Tag: Jud Fabian

Florida baseball needs extras to prevent sweep by Vanderbilt

Both Fabian brothers went year, and Deric’s dinger couldn’t have come at a better time.

Florida baseball needed an extra inning on Sunday to prevent the sweep against Vanderbilt, but [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] gave the Gators the 4-3 win with a tenth inning shot over the 35-foot wall in left field.

It wasn’t the first clutch homer of the night as the Commodores tied things up in the bottom of the ninth with two strikes and two outs on the board. Down 3-1, designated hitter Jack Bulger hit a two-run home run to left to extend the game. [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] blew the eight-out save but ended up earning the win after coming back out for the tenth.

Nesbitt’s slip-up is unforutnate because it overshadows an exceptional start from [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag]. In the second start of his college career — the first coming last weekend aganst Arkansas — Neely made a strong bid to take over the Sunday slot in the rotation with seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings of one-run baseball. Vanderbilt managed just three hits and one walk against him.

The afternoon began with four-straight singles from Florida. [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] was tagged out trying to swipe second base, but Wyatt Langford’s hit drove in [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] and a [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] fielder’s choice brought in [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] for an early 2-0 lead.

The elder Fabian added an insurance in the form of a long ball to left center field during the third, and Vanderbilt responded in the fifth with a solo shot from first baseman Parker Noland. Scoring opportunities were hard to come by after that until the late-inning drama except for a “triple” by Riopelle in the sixth that was the result of a misplayed fly ball in left. Unfortunately, Riopelle was thrown out at home trying to get the inside-the-park home run.

Although, Florida dropped the series, the Gators ended things on the right note and showed some signs of life in a few areas that have been a concern recently. Neely gave Kevin O’Sullivan everything he needs from a Sunday starter and should get the ball again in Game 3 against Tennessee. Nesbitt was also quite good aside from the home run and tested his stamina with 3 2/3 innings pitched.

If those two can continue to play at this level, Florida’s pitching staff will finally have some depth to fall back on.

The other area of improvement is the clutch hitting from the Fabian brothers. Deric has been struggling, but a go-ahead home run in extras is the kind of at-bat that shifts the long-term momentum for a batter.

Florida will host Stetson on Tuesday before welcoming No. 1 Tennessee into town for a weekend series. Now 6-9 in conference play, Florida needs to take at least one from the best team in the country.

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Gators drop series opener to Vanderbilt in walk-off fashion

Florida’s pitching woes continue in a heartbreaking walk-off loss to Vanderbilt on Friday.

Florida baseball kicked off the Passover-Easter weekend series against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville on Friday night with a heartbreaking 5-4 walk-off loss. The Gators held an early advantage but simply could not hold on for a full nine innings.

[autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] got things started early with a two-run homer following a lead-off full-count walk drawn by [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] to open the game. The round-tripper was the center fielder’s 14th of the season and fifth in SEC play, giving the Gators an early lead.

[autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] took the rubber for Florida and could not keep the ‘Dores off the board in the bottom of the first frame, allowing three straight singles that plated a run after striking out the first two batters he faced. He escaped further damage by sending down the sixth batter he saw swinging.

The second inning went quietly for the Gators, as [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] drew a walk after a leadoff lineout by [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] that was erased by a double play grounded into by [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag]. Vandy, however, tied things up in a 1-0 count with a deep drive to left by Calvin Hewett. Barco buckled down afterward to get the next two outs before a walk and an error on a pickoff attempt put the pitcher in peril but he escaped the jam with a groundout.

[autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] said that Barco was coming off being sick and looked “a little run down” early, so he put [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] in to start the third. A harmless single was all the Commodores could muster, and Florida reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth. Calilao drove in [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag], who opened the inning up with a double and moved over to third on a [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] fly ball to right.

Vanderbilt’s starter, Chris McElvain, was pulled after a [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] single in the top of the fifth for sophomore right-hander Patrick Reilly. Langford eventually brought Fabian home on a single, but Reilly kept Florida quiet through the remainder of the frame.

Ficarrotta came back out for the sixth but four innings of relief was too much to ask for. A four-pitch walk was followed by a single and a sacrifice bunt, and then O’Sullivan brought in [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] to face a single batter. A sac fly to center brought the score to 4-3, and in came [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] to close things out with a strikeout. Unfortunately, Riopelle let a ball go under his legs and to the backstop allowing the tying run to come in without a base hit.

Each team left two runners on base in the seventh, and Florida made yet another pitching change. This time it was the Gators’ ace-in-the-hole [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] for his 20th appearance of the season. The Commodores brought in junior Thomas Schultz in the eighth to counter.

The game threatened to go into extras, but Sully once again leaned too hard on one of his best relievers. Purnell didn’t get single out in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a throwing error by Rivera. An intentional walk loaded the bases, and Jack Bulger sent the fans home happy with a game-winning single into right-center.

The loss isn’t Purnell’s fault and it’s not the first time he’s been left stranded on the mound with no options to bail him out. Pitching depth continues to be a huge problem for this club and Sully continues to misjudge the stamina of his top bullpen arms.

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4 things Florida baseball needs to do to turn the season around

Florida baseball is playing well beneath expectations this season, but it’s not too late to make some changes.

Florida baseball (21-12) seems to take two steps back for every one step forward it makes this season. Coming off a series win over No. 2 Arkansas, the Gators put up a measly two hits against FSU on Tuesday and have little time to correct things before a weekend series with Vanderbilt kicks off over the weekend.

Conference play, in particular, has been rough for Florida with the Gators holding a losing record (5-7) against SEC foes. If the Gators are going to climb back up the rankings and turn into a top-10 team before the postseason, a few things need to change.

UF’s young pitching staff is the main area of concern with question marks in both the starting rotation and the bullpen. The offense is less problematic with a .292  team batting average and top-five ranking in homers, but there are still things to clean up as made evident on Tuesday.

A little more consistency at the plate should allow for some leniency on the mound, but [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] hasn’t found the right formula to go with just yet.

Here’s a look at four areas that Florida needs to improve on if they are going to be competitive down the stretch:

Florida baseball steals one versus No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks to even the series

Florida baseball starter Brandon Sproat propelled the Gators to victory versus the No. 2 Razorbacks.

Florida baseball pitcher [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] has now strung together two strong outings versus No. 23 Georgia last weekend and No. 2 Arkansas after mediocre outings against Alabama and LSU. He shut down the potent Razorbacks lineup Friday night to help his team force the rubber match.

The right-hander went 5 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits, two walks and one earned run while striking out five. His strong start propelled the Gators toward a 7-2 victory Friday at Florida Ballpark to even the series.

Florida’s lineup came out guns blazing after only recording three hits in an 8-1 defeat Thursday. Center fielder [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] doubled after second baseman [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] flew out to center field. Fabian advanced to third on a passed ball and then was driven in by a right fielder [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] sacrifice fly. Left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] then blasted an opposite-field homer to give them a 2-0 advantage after the first inning.

The Gators picked up where they left off in the next inning. Arkansas starter Hagen Smith loaded the bases and walked third baseman [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] to send a runner home. Halter then drove in shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag] to push their lead to 4-0. Catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] snuck a solo shot over the right-center-field wall to add another run.

Arkansas took advantage of a Halter error in the top of the fifth to finally get on the board. Florida responded quickly, earning that run in the bottom half. Riopelle drove in Thompson via a sac fly and first baseman [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] doubled down the left-field line, scoring Langford to increase the lead to 7-1.

The Razorbacks scored one more run when designated hitter Brady Slavens tripled to center field, driving in Braydon Webb.

Florida then held on in the ninth to clinch the 7-2 victory, breaking a six-game losing streak versus SEC opponents. Langford finished the night 2-for-4 with a homer and an RBI. Riopelle went 2-for-3 with a longball and two RBIs. The Gators lineup also only struck out four times versus Arkansas.

They’ll return Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT to play Arkansas at Florida Ballpark for the series victory.

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Florida baseball looks to right ship versus No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks

Florida baseball needs a heroic effort from its pitching staff if it wants to pull the series upset versus No. 2 Arkansas.

Florida baseball plummeted out of the D1Baseball top 25 rankings this week after getting swept by the No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs this past weekend despite defeating No. 5 Florida State in Jacksonville in a mid-week matchup. The road doesn’t get much easier this upcoming weekend or next as the Gators are set to host the No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks and the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers.

Florida rebounded nicely and beat Florida A&M on Tuesday, 13-3, after it lost three straight to the Bulldogs. Center fielder[autotag] Jud Fabian[/autotag], third baseman [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] and first baseman [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] all homered in Tuesday’s game.

The Razorbacks enter Gainesville, holding a 22-5 record. They grabbed two out of three games versus Mississippi State before dropping the series finale, 5-3, in extra innings.

The Gators are in a critical part of their season and in the final stretch where they play five straight SEC weekend series against top 25 teams. Its SEC schedule will then get easier as it finishes the season out playing against four teams that aren’t ranked.

If coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] has any hopes of salvaging this season and making a serious run in the NCAA tournament, he has to find a No. 2 and 3 starter for his weekend rotation. His starters outside of [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] have struggled mightily in SEC play.

Gators can’t prevent Georgia from sweeping weekend series

That’s five Ls in a row to conference foes for the Gators. Something needs to change.

The Florida Gators looked like they were going to leave Athens with at least one win, but terrible pitching late in the game Saturday cost UF the game and gave Georgia the series sweep with a 14-8 victory.

The game figured to be a high-scoring affair with [autotag]Garret Milchin[/autotag] on the mound for Florida and Nolan Crisp getting his first for the Dawgs. Crisp won the battle lasting 4 1/3 innings and giving up three runs. Milchin was pulled before he could record an out in the first inning.

Brandon Neely came in relief of Milchin and worked a solid five innings. He was in line for the win after Florida took advantage of a Georgia error in the fifth and jumped out to a 6-2 lead on a [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] home run. Neely gave up one more run in the fifth before turning the ball over to [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag]. He pitched a clean sixth but was pulled quickly after walking the first two batters in the seventh.

[autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] came to regret that decision as [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] gave up eight runs in the inning (two of them were charged to Abner). The Bulldogs hit back-to-back homers and took a five-run lead that Florida couldn’t cut into with just two innings left to play. [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] tried his best with a two-run dinger of his own in the eighth, but Georgia responded with another three runs in the bottom of the inning.

Jud Fabian could only watch the final strike of the ballgame go by him as Florida dropped its fifth-straight conference game.

The sweep will knock Florida out of the top 15 in next week’s update and it’s time to start asking how long this team will be ranked if it keeps giving away wins like this.

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Florida baseball: Joshua Rivera’s hot streak stays ablaze in victory over FSU

Florida shortstop Joshua Rivera went three-for-four with three RBIs in his team’s 6-3 victory over Florida State.

Florida shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag]’s bat has caught fire since the Gators started SEC play versus Alabama on March 18 resulting in a team-leading .375 batting average. Rivera stayed ablaze at the plate versus Florida State on Tuesday in Jacksonville, finishing 3-for-4 with three RBIs and just a triple shy of the cycle, to help the No. 14 Gators upset the No. 5 Seminoles, 6-3.

Florida State got the lead-off man on base when he doubled down the left-field line and eventually scored for the first run of the game.

Third baseman [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] beat the shift, singling through the right side in the bottom half. Rivera then tied the game up 1-1 with his left-field double to cement a two-out rally.

Head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] pulled starter [autotag]Garrett Milchin[/autotag] after 2 1/3 innings after allowing five hits and one earned run. [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] relieved him but didn’t fare much better, struggling with his command. He only went an inning, giving up a hit, an earned run and three walks.

Left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] made a pair of web gems in the top of the third inning. FSU third baseman Logan Lacy blasted what seemed to be a three-run shot, but Langford ascended the wall and made the snag to rob Lacy. He also finished the inning, making a sliding grab in foul territory to keep the game tied.

Then Langford pushed across the go-ahead run in the bottom half when he beat out the throw to first base to break up the double play. He scored center fielder [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] who walked earlier in the frame.

Ficarrotta walked a batter with the bases loaded to even the game once more. Subsequently, O’Sullivan signaled for pitcher [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag], who struck out back-to-back hitters to end Florida State’s threat.

Langford hammered a lead-off triple in the fifth and cruised home later when designated hitter [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] grounded out to second base to give Florida back the lead, 3-2. Rivera put the exclamation mark on the contest when he blasted a two-run homer to make it 5-2.

Florida and FSU each traded a run in the late innings to get to the final score of 6-3.

The Gators posted 11 hits in their six-run victory over the Seminoles, and right fielder [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] recorded three hits in the game like Rivera. Florida’s pitching staff also held the ‘Noles to only three runs on nine hits.

It’s a big win for O’Sullivan’s club after dropping two straight at home last weekend to LSU.

Florida travels to Georgia for another weekend series that starts Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT and can be seen on ESPN2.

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Explosive fifth inning boosts Florida baseball past LSU in series opener

The fifth inning was a difference-maker again for the Gators.

The fifth frame has been the friendliest out of all nine for Florida baseball’s lineup this season and was so again on Friday night versus LSU. The Gators used the four runs they scored in the inning to knock off the Tigers at Florida Ballpark, 7-2.

Florida second baseman [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] and catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] smacked two solo shots in the first and fourth innings, respectively, to give their team the early lead.

Then came the fifth inning when Florida’s bats caught fire once again as it has done throughout most of the season. Center fielder [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] grounded out to shortstop to score designated hitter [autotag]Khris Armstrong[/autotag]. Right fielder [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] then singled to send third baseman [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] home. Left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] followed, blasting a two-run shot to left field to give the Gators a 6-0 advantage.

Their large outburst increased their season total to 32 in the middle inning. The team as a whole has recorded 164 runs, so 20% of their production has come in that fifth frame.

Coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s team piled on one more run in the sixth, and LSU posted two late runs in the eighth and ninth innings to get to the final score of 7-2.

The Gators’ ace [autotag]Hunter Barco[/autotag] excelled as per usual. He went seven innings, only allowing two hits and zero runs while walking three and hitting two Tigers and striking out eight. The only inning that Barco had trouble was when he walked back-to-back hitters in the fourth, but he escaped a batter later when LSU hit into an inning-ending double play.

Florida’s hitters tallied an efficient seven runs on seven hits and only left six runners on base, while also demonstrating patience in the batter’s box by drawing seven walks. Langford led the way individually, going 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

Florida will try to take the series versus LSU Saturday at 6:30 p.m. EDT and can be seen on SEC Network+.

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Florida baseball gets key player back in 2022 after balking on MLB deal

Fabian is coming back to Gainesville after he couldn’t get an overslot deal from Boston.

Florida baseball got some big news on Saturday, as center fielder Jud Fabian announced on Twitter that he will not be signing with the Boston Red Sox, who drafted him in the second round of the 2021 MLB draft last month. Instead, Fabian is returning to Gainesville with two more years of eligibility in tow.

Fabian was considered a potential first-round pick, but with his slide to the second round, he was expected to look for a deal a good bit above the slotted amount. According to reports, he wanted a $3 million signing bonus from the Red Sox, more than $1 million more than his roughly $1.8 million slotted bonus.

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Jim Callis of MLB.com reported that the two weren’t close to a deal, and it seems that Fabian is choosing to take advantage of the leverage he had in the situation. Interestingly, Boston signed his former teammate, Nathan Hickey, to an overslot deal the day before Fabian announced his return.

Fabian was a top recruit coming out of high school and entered his “COVID” sophomore season in 2021 with legitimate first-overall pick hype. He was much too inconsistent for that to come to fruition, batting .249 on the season and leading the team in strikeouts with 79, 25 more than anyone else on the team.

However, when he could connect, good things happened. He had 20 home runs on the season, more than double any of his teammates, and his 46 RBI was second only to Hickey’s 50. On top of that, he’s an elite center fielder, and he finished with a very solid .971 fielding percentage in 2021.

With Fabian coming back for 2022, the Gators will hope for more boom and less bust from their inconsistent star. Fabian, who is clearly looking for a big-time signing bonus next season, has a lot to prove.

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Boston Red Sox select Jud Fabian in 2nd round of 2021 MLB draft

Fabian will likely ask for more than his slotted amount, and that negotiation process could determine whether he returns to Florida.

Florida center fielder Jud Fabian‘s wait finally came to an end, as he was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2021 MLB draft on Monday. Many projected Fabian to be a first-round pick, but he went unselected in the first 36 picks on Sunday night.

The No. 13 high school recruit in the nation back in 2019, according to Perfect Game, Fabian entered his “COVID” sophomore season in 2021 as a potential No. 1 overall pick.

He was productive in his 59 starts, leading the team in home runs with 20. That mark was tied for second-best in the SEC and ninth-best nationally. He also notched 10 doubles and 46 RBI.

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But Fabian was inconsistent at the plate. He only managed a .249 average, and he struck out 79 times, 25 more than anyone else on the entire team. Still, Fabian is an elite defensive player, finishing with a .971 fielding percentage in 2021.

His slide past the first round could have something to do with a report from D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers, which indicated that Fabian was looking for a hefty signing bonus and would be content with returning to Florida if he doesn’t get what he’s looking for.

With his selection at No. 40, Fabian is slotted to make $1.86 million at signing. But given the fact that he was projected to be selected higher and could leverage a potential return to Florida, he will likely ask for more than the slotted amount.

How that negotiation process progresses with the Red Sox will likely determine whether Fabian will sign or return to school in 2022, but with his early-round selection, it’s very possible his time in the Orange and Blue has come to an end.

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