Tag: Jac Caglianone

Two Gators named to USA Baseball 2024 Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List

Florida’s two power bats, Jac Caglianone and Colby Shelton, have made the 45-man midseason watch list for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award.

Two Florida Gators — first baseman/left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone and shortstop Colby Shelton — made the 2024 Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List on Thursday, according to USA Baseball.

“We are honored to acknowledge the top forty-five amateur players in the nation for their stellar performances so far this season,” said USA Baseball CEO/Executive Director Paul Seiler. “There is unbelievable talent up and down the entire amateur baseball landscape, and the players on this list represent the best of the best.”

Caglianone is near the top of the SEC in every major offensive statistic. He’s slashing .391/.480/.781 with 16 home runs and 34 runs batted in. He’s walked (18) more than he’s struck out (14), and then there’s the pitching side of his game.

Cags had one of the best earned run averages of any starter in the country coming into the Missouri game, but a short outing inflated his numbers. Still, a .183 opposing batting average reveals that Caglianone has been dominant over seven starts.

Shelton doesn’t have quite the resume that Caglianone does, but his power numbers have kept him in the Golden Spikes conversation all year. With 15 home runs so far, Shelton should easily cross the 20 threshold and push for 30.

Caglianone is one of four 2023 semifinalists to make the midseason cut. He remains one of the frontrunners to win the award.

The complete list can be found here.

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D1Baseball tabs Florida’s Jac Caglianone as best midseason college draft prospect

Jac Caglianone has been held the title of potential first-round pick for some time. Could he be the top college prospect in the 2024 cycle?

The 2024 MLB draft is only three months away, and Jac Caglianone’s monster junior season has him in the conversation for the first overall pick.

On Wednesday, D1Baseball’s David Seifert released his midseason top 100 college prospects, keeping Florida’s two-way sensation on top of the rankings.

Caglianone is slashing .397/.481/776 with 14 home runs and 30 runs batted in over 28 games (135 plate appearances).

“The top spot remains occupied by two-way star Jac Caglianone (Florida), but one could argue that Charlie Condon (Georgia), Travis Bazzana (Oregon State), Chase Burns (Wake Forest), Hagen Smith (Arkansas) or even the injured J.J. Wetherholt (West Virginia) is deserving of 1-1 overall,” Seifert wrote.

“However, King Jac possesses well-documented tools that include the ability to throw a baseball 100 mph and hit one in excess of 115, both from the left side. Nobody else in college baseball, maybe even the world of baseball, can come close to that combination of power/throw tools, once again from the LEFT side.”

Caglianone’s spot on top of the college baseball world is far from guaranteed. Any of the players mentioned above — and a few not mentioned — could leapfrog him if Cags slows down even a little in the second half of the season.

“If there comes a time to remove Jac from his throne, we will, just like we switched Dylan Crews for Paul Skenes in the top spot of our final prospect rankings last season.”

Shelton, Heyman also make top 100

Florida shortstop Colby Shelton and catcher Luke Heyman also made the top 100, ranked Nos. 26 and 90, respectively. Both players will be 21 by the draft and are draft-eligible sophomores.

Shelton has the better odds to go on the first day, but Heyman has suffered a bit of a sophomore slump which could lead to him returning to Gainesville for another year. Tanner Garrison has taken over his spot at catcher, shifting Heyman over to first base and designated hitter. If pro teams don’t see enough from him behind the plate, his draft stock could drop.

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Caglianone delivers walk-off win to claim Mississippi St. series

Jac Caglianone is the guy Florida wanted at the plate down a run in the bottom of the ninth, and he came through to avoid his first pitching loss of the season.

Florida only managed four hits agaisnt Mississippi State on Sunday, but the Gators made them all count, winning, 4-3, on a two-run, walk-off home run from Jac Caglianone.

The comeback started with Ty Evans taking a ball to the elbow, but it set up a walk-off opportunity for the Gators’ most dangerous bat, and Cags did not miss his pitch. He crushed a ball over the right field wall for his team-leading 13th home run of the season and Florida’s 16th win of the year.

“There’s no better way to start Easter man,” Caglianone said. “The whole thing for me was move the ball and get Ty into scoring position… it just turned out that way.”

Another solid outing

Caglianone also started on the mound for Florida, as he does every Sunday. He carried a no-hitter into the fifth but a hustle double from Connor Hujsak to lead off the inning set up the first run of the game.

More trouble came in the sixth for Caglianone. He walked four batters, one with the bases loaded, and got the hook in favor of Luke McNeillie. Caglianone said that he wasn’t happy with the way things ended on the mound, but it was his job to make up for it at the plate.

The freshman is settling in

McNeillie was tabbed as the fourth starter in the rotation to start the season, but he struggled during the midweek and moved to a bullpen role where he has shined.

He’s thrown 10 innings across five appearances without giving up a run, including 3 1/3 frames today. McNeillie has struck out 14 batters over that stretch compared to just four walks.

One aspect of it is that McNeillie can let loose as a reliever, even if he’s expected to throw multiple innings. As a starter, pitchers typically ramp up their velocity over five or more innings, but relievers can come out throwing as hard as they can. McNeillie touched 97 mph with his fastball today, punching out the best bat in MSU’s lineup.

Another series win for Florida

The Gators have yet to lose a series in SEC play, which bodes well for tournament play, but there are obvious depth issues in Gainesville. Also, both of these wins required walk-offs — not just comebacks — to win.

Florida is back at Condron Family Ballpark on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET to host Florida A&M. Then, the Gators hit the road for another SEC series, but it’s against the worst team in the league, Missouri.

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Florida mercy rules LSU to secure weekend series win

Florida ended its weekend series in Baton Rouge an inning early with a mercy-rule victory over the LSU that also gave the Gators the series.

Florida got the last laugh in Baton Rouge this weekend as the Gators defeated the LSU Tigers, 12-2, via the mercy rule on Sunday to win an important three-game series.

Jac Caglianone didn’t have his best stuff, but he went seven innings strong for Florida. Caglianone struggled with command, walking five batters. He struck out five to even the ratio and only gave up two earned runs (one earned). Somehow, Caglianone improved on the 1.77 ERA he had coming into this game.

“Experience and comfortability,” Caglianone said when asked what’s changed for him over the past season. “When I have an offense like this to kind of back me up on Sundays, there’s no better feeling than knowing you have a two-run lead and you’ve just got to hold it.

“Keep the composure, not let anything spiral and that’s kind of what we did. We took care of it today.”

Florida’s bats caught fire in the fifth, leading to a six-spot on the scoreboard. Colby Shelton and Cade Kurland hit two-run homers, and Luke Heyman drove in two more with a double. Shelton homered again in the sixth, putting him in a five-way tie for fourth-most in the country with 12 on the year.

Ty Evans, Jac Caglianone and Shelnut hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the eighth. With the run rule in effect, Florida’s closer Brandon Neely came in to close out the win. He struck out the first two batters on six pitches but missed the immaculate inning on the ninth pitch.

A grounder to end the game early is just as good, though, and Florida takes the series after things looked bleak halfway through Game 2 on Saturday.

The lineup change Kevin O’Sullivan initiated after Game 1 seemed to really affect the team. Maintaining that energy moving forward will be key. Peaking at the beginning of SEC play is still a reality with so much competition around the league.

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Caglianone ties up LSU series with extra-inning heroics

Florida battled back to force extra innings and the most dangerous bat in the lineup came up big when the Gators needed him most.

It took 11 innings, but the Florida Gators evened up a crucial weekend series with the LSU Tigers, 6-4, on Saturday night thanks to a two-run home run in extras from Jac Caglianone.

Florida struggled to hit LSU starter Gage Jump, but it chipped away at a two-run lead once the bullpen came in. Liam Peterson only went 4 1/3 innings for Florida, but the bullpen threw six scoreless to back him up.

Peterson’s fastball worked up to 97 mph, but he controlled it better around 94-95 mph. Peterson’s curveball and changeup both have a ton of potential, but LSU figured out his arsenal by the second time around.

Jump walked the first batter he faced and put him in scoring position with a wild pitch, but he settled in to retire the next six in a row. He hit Tanner Garrison to start the third, but a nice play to get the force at second helped him out of the inning without giving up a run.

That’s when Peterson broke. A one-out single appeared harmless enough, but a line drive at third baseman Dale Thomas scored the first run of the game for LSU. Thomas knocked down the ball but made a bad throw to first, one that Jac Caglianone couldn’t save.

The run shouldn’t have scored, but Caglianone couldn’t find the play at the plate once he corraled the ball. Peterson got out of the inning without giving up a second run, despite a walk to Tommy White.

Florida responded immediately, tying things up on a double play and taking the lead on a single from Thomas against the shift.

Peterson gave things up immediately, though.

Hayden Travinski hit a solo shot in the fourth, and Mac Bingham and Jared Jones went deep in the fifth to put LSU up, 4-2. Kevin O’Sullivan let Peterson keep working through the three solo home runs, but he pulled the freshman after another double and a walk.

Left-hander Frank Menendez came in to get out of the jam and earned the double-play ball he was looking for. Cade Kurland couldn’t make a good throw, though, extending the inning. A flyout to right ended the fifth instead.

Menendez came back out for a sixth and struck out Steven Milam, but a four-pitch walk brought in Luke McNeillie. Tanner Garrison threw out his sixth baserunner of the season to erase the walk, but McNeillie gave up a free base himself before ending the frame.

Gage finally left the game after hurling a career-high 105 pitches. Gavin Guidry replaced him and dispatched Thomas using just three pitches. Guidry and McNeillie both pitched through the seventh and into the eighth. LSU went to the bullpen first, following a leadoff hustle double from Ty Evans.

Left-hander Nate Ackenhausen entered to give Caglianone a bad matchup. Cags rifled a ball up the middle into the shift, but the infield couldn’t handle it (despite an infield hit ruling). Things fell flat quickly after Shelnut struck out and Luke Heyman popped out on the first pitch he saw.

Kurland put together an ugly at-bat with two outs, but he sworded so badly that the catcher lost the ball and a run scored.

McNeillie nearly made it through the eighth, but Kurland failed to finish off another double play. Tough night for the sophomore standout. Sully changed the lineup too, moving Kurland out of the leadoff spot and replacing him with Colby Shelton, followed by Evans, Caglianone, Shelnut and Luke Heyman. Landon Russell also got the start in center field.

Ashton Wilson pinch hit for Garrison and drew a crucial leadoff walk. He moved over to second on a groundout that brought LSU three strikes away from a series win, but Evans had different plans. A line drive to center scored Michael Roberts, the pinch runner for Wilson, setting up extra innings.

Florida turned to its closer Brandon Neely to hold the tie. No trouble. Neely retired the three batters he faced in order, but a pinch-hitting situation forced him out of the game.

The Gators loaded the bases in the top of the 10th and gave up the designated hitter spot to bring in Jaylen Guy, but the Tigers got out of the inning without giving up a run.

Ryan Slater entered for Landon Russell, who started in center field and swapped with Guy who came in for the pitcher. To recap, no runs scored, no more designated hitter, Guy in centerfield and Slater on the bump. Yes, it’s confusing.

Slater sat LSU down, 1-2-3, bringing up the top of Florida’s betting order. Evans punched his third hit of the night into the outfield, bringing up Caglianone for the dagger.

The crowd silenced immediately after the ball cleared the fence, and a two-out single from White in the bottom of the frame hardly brought back the energy.

Slater closed things out, tying the series and forcing a rubber match on Sunday.

Caglianone will take the mound for Florida at 3 p.m.

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Shelnut homer gives Florida series win over Texas A&M

Another strong outing from Jac Caglianone kept Florida in it with TAMU and outfielder Tyler Shelnut hit a series-deciding homer.

Florida defeated Texas A&M, 4-2, on Sunday to win a three-game series that opened SEC play.

After two nights of early scoring, Sunday’s affair stayed at a 2-2 tie until the penultimate frame. Left fielder Tyler Shelnut delivered a go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth to cap off a massive weekend and give Florida the win.

Several questionable losses through the first 17 games of the season had experts asking questions about Florida and its bullpen, but beating Texas A&M in a three-game series supports the top-10 ranking UF has held onto since the start of the year. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Gators climb in certain polls, even though it was a 2-2 week.

Jac Caglianone struggled in the opening frame, needing 29 pitches to get his first three outs. An error by Cade Kurland — his fourth of the year at second base — scored an unearned run, but Caglianone got out of the bases-loaded jam without further issue. Kurland made up for his mistake with an RBI single up the middle in the second, scoring Tyler Shelnut.

Both teams struggled to move runners around the bases over the next few innings. Shelnut doubled to lead off the fourth, but it was Texas A&M that broke the tie in the fifth with a Braden Montgomery home run, his second in the past 24 hours.

Florida responded quickly, though. Luke Heyman hit a solo shot to tie it back up. Heyman entered the at-bat 1-for-11 over the weekend, but he ended up making a difference in the series. Caglianone provided the only hit for Florida after between Heyman’s home run and his next at-bat, and he was tagged out trying to stretch it into a double.

Heyman singled through the left side top open the bottom of the eighth, but it looked like Florida would strand another batter after two quick outs. Shelnut sent a missile of a line drive to the left field wall. It cleared the left fielder’s glove by inches and was hit hard enough to zoom over the wall too.

The home plate umpire signaled home run immediately, but Shelnut got caught in a rundown between second and third base before realizing the call. Two-run homer. Shelly celly. Florida leads, 4-2. But could the bullpen finish the job?

Caglianone left the mound after 107 pitches and 5 1/3 innings pitched. He gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and five walks while striking out seven. It’s not his best line of the year, but keeping the Aggies’ lineup quiet for five innings is impressive. More importantly, he looked like an ace ready to pitch a big series’s deciding game.

Ryan Slater took over for him to get through the sixth, and then Kevin O’Sullivan turned to his close, Brandon Neely, in the seventh for the second time this weekend. Neely wouldn’t finish off the game, but he left in line for the win.

Freshman Luke McNeillie earned his first career save in dramatic fashion. He gave up a leadoff single after not getting a strike three call, but McNeillie struck out Jace LaViolette and got Montgomery to ground into a fielder’s choice.

Montgomery’s ball nearly ended up being a game-ending double play, but a review confirmed that he beat the throw to first in time. McNeillie locked back in to induce another ground ball to end the game for real.

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Jac Caglianone named to 2024 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List

The preseason watch list for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award came out on Friday, and Florida’s Jac Caglianone is the first player mentioned.

Florida first baseman and left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone leads the 55-man 2024 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List released on Friday by USA Baseball.

Caglianone finished as a finalist for the award in 2023, but LSU‘s Dylan Crews was named the best amateur baseball player in the nation. Naturally, Caglianone returns as a favorite to win the award in 2024, with Crews and the other finalist, Paul Skenes, now turned pro.

A year ago, Caglianone set the BBCOR-era record for home runs in a season with 33. He won’t have to top his own number to win the Golden Spikes, but doing so might lock things up for him without much debate. The other path to winning the award involves Caglianone taking a step forward on the mound and becoming a realistic two-way prospect in the pros.

High velocity from the left side is coveted at any level of baseball, but pitching in the majors (or minors) requires accuracy. If Caglianone can prove to scouts that he has control of his 98-99 mph fastball, a slight dip offensively won’t matter at all.

It won’t be easy to beat out some of nation’s best, though. Several SEC stars made the list, including Georgia‘s Charlie Condon, South Carolina’s Ethan Petry, Arkansas‘ Hagen Smith and LSU’s Tommy White — all of whom were semifinalists a year ago.

Perhaps the biggest threat to Caglianone’s Golden Spikes pursuit is Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz. He plays the  same position and is expected to be a top-5 pick in the upcoming draft. North Carolina‘s Vance Honeycutt is another name to watch from the ACC.

The 2024 Golden Spikes Award timeline is as follows:

  • April 4: Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List announced.
  • May 20: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, and fan voting begins.
  • June 3: Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends.
  • June 5: Golden Spikes Award finalists are announced, and fan voting begins.
  • June 21: Golden Spikes Award finalists’ fan voting ends.
  • June 23: Golden Spikes Award winner announced.

The last Gator to win the award was catcher Mike Zunino in 2012.

A complete list of the 55-player 2024 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List is as follows:

Name; Position; School; Conference

Matt Ager; RHP; UC Santa Barbara; Big West
Wehiwa Aloy; INF; Arkansas; SEC
Billy Amick; INF; Tennessee; SEC
Ethan Anderson; C/UTIL; Virginia; ACC
Travis Bazzana; INF; Oregon State; Pac-12
Kevin Bazzell; C/INF; Texas Tech; Big 12
Drew Beam; RHP; Tennessee; SEC
Derek Bender; C/INF; Coastal Carolina; Sun Belt
Carson Benge; OF/RHP; Oklahoma State; Big 12
Brody Brecht; RHP; Iowa; Big Ten
Chase Burns; RHP; Wake Forest; ACC
Jac Caglianone; 1B/LHP; Florida; SEC
Cam Caminiti; LHP/OF; Saguaro HS (AZ)
Cam Cannarella; OF; Clemson; ACC
Charlie Condon; 1B/OF; Georgia; SEC
Jacob Cozart; C; NC State; ACC
Kaelen Culpepper; INF; Kansas State; Big 12
Randy Flores; INF; Alabama State; SWAC
Rodney Green Jr.; OF; California; Pac-12
Konnor Griffin; OF/RHP; Jackson Prep (MS)
Lawson Harrill; OF; Campbell; CAA
Josh Hartle; LHP; Wake Forest; ACC
Jake Hjelle; OF; Minnesota-Crookston (DII); NSIC
Luke Holman; RHP; LSU; SEC
Carter Holton; LHP; Vanderbilt; SEC
Vance Honeycutt; OF; UNC; ACC
Jeremiah Jenkins; INF; Maine; America East
Ryan Johnson; RHP; Dallas Baptist; C-USA
Lebarron Johnson Jr.; RHP; Texas; Big 12
Dakota Jordan; OF; Mississippi State; SEC
Gavin Kash; INF; Texas Tech; Big 12
Seaver King; INF; Wake Forest; ACC
Sam Kulasingam; INF; Air Force; Mountain West
Nick Kurtz; OF/INF; Wake Forest; ACC
Jace LaViolette; OF; Texas A&M; SEC
Shane Lewis; OF; Troy; Sun Belt
Caleb Lomavita; C; California; Pac-12
Cole Messina; C; South Carolina; SEC
Braden Montgomery; OF/RHP; Texas A&M; SEC
Christian Moore; INF; Tennessee; SEC
Malcolm Moore; C; Stanford; Pac-12
Tyson Neighbors; RHP; Kansas State; Big 12
Griff O’Ferrall; INF; Virginia; ACC
Ethan Petry; OF/INF; South Carolina; SEC
Tanner Reaves; INF; Blinn CC (JUCO); NJCAA
Brett Sanchez; RHP; Belhaven (DIII); CCS
Nolan Schubart; OF; Oklahoma State; Big 12
Mike Sirota; OF; Northeastern; CAA
Hagen Smith; LHP; Arkansas; SEC
Devin Taylor; OF; Indiana; Big Ten
Payton Tolle; LHP/INF; TCU; Big 12
JJ Wetherholt; INF; West Virginia; Big 12
Tommy White; 3B; LSU; SEC
Trey Yesavage; RHP; East Carolina; AAC
Gage Ziehl; RHP; Miami; ACC

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Florida Baseball 2024 Position Preview: Starting Pitchers

Baseball is almost back, and we’re breaking down each position group at Florida. First up, the starting pitchers.

Baseball season is just two weeks away, so it’s time for Gator Nation to reacquaint itself with the boys who will take the diamond in Orange and Blue this spring.

First up are the starting pitchers. The weekend rotation appears to be settled with two returning lefties and a standout freshman who is up to 98 mph, but there are weekday spots to fill as well. Two freshmen are in line to fill those spots, too, with Brandon Neely staying in the closer role.

Florida fans have to be patient with this staff, though. Replacing Brandon Sproat and Hurston Waldrep is not easy.

Let’s take a look at each of Florida’s starting pitchers for the 2024 season.

Florida star Jac Caglianone ranked second-best 1B by D1Baseball

It’s no secret that Florida first baseman Jac Caglianone is among the best hitters in college baseball, but who is ranked ahead of him in D1Baseball’s positional rankings?

If you’re looking for star power on the Florida Gators baseball roster, it’s hard to miss [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag].

The 6-foot-1-inch, 250-pound Adonis set the record for home runs in a season (during the BBCOR era) last year with 33 and drove in 90 runs for the College World Series runner-ups. Caglianone pitches too — he’s in line to be Florida’s Sunday starter for the second year in a row — but it can’t be overstated how much respect the lefty demands as a hitter.

It makes sense then that D1Baseball ranked him second among first basemen in the country, behind only Wake Forest Nick Kurtz.

If you asked most scouts right now, Caglianone’s future is as a hitter. The raw power is at least a 70-grade tool, and he’s proven that he can handle the best pitching college has to offer. If he didn’t have to split practice time as a pitcher, he’d likely be the top first baseman in the draft class.

Caglianone is the headliner of this team. If his bat doesn’t play, Florida likely won’t be able to make up that lost offense. The same can’t be said if he doesn’t excel on the mound.

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Two Gators named Preseason All-Americans by D1Baseball

Two Florida Gators made it onto D1Baseball’s 2024 Preseason All-America teams, two-way star Jac Caglianone and closer Brandon Neely.

Florida baseball two-way star Jac Caglianone and right-handed pitcher Brandon Neely were named preseason All-Americans by D1Baseball on Monday.

Caglianone landed on the First Team as a utility player since he hits and pitches. The left-handed slugger set the BBCOR-era record for home runs with 33 in 2023 and drove in 90 runs. He’ll be at the heart of Florida’s lineup every night and start games on the mound for the Gators on Sundays this year.

Neely, who is returning as the Gators’ closer this year, lands on the Second Team. He notched 13 saves in 2023, the most among all preseason All-Americans. Neely appeared 34 times for Florida last year, making him one of the more high-usage closers in the country. Not to mention, he routinely came out for multi-inning saves.

The Gators begin the season at home on Friday, February 16 against the St. John’s Red Storm. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET at Condron Family Ballpark.

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