Tag: Ryan Slater

Florida RHP Ryan Slater selected in 18th round of 2024 MLB draft

It took a while for a Gator to be called on Day 3 of the 2024 MLB draft, but the San Francisco Giants picked Ryan Slater in the 18th round.

The San Francisco Giants selected Florida right-handed redshirt junior [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] in the 18th round of the 2024 MLB draft on Tuesday.

He is the 224th individual selection in program history and the 109th selection of the [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] era.

Slater leaves Florida with a 22-7 record and eight saves. He managed a 5.35 ERA and .260 batting average against over 166 2/3 innings and struck out 140 batters to 61 walks.

Slater was one of a few veteran arms in Florida’s bullpen this season, and he started off as perhaps the most trusted relief arm in Gainesville. Opposing bats started to figure him out as the season went on, though, and his ERA ballooned to a career-high 6.70, while batters averaged .302 off of him.

Fortunately, Slater made a name for himself in 2023, both with the Gators and over the summer in the Cape Cod League. The Giants had a trend of drafting arms that excelled in the Cape.

Slater is the last rostered Gator to be drafted and is likely to leave the program. Florida also saw Jac Caglianone, Brandon Neely and Fisher Jameson drafted over the first two days. Colby Shelton was picked in the 20th round, but it’s a Hail Mary shot from the Washington Nationals.

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Florida advances to regional final after 17-run explosion against Nebraska

The ball was flying in Stillwater Sunday afternoon, but Florida came out on top against Nebraska and advances to the regional final.

A two-hour rain delay in the sixth inning on Sunday allowed Florida’s offense to refocus and explode for 10 runs in a 17-11 victory over Nebraska to advance to the finals of the Stillwater Regional.

Six Gators finished the day with multiple hits and four homered — three coming in the bottom of the seventh. Shortstop [autotag]Colby Shelton[/autotag] led the offense with three hits, including a home run, and four runs batted in. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] also had a homer and four RBI, but a pair of walks slowed him down. [autotag]Dale Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] homered as well.

It wasn’t a great day for pitchers on either side, but five of the runs scored against Florida came in garbage time as [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] attempted to save his best bullpen arms for the coming matchup with Oklahoma State — set to begin 55 minutes after the conclusion of this game.

[autotag]Pierce Coppola[/autotag] gave up four runs through a season-high 4 1/3 innings pitched (85 pitches), striking out eight. Fisher Jameson had his outing interrupted by the rain delay, but he still allowed two earned runs in against the four batters he faced.

[autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] and [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] both had nice days but only threw an inning apiece with the doubleheader looming. They each had two strikeouts, facing a combined seven batters (one more than the minimum).

[autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag], Hunter Jones and Landon Russell closed out the final two innings for Florida. Jones and Purnell were both very hittable and gave up five runs to cut a double-digit lead for UF in half, but Russell got the outs he needed and struck out a pair.

Two names we haven’t seen from Florida all weekend are freshmen [autotag]Luke McNeillie[/autotag] and Frank Menendez. Both have been good for Florida down the stretch. Expect them to play a big role if [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] doesn’t get the start for Florida.

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Florida bats go quiet against Oklahoma State in rout

Oklahoma State hit Jac Caglianone early, and Florida’s offense never found a rhythm against Brian Holiday. The Gators the Huskers again on Sunday, facing elimination.

Florida couldn’t muster up much offense against Brian Holiday and the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday night in a 7-1 loss at the Stillwater Regional.

The Gators’ offense struck out 10 times, reaching safely just twice through nine innings. Tyler Shelnut doubled with two outs in the second inning, and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] homered in the ninth to break the shutout.

Caglianone’s home run is his 30th of the season, which is historic for a number of reasons. Most probably, it makes him the first back-to-back 30-home run player in college baseball history. Caglianone is just four home runs away from breaking the program career record, but Florida faces elimination on Sunday.

They’ll likely throw [autotag]Pierce Coppola[/autotag] after starting Caglianone on the mound in the loss. The Cowboys hit him well, especially the lefties. Caglianone surrendered four solo home runs, doubling his season total in just two innings. He lasted through the fifth, finishing the day with eight strikeouts and two walks.

[autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] walked two but survived the sixth for Florida. The freshmen didn’t fare as well in relief. [autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] gave up a two-run bomb and recorded just one out. [autotag]Robert Satin[/autotag] finished the inning and then got the hook after walking the leadoff man in the eighth.

[autotag]Grayson Smith[/autotag] had a decent outing. Erasing the baserunner with a double play ball and striking out three of the eight batters he faced over the final two frames — Florida got last rights as the home team in this winner’s bracket matchup.

A rematch with Nebraska now awaits the Gators on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.  Winning means another shot at Oklahoma State in the evening, but it will take another win on Monday to win the regional.

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Florida prevails over Georgia in slugfest, earns series win

The Gator secured a regular-season record two games above the .500 mark and now await the SEC Tournament seedings.

Florida baseball scored all the runs it would need in this one during a fourth inning that saw a dozen Gators cross the plate. After the Georgia Bulldogs built an early 3-0 lead against starter [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag], the bats exploded en route to a 19-11 victory in Athens on Saturday.

Cags lasted just 2 1/3 innings in what is expected to be his final regular-season game for the Orange and Blue, coughing up a trio of runs on three hits and four walks while striking out two. [autotag]Fisher Jameson[/autotag] earned the win with 3 2/3 frames of three-run ball while [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] surrendered four runs in 1 1/3 innings and [autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] let one more through in 1/3 of an inning.

[autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] wrapped things up with a 1 1/3 innings of one-hit, no-run ball.

[autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] went 2-for-4 with both hits leaving the park and Caglianone went 1-for-5 with a dinger of his own — both sending one over the fence in the 12-run fourth. [autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag]’s three hits, two of which were doubles, led Florida on the day.

The only Gators that failed to get a hit were [autotag]Brody Donay[/autotag] and [autotag]Dale Thomas[/autotag], though the former reached base twice on walks.

Georgia starter Zach Harris took his first loss of the season after surrendering four earned runs across 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander allowed four hits and struck out two before six other pitchers combined to finish things off.

Florida now awaits its bracket designation in the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 21.

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Gators’ bats stay hot, even up weekend series with Kentucky Wildcats

Florida’s bats have caught fire against Kentucky so far this weekend. Add a quality start from Liam Peterson and you have a recipe for a victory.

There is an old adage that states that one does not get mad, they simply get even. Florida baseball took that to heart on Saturday with a 10-1 rout of the visiting Kentucky Wildcats inside Condron Family Ballpark to tie the series at one apiece.

A day after the Gators surrendered an early lead and came up short in a 12-11 loss in extra innings, the offense remained hot putting up another double-digit effort on the scoreboard. The biggest difference in Game 2 was the performance on the mound for the home team.

[autotag]Liam Peterson[/autotag] earned his first career quality start with the Orange and Blue thanks to a stellar six innings of work in which he allowed just one run on five hits and two walks while striking out six. [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] took over in the seventh and earned the save with three scoreless and hitless innings, notching a strikeout along the way.

[autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] went 2-for-5 and [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] went 2-for-4, both chipping in two hits, two runs and three RBI apiece. [autotag]Dale Thomas[/autotag] continued his impressive weekend going 2-for-3, adding one double, one RBI, one run and one walk to the offensive onslaught.

The Orange and Blue also continued its stretch of 130 consecutive games with at least one run scored — the third-longest in program history dating back to May 27, 2022. And speaking of streaks, [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] extended his on-base streak to 36 games and hitting streak to 29 in a row with a double and a four intentional walks.

The rubber match between the two teams will take place on Sunday, May 12, in Gainesville with the first pitch scheduled for noon ET. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Neely holds on for second-straight save, Florida sweeps Mizzou

After being swept a week ago by South Carolina, the Florida Gators brought the brooms out and took care of Missouri.

For the second-straight night, Florida’s closer [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] closed out the game and delivered the Gators an 8-7 win over the Missouri Tigers.

Saves aren’t always notable, but they are when a closer is coming back from being ejected and suspended for four games. That’s what happened to Neely on the final day of the Georgia series, which meant he had to miss all three games Florida played against South Carolina last week. The bullpen seemed uneasy without Neely as an anchor, and the SEC saves leader showed exactly why he’s so important to this club on Sunday against Mizzou.

Neely entered the game after [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] surrendered three straight singles in relief of [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag]. A five-run lead had shrunk to just two, and Kevin O’Sullivan wasn’t risking things. Of course, Neely set the three batters he faced down in order, ending things with a looking strike out on Luke Mann. A run did score on a sacrifice fly for out No. 1, though.

Neely had little margin for error in the ninth, and it was a roller coaster of an inning. The first two outs came like clockwork, but Juju Stevens almost hit a game-tying home run that landed maybe six inches foul of the pole down the left-field line. Richie Schiekofer made an incredible effort on the ball and nearly robbed it. He’ll probably have a sore shoulder tomorrow.

The drama didn’t end there. Stevens reached on catcher’s interference after connecting with BT Riopelle’s glove on what should have been strike three. The training staff took a look at him and let him stay out there to close out the game. Riopelle will be lucky if he avoids any broken bones and was probably just running on adrenaline at the end there.

It can’t be said enough how important Riopelle is to the team, both from an on-the-field standpoint and as a leader. Losing him for any length of time would be detrimental to the team, but all Gator fans can do right now is hold their breath.

[autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] got his usual Sunday start despite not being listed at the start of the series. With [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] throwing a shortened complete game and Florida using up just two bullpen arms on Saturday, O’Sullivan figured he could give Caglianone a shot without worrying about a short afternoon.

Cags lasted through the third and looked decent through those innings, but the fourth was a different story and he got pulled after loading the bases without getting an out. Sully mentioned that batting in the bottom of an inning and pitching in the top can rush Caglianone, and he’s still learning to make that transition.

It’s worth discussing Fisher as the Sunday starter and moving Caglianone to a long-relief or close role for a bit. His power arm might be best served in short bursts, and there won’t be as much pressure to keep some left in the tank for a fourth or fifth inning as a reliever.

Still, splitting innings with Caglianone and Fisher isn’t a bad idea either, especially if the goal is to keep the former on a progression track as a starter. He only gave up one earned run and struck out five on Sunday, after all.

Fisher looked really comfortable, too. He didn’t have his best strikeout stuff today, but it’s good to see him pitch to contact a bit and work out of jams. Pro scouts will be happy to see it as well.

Offensively, [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] led the day with four hits, including home run No. 10 in the first. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] hit No. 25 in the fifth and [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] got No. 13 in the seventh. Florida entered the weekend with the fourth-most homers of any ball club in the country, and the power is only picking up as the season continues.

[autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] also had multi-hit days with runs batted in. Tyler Shelnut finally cooled off with an 0-for-2 afternoon, but he still drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.

It was a good win to close out a strong weekend for Florida. Missouri isn’t close to the top of the division, but this is still the SEC and sweeps are hard to come by.

Florida travels to Jacksonville on Tuesday to go for the season sweep against Florida State in the neutral site game. Then, it’s off to College Station to face the Texas A&M Aggies.

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Florida comes alive late against UNF in tight midweek contest

Yoel Tejeda Jr. put together his best start of the season for Florida en route to a 6-2 win over the North Florida Ospreys. BT Riopelle and Luke Heyman each had two runs batted in.

The Florida Gators got back to their winning ways Tuesday night, 6-2, but the offense didn’t explode as many expected them to.

[autotag]Yoel Tejada Jr[/autotag]. delivered his best start of the season, allowing zero runs across four innings of work. He ran into trouble a few times but got timely strikeouts and ground balls to get out of whatever jam he found himself in.

Tejeda could have easily set a new career-high in innings pitched or strikeouts had he come out in the fifth, but Kevin O’Sullivan isn’t in the business of overusing arms.

Unfortunately, [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] struggled in the fifth and gave up a pair of runs. That’s all North Florida would get to him for, but it’s a blemish an otherwise decent outing.

Ficarrotta sat the Ospreys down in order in the sixth, but he was removed after surrendering a leadoff walk in the seventh. Left-hander [autotag]Phillp Abner[/autotag] took over and got out of the inning without any trouble, but he struggled in the eighth giving up back-to-back singles.

[autotag]Ryan Slater [/autotag]saved Abner with a strikeout and a lazy fly out into shallow left field.

Florida’s bullpen was overall shaky Tuesday night, but the same can’t be said about North Florida’s relievers. Tony Roca entered the game with an earned run average above 9.20, but he kept the Gators hitless for three-straight innings.

UF finally got to him in the eighth. [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] produced a leadoff single, and Josh Rivera walked before [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] came up with a much-needed RBI single. Riopelle has been in a slump and striking out a ton, so it’s good to see him get one after a really tough series against South Carolina.

Riopelle’s RBI single was technically an insurance run since Florida had been leading all game, but it had been half a ball game since the Gators last scored and felt a whole lot bigger. Rivera singled, [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] homered (8) and Riopelle got a lucky sacrifice fly RBI on a foul out in the third to give Florida the three early runs.

Heyman came through in the eighth after Riopelle for an RBI single of his own, so it was a big day for the catchers altogether. [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] added another to the lead with a sacrifice fly, but that was all UF could muster up.

Slater finished off the ninth, stranding a man a third base on a game-ending fly out to the warning track.

Florida hosts Missouri over the weekend starting on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT.

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Florida baseball humbled and swept by South Carolina

Well… at least the weekend is over and Florida can reset with UNF on Tuesday. Tough series for the Gators in Columbia against a dominant South Carolina club.

The Florida Gators have held onto the No. 3 spot in the D1Baseball.com rankings for over a month, but a sweep at the hands of No. 6 South Carolina over the weekend should change that.

UF dropped Game 3 of the weekend series, 7-5, on Saturday, following up a 13-3 mercy rule loss and a 5-2 affair on Friday night.

South Carolina jumped on [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] early. Left fielder Dylan Brewer hit a leadoff double and shortstop Braylen Wimmer homered to left. Caglianone struggled with command a bit, but this was more of a case of the Gamecocks hitting the ball well all weekend.

Kevin O’Sullivan got some options warming up in the bullpen, but he didn’t have to go there until the fourth. A leadoff walk ended Caglianone’s day on the mound, and he shifted to designated hitter as [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] came in to pitch.

Fisher gave up a double to Ethan Petry that scored two, making it 5-1 in favor of South Carolina. Jonathan French drove in one more in the bottom of the fifth, right after [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] hit his second home run of the day for the Gators. Fisher struck out six over three innings, and then Sully turned to [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] for the final two frames.

Slater gave up multiple hits in each inning, but South Carolina only managed to add one insurance run between both threats. Florida’s offense finally came alive in the top of the eighth, but two runs weren’t enough to tie up the game. Caglianone and [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] got the RBIs.

[autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] scored as a pinch runner for [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag], who singled into center field to start the ninth, but [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] struck out with [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] on deck to end the game.

Florida really struggled to hit South Carolina’s pitching staff this weekend, and starter Matthew Becker kept everyone but Kurland at bay for five innings. James Hicks was strong for his first two innings of relief, and Chris Veach got the save despite a shaky ninth.

There’s no way to sugarcoat a loss like this. Gators Wire predicted a 3-0 sweep from Florida and received the exact opposite result. It’s a reality check for what is still one of the top teams in the nation, but now it’s LSU and South Carolina at the top of the SEC.

Florida could get a chance at redemption in the SEC or NCAA Tournament, but the stakes will be even higher then. Until then, it’s time to shake off a bad weekend and reset with a Tuesday game against North Florida. Following that, Missouri and Texas A&M sandwich a neutral site game against FSU on the schedule, so Florida has a good chance to recover before hosting No. 4 Vanderbilt.

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Questionable ejection could leave Florida without closer

The NCAA rulebook says that pitchers are suspended for four games after an ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct, which means Florida will be without closer Brandon Neely next weekend.

Florida’s series-clinching win over Georgia on Sunday was marred by the events that transpired after the final out of the eighth inning.

Closer [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] had come in with the bases loaded to get the Gators out of the jam and into the final frame. He struck out Payton Harber and celebrated by pumping his fist and shouting while looking toward the Georgia dugout.

Neely said something encouraging to himself and his team — I’m no lip reading expert but it’s fairly clear he said “come on” as the adrenaline surged — and home plate umpire Brian deBrauwere ejected him for what could only have been unsportsmanlike conduct directed at another team.

The biggest problem with this questionable ejection isn’t that it was unjustified, though. Neely is going to miss Florida’s upcoming weekend series against No. 6 South Carolina, according to the NCAA 2023 and 2024 Rulebook Section 27-E.

“Whenever a pitcher is ejected for disputing an umpire’s decision or for
unsportsmanlike conduct or language directed at an opponent or umpire
(including a post-participation ejection), the suspension will be for a total of four (4) games,” reads the rulebook.

Florida’s options behind Neely aren’t bad, but he’s their best bullpen arm and the SEC leader in saves. Not having him during a series against a top-10 club is like starting a chess game without a knight or bishop. It’s one more arm that Kevin O’Sullivan will have to dig into the bullpen for at some point over the weekend and makes the end of close games far more uncertain than usual.

DeBrauwere’s decision has the potential to lead to Florida’s first series loss of the season and isn’t something the fanbase is likely to forget any time soon. An appeal could delay the suspension, but the likelihood of it getting overturned is slim based on similar situations from the past.

There’s been no official word on Neely’s suspension, but the assumption here is that the NCAA is going to enforce its own policy.

The likely options to replace Neely are [autotag]Phillp Abner[/autotag] and/or [autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag]. They have been the most consistent arms out of the bullpen this season and offer Sully a lefty and righty option. Platooning them over the weekend seems realistic knowing that Neely will return after the week.

It’s an unfortunate hurdle Florida has to jump, but the Gators are good enough to overcome it and clearly took exception to the ejection. If UF can provide the kind of offense it did immediately after the incident took place, it won’t matter who O’Sullivan throws.

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Despite ump show, Florida takes down Georgia to claim series

Despite the antics of home plate umpire Brian deBrauwere, the Florida Gators prevailed over the Georgia Bulldogs, 11-6, Sunday afternoon behind an all-around performance from Jac Caglianone.

Florida defeated Georgia, 11-6, on Sunday, but it was the poor officiating that took center stage just before the Gators put together a five-run eighth to seal the deal.

[autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] entered the game in the top of the eighth with two outs and the bases loaded. Ryan Slater had just walked in a run to cut Florida’s lead down to two, and the Gators needed their best bullpen arm to come through.

The SEC saves leader needed just five pitches to strike out Parks Harber, but he was quickly tossed by the home plate umpire, Brian deBrauwere, after celebrating the punchout. All Neely did was pump his fist as he walked toward his dugout and glanced at Georgia while shouting, “Come on!”

If that’s not allowed, then what is? Is the rule a declaration of no fun in baseball? The umpires have been atrocious all year in the SEC, particularly this weekend, but this was another level.

The fans let deBrauwere hear it, but the offense couldn’t let things slide either. [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] singled, [autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag] walked and [autotag]Michael Robertson[/autotag] singled to drive in a run. [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] took a pitch on the elbow and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] delivered his second home run of the day (and 21st of the season), a grand slam to left field that put Florida up 11-4.

At that point, losing Neely wasn’t a problem. [autotag]Chris Arroyo[/autotag] walked a lefty to lead things off, and Sully quickly brought out [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag]. He got the first two outs of the inning without any issues, but gave up a homer to cut the lead to five. An error extended things, but Ficarrotta got a fly ball to end the inning and claim Florida’s fifth-straight series win against SEC clubs.

The big question coming into the day was whether Caglianone could rebound from a string of bad starts or not. The left-handed sophomore answered with five innings of two-run ball and struck out four. Caglianone featured his best fastball control in over a month and fooled some of Georgia’s hitters with his slider, too. At the plate, he went 2 for 3 with seven RBIs and a walk.

Kevin O’Sullivan turned to the bullpen for the final four frames of the afternoon, but he had everyone on a short leash after Friday’s disastrous finish. [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] started the sixth, but he was pulled in favor of [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag] after allowing a pair of baserunners on a hit and a walk.

Fisher got three groundouts to finish the sixth, but Georgia’s best hitter, Charlie Condon, got to him for a run in the seventh. [autotag]Phillip Abner[/autotag] got the final out of the inning and started the eighth, but it took two more arms to get out of the frame with just a two-run lead.

[autotag]Ryan Slater[/autotag] loaded up the bases for Connor Tate — the same Bulldog that hit a ninth-inning, game-tying grand slam on Friday — and got him to pop out into shallow center. Although the run was briefly prevented, Slater lost Condon on a full count in the next at-bat, walking in a run.

That’s when all of the Neely drama happened.

Lost in all the late-inning commotion was a strong performance from Florida’s offense against Georgia’s best arm, Liam Sullivan. [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] got to him early for a two-run homer and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Rivera is having an all-time season for the program and has played himself into a first or second-round draft pick.

Robertson drove in another run in the second and Caglianone’s first home run came in the second as well.

Florida is now 30-7 overall and 11-4 against the conference. Up next is a midweek game at home against Florida A&M, and then the Gators have a major road series against South Carolina on the road, starting Thursday.

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