Tag: Hunter Barco

Game Preview: Florida baseball opens regional play against Central Michigan

This could be a great pitching duel if Sproat and Taylor are both on their game.

After a surprising run to the championship game of the SEC Tournament, the Florida baseball team is ready to start regional play, and first up are the Central Michigan Chippewas. Liberty and Oklahoma will square off in the early game, and the Gators get the nightcap on Day 1 of the Gainesville Regional at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

Both teams will be throwing their respective aces. [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] has, of course, stepped into the role for the Gators over the last month or so since [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag]’s injury. He’s performed well, but he’ll have to outduel another legitimate ace in Central Michigan’s Andrew Taylor. His fastball touched the upper 90s and he can rack up strikeouts in a hurry.

Florida should be going with its new and improved lineup that features [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] in the designated hitter spot and [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] in right field or off the bench depending on the matchup. [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] has also moved into the three-hole in the lineup and pushed [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] down to fifth. Both have excelled in their new spots.

Riopelle also played first base toward the end of the SEC Tournament which gave his knees rest but also allowed [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag] to come in and hit the ball as well as he ever has. [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] was utilized as a pinch hitter for a struggling [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] late in a game too, so he’s not totally out of the mix if Florida decides to go with that lineup at any point.

Hitting-wise, Caglianone and [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] have been stellar. Since moving into the leadoff spot, Langford is slashing .420/.547/.877 and leading the team in almost every major offensive statistic. He’s now on the hunt to break the single-season record of 26 set by Matt LaPorta (who was also a sophomore at the time) in 2005.

It won’t be easy, but Florida has set itself up to compete in this regional and advance to supers. Starting things off with a win is crucial, though.

Game Preview: Gators looking for revenge vs Vols in SEC Tournament championship

After outscoring Alabama and Texas A&M 20-6 on Saturday, the Gators will play for the SEC Tournament championship against Tennessee at 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday.

Florida baseball was mercy-ruled by Texas A&M on Thursday and there were few at that point who would have predicted a Gators run to the championship game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, but that’s precisely where [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] and Co. find themselves on Sunday staring down No. 1 Tennessee in Hoover, Alabama.

The Gators were swept by the Volunteers at home in late April and the Tennessee players celebrated with some of the football team’s gear. That rubbed Gator Nation the wrong way and had many questioning whether the baseball team wrote a check the football team couldn’t cash come the fall. Before [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s group gets a chance at revenge, the baseball team will get another shot at the Vols and it comes while UF is playing its best ball of the season.

In a split-double header against Alabama and No. 5 Texas A&M on Saturday, Florida outscored its opponents 20-6, including a 9-0 revenge shutout of the Aggies. There’s no guarantee that things carry over from day to day, but the entire lineup is hitting well and, perhaps even more shockingly, the pitching has held up like a College World Series caliber staff would.

The problem is Florida has run deep into its well of pitchers and we’re approaching short-rest territory with plenty of relievers and maybe even a starter. Regionals begin on June 3, so running [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] out there on four-days rest is a bit iffy considering he’ll have to go again so soon. That said, who is left? [autotag]Garrett Milchin[/autotag]? [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag]? Against Tennessee, you want [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] or Sproat, and the former is shut down for the year.

Whoever it is, they’ll need some run support against the best offense in the country. [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] seems to be back to his normal hitting self and [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] continues to make the SEC coaches pay for not naming him to the conference’s First Team. The bottom of the order is also hitting well. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] is the hottest No. 6 hitter in the country right now, and even [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag] is out there blasting home runs in multi-hit games.

Everything is rolling for the Gators right now. They just need to finish it off.

“We’re here,” [autotag]Timmy Manning[/autotag] said. “We might as well win.”

Game Preview: Florida baseball facing elimination in SEC Tournament, Arkansas up next

After an ugly loss to Texas A&M, Florida needs to change just about everything to beat Arkansas.

Florida baseball is facing elimination from the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Friday after getting mercy-ruled by Texas A&M Thursday. Third-seeded Arkansas will be the Gators’ opponent with a scheduled pitch time of 10:30 a.m. EDT, according to the team’s social media.

It’s a tough draw for the Gators considering many expected Alabama to lose to Arkansas. Instead of facing an easy bounce-back game against the Crimson Tide, Florida is staring down the No. 13 team in the country and the No. 3 team in the conference.

The good news is that the Gators know they can beat the Razorbacks. Florida took two of three games during the regular season to claim the series, and that came in the middle of a tough stretch for the club. UF did have trouble hitting Arky’s No. 1, Connor Noland, though, and that’s likely who will be on the mound with elimination on the line.

In the end, it might not matter who pitches for the Razorbacks considering the Gators only manage one hit against a starter who came into the game with a 6.10 ERA. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag]’s single in the second was the only Florida hit of the ballgame, and everyone but [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] looked uncomfortable at the plate.

Then, there’s the pitching problem. [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] had his breakout start against Arkansas back in April as Florida looked for its No. 3 starter. He earned that spot as a true freshman but is now relied on as the No. 2 behind [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag]with [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] out for the year. [autotag]Nick Pogue[/autotag] has had ups and downs in the starting rotation, but he’s not the guy you want out there in a must-win game.

It’s a bad situation all around Florida, but the only way out is to play through it, so that is what they’ll have to do. Hopefully, Kevin O’Sullivan can come up with the pep talk of the century to draw the Gators out of their funk.

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.

[mm-video type=video id=01g3sq65b67sdvptkjw2 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g3sq65b67sdvptkjw2/01g3sq65b67sdvptkjw2-197c62ebc9982f7edd4c3c0204fbd77d.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=84270,84253,84221,84138]

Follow usĀ @GatorsWireĀ on Twitter and like our page onĀ FacebookĀ to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

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.

These two Gators are projected 2022 MLB draft first round picks

Florida’s outfield is filled with first-round talent, according to MLB.com.

Kevin O’Sullivan has developed several big-league talents at the University of Florida, but the Gators haven’t had a player selected in the first round of the MLB draft since 2018 when a trio heard their names called. That should change in the upcoming 2022 draft, though, as MLB.com projects Florida outfielders [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jud Fabian [/autotag]to go at Nos. 25 (New York Yankees) and 28 (Houston Astros), respectively.

Fabian gambled on himself and turned down more than $2 million from the Boston Red Sox last season. If he goes in the first, even if it’s behind a teammate of his, that gamble will have paid off and he’ll be richer for it. Twenty-eighth isn’t too far from the second round, though, so he’ll have to keep up his SEC-leading home run pace to stay in the conversation.

The walks are up and strikeouts are down as well, but Fabian has struggled against SEC pitching. He’s batting just .176 against the conference and could continue to struggle as competition picks up. The weekend series against Missouri and South Carolina could be chances to boost those numbers, though.

Thompson has been one of Florida’s best hitters this season without question and plenty of teams like his left-handed bat. He’s slashing .351/.436/.568 and those numbers hardly drop off against the tougher competition. The power numbers are still coming along too with Thompson. He can hit the ball as far as anyone on the team but hasn’t been able to tap into it consistently just yet.

A strong postseason could bump him up a few picks, but Thomspon seems like a lock for the first round.

One has to imagine that [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] would be on this list if not for Tommy John surgery. His return to Florida is still in question, but there’s money to be made if he does opt to come back for another year after recovering.

[mm-video type=video id=01g2tjy72gxzzkgtemb2 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2tjy72gxzzkgtemb2/01g2tjy72gxzzkgtemb2-58e19f3de57855c69ec31ad89976581f.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=83617,83266,82881]

[listicle id=83784]

Follow usĀ @GatorsWireĀ on Twitter and like our page onĀ FacebookĀ to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

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.

Series preview: Florida travels to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs

Florida baseball needs to at least grab the series versus the Mississippi State Bulldogs this weekend.

Florida baseball head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] received devastating news on Tuesday that his team will have to finish the rest of its season without ace [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag]. He announced via his social media that he won’t play another game this season and will undergo Tommy John surgery.

That’s a tough blow for the Gators that are in a last-minute push to make the NCAA tournament. They have another chance to improve their resume when they travel to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs this weekend.

In Barco’s absence, starter [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] has stepped up quite nicely. He has only allowed four hits and two earned runs in 17 1/3 innings over his last three starts. O’Sullivan will need Neely to keep his dominance going if Florida wants to grab the series this weekend.

Florida’s pitching staff implodes in series finale versus Kentucky Wildcats

The Kentucky Wildcats dodged the series sweep versus Florida baseball on Sunday, winning 8-1 at Condron Ballpark.

Florida baseball’s pitching staff struggled mightily on Sunday. The Gators surrendered eight runs on 11 hits in the season finale after only giving up three in the previous two games that allowed the Kentucky Wildcats to the take series finale, 8-1, at Condron Ballpark.

O’Sullivan named pitcher [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] the Sunday starter. He entered the weekend rotation after ace [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] was ruled out indefinitely on April 20 with elbow discomfort. Slater only went 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits and four earned runs.

Kentucky’s third baseman Chase Estep kicked off the ball game with a single to center field. He advanced to third after a ground out and a wild pitch and was then driven home on a sacrifice fly.

First baseman Jacob Plastiak then doubled the Wildcats’ lead when he blasted a Slater pitch to center field. The Florida starterĀ ran into more trouble in the fourth inning. He allowed a lead-off single, and then center fielder John Thrasher went yard to increase the Wildcats’ lead to 4-1.

O’Sullivan’s bullpen then imploded in the final innings allowing four more runs, letting Kentucky dodge the series sweep and win 8-1.

The Gators will host South Florida on Tuesday at Condron Ballpark at 6 p.m. EDT. The game can be seen on SEC Network+.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1gqdecftzmqk82b42 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1gqdecftzmqk82b42/01g1gqdecftzmqk82b42-a08b663706c51a760c462832c7e3b72c.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=83266,83199]

Follow usĀ @GatorsWireĀ on Twitter and like our page onĀ FacebookĀ to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Florida’s bats catch fire versus Kentucky Wildcats in series opener

It’s good to see Florida’s offense find its rhythm after the entire lineup struggled mightily last weekend versus Tennessee.

Florida baseball head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] elected to move left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] up to the top of the order and drop second baseman [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] to the sixth spot in the order. The move paid off and helped the Gators’ offense get back on track on Friday as Langford went two for four with a home run and two RBIs and the team pushed across nine runs in a 9-2 victory versus Kentucky at Condron Ballpark.

The Gators still had pitcher [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] replacing ace [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] who was ruled out on April 20 indefinitely with elbow discomfort. He recorded another strong outing like he did last weekend versus No. 1 Tennessee. He went 5 1/3 innings while only allowing five hits, three walks, no earned runs and five strikeouts.

Florida wasted little time attacking Wildcats’ starter Mason Hazelwood. Langford took him yard to open the ball game.

The Gators then wouldn’t notch another hit until the fifth inning when shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag] doubled to left field. Three-straight singles followed Rivera’s double to increase their lead to 2-0. In the next at-bat, Hazelwood plunked right fielder [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] to walk home a run. Florida tacked on two more runs later in the inning via sacrifice flies from center fielder [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] and first baseman [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag].

Florida added on three more runs in the sixth inning and one more in the eighth. Kentucky broke the shutout when it blasted a home run off of reliever [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] and smacked another one in the bottom of the ninth to get to the final score of 9-2.

The Gators did a great job of not fooling around with this unranked Kentucky squad and proceeded to set the tone for the rest of the weekend. Florida and the Wildcats return to Condron Ballpark for Game 2 on Saturday at 6 p.m. EDT.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1gqdecftzmqk82b42 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1gqdecftzmqk82b42/01g1gqdecftzmqk82b42-a08b663706c51a760c462832c7e3b72c.jpg]

[listicle id=83174]

Follow usĀ @GatorsWireĀ on Twitter and like our page onĀ FacebookĀ to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.