summer in the Cape.

Here’s where this year’s group is headed:

The Brewster Whitecaps are getting the battery of [autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] and [autotag]Brody Donay[/autotag]. There’s starter potential with Clemente, who broke out as a redshirt freshman, and it’s good to have a familiar catcher. Donay will be in the heart of Florida’s lineup next season after belting 14 homers in 2023, and he showed promise behind the plate whenever [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] shifted over to first.

Speaking of Heyman, he’s off to Harwich with second baseman [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] to play for the Mariners. This will be Heyman’s second year in the Cape after playing for the Falmouth Commodores in 2023.

Heyman and Kurland came into the program at the same time and had similar slumps this year, so it’s smart to keep them together over the summer as they approach what should be their final year at Florida.

Outfielder [autotag]Blake Brookins[/autotag] and left-hander [autotag]Frank Menendez[/autotag] are with the Charlottesville Tom Sox. Both played high school ball in Miami, so there should be some common ground there. Brookins was a name that appeared in transfer portal reports, but he’s expected to return to Florida.

The final rostered Gator headed up north is rising junior [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag], who will play with the Cotuit Kettleers. Fisher struggled significantly as a sophomore after a strong Year 1 in college. The shift to the weekend rotation ultimately hurt the left-hander, who began the year as the Friday-night starter. More comfortable out of the bullpen, Fisher still struggled as a reliever this year.

Liam Peterson is also getting some work in over the summer, but he’ll be with the USA Collegiate National Team.

Incoming infielder [autotag]Landon Stripling[/autotag] is also playing in the CCBL this summer. He’ll be with the Chatham Anglers.

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Florida headed to College World Series in Clemson after 13-inning thriller

In the most dramatic way possible, Florida claimed its spot in Omaha on Sunday night as the Gators took down the Clemson Tigers to advance to the College World Series.

Against all odds, the Florida Gators are headed back to Omaha.

Despite a 28-27 finish to the season, including the SEC Tournament, Florida managed to make it out of the Stillwater Regional over Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Niagara and then won the Clemson Super Regional without allowing the Tigers to take a game at home.

Florida, playing as the home team, won a 13-inning thriller off the bat of center fielder [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag]. Clemson scored in the top of the final frame to take the lead, but Florida’s offense did what they do best — come back to win a big game.

Robertson’s liner to left-center slowed Clemson’s outfielders to an eventual stop as they realized their season was coming to an end. Jaylen Guy scored the tying run pinch-running for [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag] made the Gators winners.

Heyman and Shelnut both singled to spark the late rally, but [autotag]Dale Thomas[/autotag]’ sacrifice bunt set up the winning moment. [autotag]Brody Donay[/autotag], who homered in the sixth, was intentionally walked to take away the squeeze bunt, but Robertson came through in the clutch.

It’s a full-circle moment for Robertson, who started the season as one of the SEC’s best center fielders. A slump at the plate moved him into a platoon situation with Guy, but he reclaimed the full-time role by season’s end, partially due to injuries.

[autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] went 5 2/3 innings for Florida on the mound and tied his program record for home runs with his 33rd. When Caglianone handed the ball over in the sixth, he was in line for the win and Florida had a 7-4 lead.

[autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] was first out of the bullpen and looked dominant in the seventh striking out the side, but trouble in the eighth moved [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] to bring in closer [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] despite the four innings he threw on Saturday.

Two runs crossed, making it a one-run game, but Neely got them right back courtesy of an [autotag]Ashton Wilson[/autotag] two-run shot that punished Clemson after intentionally walking Caglianone.

Neely was running out of gas, though, and a three-run homer from center fielder Cam Cannarella in the top of the ninth put extra innings in play.

Wilson nearly walked it off in the 10th with a ball to the fence, but Cannarella saved Clemson’s season again with a Willie Mays basket catch to end the frame.

[autotag]Luke McNeillie[/autotag] earned the win, pitching the final two innings for Florida. [autotag]Frank Menendez[/autotag] walked the only batter he faced between him and Neely.

The College World Series begins on Friday, June 14. Florida awaits the completion of the other Super Regionals. So far, Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia are in the field.

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Florida completes regional comeback, upsets Oklahoma State to advance

The Florida Gators are regional champions and will face Clemson in a three-game super regional series.

A month ago, Florida hardly looked like an NCAA Tournament team, but a switch flipped during the Georgia series and the Gators are now headed to the super regionals after taking down regional host Oklahoma State, 4-2, on Monday night.

Florida had already played four games over the weekend, so pitching depth was thin coming into the game. Redshirt freshman [autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] and true freshmen left-hander [autotag]Frank Menendez[/autotag] kept the Cowboys quiet enough through 5 2/3 innings, setting the table for junior [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] to slam the door shut.

Menendez earned his first win of the season, and Clemente was solid in his second start of the year. The Cowboys made solid contact off him a few times but it took until the fourth inning to score off him.

Clemente didn’t have his best stuff, walking three batters to just two strikeouts, but he left the game with a lead in the fourth. Aidan Meola doubled in a run, bringing out [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] to make the switch.

Florida’s early lead came from the two most unlikely heroes in the lineup. [autotag]Ashton Wilson[/autotag] continued his regional run for the ages with a liner to right-center that scored both [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] in the third. Robertson added another run in the fourth with a poke to left field, beating the shift.

[autotag]Frank Menendez[/autotag] was first out of the bullpen, making his first appearance for the Gators since May 16. He went a career-high 2 1/3 innings, but it wasn’t without drama.

Menendez came into the game with two men on but got a pair of fly balls with his changeup, which even had O’Sullivan doling out some praise during the in-game interview. It’s the same pitch he used to strike out Meola in the fifth, capping off an escape from a bases-loaded jam with no outs.

Sully also said he needed to use Menendez as long as he could, bringing him back out for the sixth. A two-out walk ended his day, but he delivered the bullpen performance Florida needed in the biggest game of the year. A run on a sacrifice fly is a small price to pay considering the circumstances.

[autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag] added an insurance run with a monster home run to left center in the bottom of the sixth, his 14th of the season.

Fisher Jameson came in after Menendez and did his best Branon Neely impression. He made sure Sully couldn’t take the ball from him by retiring all 10 batters he faced without a blemish. Perfection when it was needed most.

Jameson struck out four, including the final batter of the day, igniting a celebration back in Gainesville and sending the Oklahoma State fans home with disappointment across their faces.

It wasn’t easy to come out on top in Stillwater, but Florida got the pitching performances it needed to make it to the Supers. Clemson is next. Best of two out of three, starting on Friday or Saturday.

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Florida baseball drops crucial series opener against Georgia

Florida needs to win this weekend series in Athens, but it’s going to be tough after dropping the opener to Georgia, 9-4.

Florida’s path to the NCAA Tournament got much harder after falling 9-4 against Georgia in the series opener on Thursday night.

Things started off ugly for Florida start [autotag]Pierce Coppola[/autotag], who had steadily improved in each of his first four appearances. He hit the first batter he saw, leading to a Charlie Condon single. A couple of flyouts advanced the runners and scored a run, and a Paul Toetz homer made it 3-0 in favor of Georgia early.

Coppola gave a leadoff homer in the second and was pulled in the third after putting the first two runners in scoring position. [autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] took over and stranded both runners after striking out a pair.

Clemente sat down the first seven batters he faced only to get the intentional walk sign from the dugout with Condon at the plate. That threw off Clemente’s rhythm. Tre Phelps doubled for the second time, and a groundout brought in a run.

Toetz added another RBI to his stat line with a single to left and income [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] took over for Clemente, allowing another run to score on a double before striking out Carter for out No. 3.

Florida didn’t make much noise while Georgia ran up the score, but [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] and [autotag]Brody Donay[/autotag] homered in the third and fourth, respectively, to put something on the board.

The Gators didn’t score again until the ninth. Heyman homered for the second time, but that just made it a five-run game.

Recapping the rest of the arms Florida threw in the loss: [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] walked the only batter he faced, Ryan Slater gave up a home run to Carter in the seventh and [autotag]Frank Menendez[/autotag] pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings despite allowing three baserunners (two walks, one hit).

Florida needs to win on Friday to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament. First pitch has been moved up to 1 p.m. ET in anticipation of inclement weather.

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Four Florida freshmen on Perfect Game’s 2026 Draft Board

Florida’s freshman class has a ton of talent, and four players are getting draft mentions early on in their collegiate careers.

The college baseball season is in full swing, which means scouts are getting in-game looks at the guys who will make up the bulk of the 2026 MLB draft.

Four Florida freshmen are standing out so far and made Perfect Game’s first in-season 2026 Draft Board.

Saturday starter Liam Peterson is looking like a first-round pick and checks in at No. 6 on this list. He’s considered the top college arm in the class, with Arkansas’ Gabe Gaeckle and LSU’s Cameron Johnson close behind. Peterson has struggled lately, but he’s still a freshman facing SEC lineups. That kind of experience is invaluable for a talented arm.

At No. 28 on the list is left-handed reliever Frank Menendez. Although his numbers haven’t been good through five appearances (20.25 ERA over 1.1 innings pitched), he’s flashed some good stuff as he finds his footing on a college mound. The Gators have used him in high-leverage and matchup situations mostly.

Right-hander Luke McNeillie is at No. 47 on the list. He started the season as a potential midweek starter for Florida, but he’s looked better in relief situations. There’s closer potential in him, but he’s got starter stuff, similar to Brandon Neely.

Rounding out the quarter of Gators on this list is outfielder Hayden Yost at No. 65 overall. Yost has appeared in more than half of Florida’s games so far, including two midweek starts against Bethune-Cookman and UCF. Yost’s glove will play at the college level, perhaps in center field, and he’s figuring things out at the plate.

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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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