Tag: Kendrick Calilao

2023 Baseball Season Preview: First Basemen

Florida’s talent pool is deep at first base heading into the 2023 season and could wind up being one of Florida’s most improved positions this year.

Florida has at least three players that could see significant time at first base this season, and it could end up being one of the stronger spots on the team in 2023.

The Gators lost [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] to graduation and [autotag]Kris Armstrong[/autotag] to the transfer portal (Jacksonville), leaving catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] as the only returning player with significant time at the position. Riopelle played a decent amount of first base in the second half of the season, partially to get some rest but also because of a surging [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag], who isn’t with the team this year.

Riopelle won’t be the main cornerman this year at Florida, though. At least he shouldn’t be if the rising talent lives up to some lofty expectations set over the offseason. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag], who primarily served as a designated hitter in 2022 after a relatively swift return from Tommy John surgery, will play the field this year, and he’ll also pitch.

The other major player in this rotation will be Sante Fe transfer [autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag]. He could wind up elsewhere by the end of the season, but Kevin O’Sullivan is eyeing first base for him to start the season out. [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] is also an option, but he’s another guy who could see time at multiple positions.

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.

Game Preview: Florida baseball faces elimination against Central Michigan

The Gators are now in do-or-die mode. One loss ends the season. One win gets them to the regional finals later on in the day.

After losing to the Oklahoma Sooners, 9-4, on Saturday, the Florida Gators baseball team needs to knock out Central Michigan in a rematch to advance to the regionals finals against the Sooners later on in the day. If Florida beats OU, then a third and final tiebreaker on Monday will be played to determine who advances to the Super Regional matchup. First things first, though, Florida needs to beat CMU again.

The Gators took down the Chippewas ace and bullpen last time around, and CMU is running thin on pitchers going this deep into the tournament. Florida will trust [autotag]Nick Pogue[/autotag] with the ball and has already shown that it has better depth than most thought in its run to the SEC Tournament championship game. That said, Sully used up four relief guys on Saturday and their availability is up in the air.

Offensively, [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] has struggled in particular, going 0-for-9 with five strikeouts so far in regional play. Florida needs him to be a factor at the top of the order like he’s been all year to make a difference.

On the other hand, moving [autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] into the four-hole and [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] back to the five seems to have worked. Evans knocked in two runs with a big fly Saturday and has been one of the better freshmen on the team along with [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag], who appeared around the same time.

[autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag] also hit a solo shot on Saturday, which creates an argument to keep playing him at catcher and letting [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag]’s knees rest for at least one game. Having [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] off the bench for a clutch pinch-hit is also nice to have in this kind of setting.

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.

Florida baseball steamrolls over Missouri Tigers in series opener

If only that Gators looked this good against every SEC opponent.

Florida baseball kept the winning streak going on Friday night against the Missouri Tigers on the road with a 13-1 victory. [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] got the start for the Gators and looked great while the offense had a field day against the Tigers’ pitching.

However, Florida began with a futile first frame, while Mizzou got on the board bottom half on a solo home run to the second batter that Sproat saw. Besides that blemish, the sophomore sent the rest of the Tigers down for an otherwise clean inning.

The Gators had an immediate answer, scoring a pair in the top of the second on a two-run home run by [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] that scored T[autotag]y Evans[/autotag], who reached on a one-out double. Florida’s right-handed fireballer sent Missouri down in order in the bottom half with a foul out, strikeout and a popup.

The power surge continued in the third when [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] cranked a two-run dinger that scored [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag], who reached on a single to lead things off. [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] drew a two-out walk but the inning ended in a fizzle. Sproat retired the side in 1-2-3 fashion with a pair of Ks followed by an easy groundout to first.

[autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] led off the fourth inning hit parade with a line-drive single up middle, followed by a [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] walk and a bunt base-hit by [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] of all hitters. Riopelle plated a pair on an at-em ball right off the second baseman that ricocheted into the outfield for an error.

But the butterfingers did not stop there as Rivera drove in another Gator on a high bouncer that resulted in a throwing error by the third baseman playing shallow to prevent the run. Up by a 7-1 score, the Gators went down on a K and a groundout to end the rally.

Sproat retired the Tigers in order for the third-straight inning in the fourth, continuing his one-hit effort, while the Gators tacked on five more runs in the top of the fifth thanks in part to a two-run shot off the bat of [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] to make it a 12-1 game.

Florida’s starter continued to deal in the bottom of the frame, once again stymying Mizzou’s offense despite giving a leadoff walk, using a double play and a strikeout to emerge unscathed from the frame. [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] tacked another run on the board with a solo shot in the top of the sixth to keep the rout rolling, making it a 13-1 score.

Nothing really notable happened subsequently and the game ended with that final score. Sproat made it through 6 2/3 innings before giving way to Anthony Ursitti, who spun 2 1/3 innings of no-hit (one walk) ball to close things out.

The Gators seized their sixth-straight win and a crucial opening road game against an SEC opponent. They will return to the field Saturday at 3 p.m. EDT to face the Tigers in Game 2.

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6-run ninth inning secures series win for Florida over Mississippi State

Florida avoided extra innings on Saturday with a six-run ninth against Mississippi State to claim the series.

Florida baseball broke a close game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs wide open in the ninth inning on Saturday with a six-run barrage to win a 9-3 ballgame.

After driving in six runs in the series opener on Friday, catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] got things going early once again for the Gators with a sacrifice fly to left field in the first inning. The Bulldogs responded almost immediately with an RBI single in the bottom half of the frame and then things fell quiet until the fourth. MSU took a one-run lead in the fourth but lost it in the top of the fifth to a [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] double that split the gap in left-center. [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] and Wyatt Langford came around giving the Gators a 3-2 lead.

On the mound, each club had decent nights from their starter that ended earlier than they would have liked. [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] lasted just four innings for Florida after working his pitch count into the upper-80s with seven strikeouts and four walks. Preston Johnson went five innings for Miss. State and also struck out seven while walking five. Florida struggled to get the Bulldogs’ bullpen until the ninth inning.

KC Hunt came in for his second inning of work and ran into trouble quickly. Thompson reached on an infield single to third base to start the inning off. The umpire gifted two strike calls to Hunt and punched out [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] before Riopelle drew a walk. Caglianone doubled again to left scoring Thompson and giving the Gators the lead. The ball should’ve been playable, but the left fielder took a horrible route and broke inward on a ball that was clearly going over his head.

That’s when the floodgates opened up.

[autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] somehow kept a double down the right-field line fair and drove in two more. 6-3, Gators. The Bulldogs got finally got the first out of the inning at home plate on a fielder’s choice from [autotag]Colby Halte[/autotag]r. It didn’t matter much, though, as right fielder Ty Evans homered and made it 9-3.

The bottom half of the frame was a formality for [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] who entered as the third UF reliever of the game in the seventh and closed it out. [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] was the first pitcher out of the bullpen for [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] and [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] followed in his third appearance of the year.

Sully opted to give Evans a rare start in this one. Thompson moved into the infield at second base shifting Halter over to third and pushing [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] out of the lineup. We suggested in a midseason review of the team that removing him temporarily could be a way to shake up the lineup, but it seems this is only a night off for the younger Fabian, according to On3’s Nickย de la Torre.

The Gators will go for the sweep on Sunday against projected starter Cade Smith. After a solid freshman year out of the bullpen, Smith has stepped into a starting role and served as the third-man nicely. Florida’s starter is unknown at this point. First pitch is at 2 p.m. EDT.

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BT Riopelle carries Florida to victory over Mississippi State

Florida baseball catcher BT Riopelle had a perfect night at the dish, carrying the Gators to victory over Mississippi State on Friday.

Florida baseball catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] recognized every pitch the Mississippi State Bulldogs threw at him Friday night. He finished four for four with a double and a home run to go with six RBIs. Riopelle lifted the Gators to an 8-6 victory over Mississippi State in the opening game of their weekend series in Starkville, Mississippi.

Florida quickly spotted starter [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] two runs before he even took the rubber. The Gators loaded the bases, and Riopelle drove in left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] and right fielder [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag].

The Gators picked up where they left off versus the Bulldogs’ starter Brandon Smith. They tacked on four more runs when Langford blasted a solo shot and Riopelle rocketed a three-run homer two batters later.

Florida scored one more run in the fifth when first baseman [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] singled to bring home Riopelle in the fifth giving it a commanding 7-0 lead.

Mississippi State broke through for two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Sproat surrendered back-to-back singles to open the inning. After a strikeout, shortstop Lane Forsythe singled in a run and then second baseman RJ Yeager used a sac fly to drive home another to bring the score to 7-2.

The Gators answered in the next half-inning. Riopelle doubled to drive in Langford.

Head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] called in reliever [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] to enter for Sproat to start the seventh inning. He finished his evening, going six innings and allowing six hits, one walk and two earned runs along with five strikeouts.

Purnell and the Florida defense struggled in the seventh, however. He surrendered two singles to lead off the inning. Then third baseman [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] committed a throwing error, loading the bases. Purnell recorded two outs via a fielder’s choice and a groundout but then gave up another single before O’Sullivan pulled him for [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag], who struck out designated hitter Hunter Hines to retire the side.

Purnell only lasted 2/3 of an inning allowing three hits and three runs but only one of them was earned due to the Fabian error and allowed Mississippi State to get back within striking distance at 8-5.

Pitcher [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] replaced Abner in the eighth. He gave up a lead-off single then O’Sullivan signaled for [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag]. He walked back-to-back Bulldogs to load the bases but escaped the inning only allowing a run.

O’Sullivan returned to Slater in the ninth. He recorded two quick outs but gave up a single to bring the tying run to the dish. Slater got the next batter to ground out to first to secure the 8-6 win.

Florida and the Bulldogs return to Dudy Noble Field for game two of the series Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EDT and can be seen on ESPNU.

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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.

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Florida falters down the stretch vs Vandy, drops weekend series

The Gators were swinging some mightly lumber early on led by BT Riopelle but the pitching completely sputtered.

Florida baseball continued to find ways to seize defeat from the jaws of victory in Southeastern Conference play on Saturday night, surrendering an early lead and ultimately losing in Nashville to the Vanderbilt Commodores, 8-6. The Gators brought the bats in the second game of the weekend series, crushing four dingers โ€” including three by catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] โ€” but simply did not have the pitching needed to keep the team buoyant during a middle-inning push by the opposition.

The first inning was quiet for both teams, but Riopelle led off the second with his first dinger of the day against starter Carter Holton for a 1-0 lead. Gators starter [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] kept the ‘Dores off the board for the opening three frames, going 1-2-3 in the first and third innings while escaping a leadoff hit and a follow-up walk in the second inning.

Florida struck again in the top of the third, landing three runs on a majestic opposite-field two-run Riopelle homer and a [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] round-tripper a batter later; [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] gave the ball a good run himself between the two. Vandy would answer in the bottom half with a leadoff solo home run by Dominic Keegan to get on the board and make it a 4-1 game, signaling the turning point for the Commodores.

The home team added another in the fifth inning and then exploded in the sixth, knocking Sproat out of the game after 5 2/3 innings having given up eight hits and six earned runs โ€” thanks in large part to inherited runners scoring off [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] after his departure. Vanderbilt took a 6-4 lead into the seventh and would not trail again.

The Gators were able to tie things up in the top of the following frame thanks to Riopelle’s third dong โ€” another two-run shot โ€” that gave the Orange and Blue some hope. However, Nesbitt got in trouble, and [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] turned to his most trusted reliever [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] to put out the fire. My friends, I regret to tell you that this story does not end like you hoped, as the sidearmer allowed a runner across the plate and gave the ‘Dores a lead they would not relinquish.

Vanderbilt added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth off [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] before closing things out in the ninth for the win. The two teams meet tomorrow at 1 p.m. EDT on ESPN2 as the Gators try to prevent another SEC road sweep.

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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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