Tag: Stetson Hatters

Florida baseball routs Stetson, Gators hit 7 home runs

Florida’s midweek revenge tour continued on Tuesday with a 13-3 run rule victory over Stetson that only required seven innings.

Florida came to swing it Tuesday night against Stetson and walked out of Condron Family Ballpark early following a 13-3 rout of the Hatters.

The Gators hit seven home runs in as many innings, satisfying the run rule with a walk-off single from Jac Caglianone to score Michael Robertson.

Caglianone hit two of the homers, making up for his broken streak in the series finale against Vanderbilt. The left-handed slugger has hit 13 home runs in 14 games and is now just one back of the national lead (Charlie Condon, 26, Georgia).

Robertson also homered, his first of the year, along with Brody Donay (7), Ty Evans (10), Luke Heyman (9) and Cade Kurland (8). Both Caglianone and Robertson finished the night with three hits — Cags was walked to reach base a fourth time. Six Gators finished with two or more hits. Only Colby Shelton failed to reach base.

Most of the damage came in the second. Seven runs scored on six hits, including three home runs. In fact, every run of the night for Florida crossed on a home run.

Cade Fisher got the start for Florida. He looked fine through and then gave up three straight singles to start the third, bringing in Ryan Slater with the bases loaded. The junior right-hander limited the damage to just one run crossing, keeping Stetson out of the game.

Slater worked through a double in the fourth but left with two outs in the fifth after an unearned run crossed. Frank Menendez came in for the left-on-lefty matchup against Landon Moran. Menedez came up with the strikeout and pitched a clean sixth aside from an infield error to open the frame.

Menendez is another freshman arm that is starting to settle in as the season continues. He only recorded four outs through his first five appearances, but he’s been a much different pitcher lately. Through his last three appearances (Jacksonville, Vanderbilt and Stetson), Menedez has allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out six.

A leadoff single brought in Luke McNeillie in the seventh, which ended up being the final inning thanks to four runs in the bottom of the frame.

Florida’s midweek woes seem to be fading, but a big series with Arkansas looms this weekend. The Gators have lost three conference series in a row and are at risk of entering the playoffs as a low seed.

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Where are the Stetson Hatters located… and are they named after the hat?

Or, how a land grant institution took its nickname from a popular piece of menswear.

The Stetson Hatters bring one of the most unusual mascot names in college sports to the NCAA men’s tournament. In a field with Peacocks, Zips, Lopes and, uh, Beach, that’s an accomplishment.

And, yes, they’re named after the guy who created the Stetson hat. John B. Stetson was not only the master of the Boss of the Plains style chapeau, but also a major benefactor to the university and a founding trustee from back when it was DeLand Academy.

DeLand, Florida, uncoincidentally, happens to be where Stetson University is located — a city of 37,000 in central Florida, roughly 41 miles north of Orlando.

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Florida puts together second-straight blowout win, takes down Stetson by 38

Back-to-back big wins and Alex Klatsky appearances have spirits up in Gainesville, but a major test against UConn looms on the schedule.

Florida basketball has been rolling over its past two games and the Gators certainly look prepared for UConn after taking down the Stetson Hatters, 89-51.

It’s the second-straight game that Florida has won by just about 40 points and a major confidence boost for a team that struggled on the road at the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament over Thanksgiving. Ironically, Florida has played some of its best basketball of the season without its starting point guard, [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag]. [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] did rejoin the team in this one, but Lofton remains on the bench as he deals with an injury.

In place of Lofton, [autotag]Trey Bonham[/autotag] and [autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] have stepped up big time. Reeves put together another solid performance on Sunday, but Bonham was a bit off from the field. No matter, though. Florida’s offense was firing on all cylinders against a weaker opponent and ran away with things in the second half.

UF’s defense also looks a bit better, but that could be a product of the opposition’s skill level rather than an improvement from the team. It’s hard to gauge whether Florida is playing well enough to take down UConn on Wednesday, but it’s hard to argue against back-to-back blowout wins.

PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida basketball’s big win over Stetson Hatters

Here are highlights from Florida’s second-straight victory on the college parquet.

Florida basketball made scored its second consecutive victory on Sunday afternoon in the O’Connell Center against the visiting Stetson Hatters, 89-51, to push the Gators’ record to 6-3 early on in the 2022-23 season.

[autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] led all scorers with 14 points while four others also finished with double digits. [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] led all players on the glass with eight rebounds and [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag]’ five assists were also a game-high. Florida shot 61.3% from the field overall including a 53.8% effort from beyond the arc while sinking 78.6% of its free throws.

Take a look below at some of the best photos from Florida’s romp over its in-state foes, the Stetson Hatters, in Gainesville on Sunday.

Florida baseball survives offensive shootout versus Stetson Hatters

Florida baseball outscored the Stetson Hatters in an offensive shootout 10-8 on Tuesday.

Florida baseball outlasted the Stetson Hatters in an offensive shootout on Tuesday at Florida Ballpark, prevailing 10-8. The Gators with their win versus Stetson moves 23-14 on the season.

The Hatters struck first in the first and third innings, using two singles and a wild pitch from Florida starting pitcher Karl Hartman to push across their first run. In the third, they got the two leadoff batters on base and then designated hitter Brandon Hylton hit a three-run shot to right field to give Stetson a 4-0 lead.

Florida responded in the bottom half, however. Second baseman [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag] started the inning off doubling down the left-field line, then advancing to third when center fielder [autotag]Jud Fabian[/autotag] flew out to center field before right fielder [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] singled to right to get the Gators on the board. Designated hitter [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] then drove Thompson in on an RBI single.

The Hatters scored one more run in the top of the fourth, but the Gators answered by plating five runs. They used a solo shot, an RBI single and a three-run blast to take the 7-5 lead.

Florida tacked on three more insurance runs in the late innings while Stetson scored two in the top of the seventh and one more in the ninth to get to the final score of 10-8.

Shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag], left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] and Fabian all homered in the offensive outburst. Thompson led all Florida bats, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

Fabian’s bomb Tuesday was the 48th of his career, helping him pass Gator great [autotag]Mike Zunino[/autotag] for fifth on Florida’s all-time home run list.

Florida’s bullpen struggled to consistently put down Stetson’s lineup. It allowed seven runs on 10 hits while giving up four free passes.

The Gators’ next game is a weekend showdown with No. 1 Tennessee who leads the country with 87 dingers. The first pitch is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. EDT at Florida Ballpark.

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Game Preview: Gators looking to sweep season series against Stetson

Stetson has played spoiler before to the Gators, but Florida needs this midweek win to get the mind right before hosting No. 1 Tennessee over the weekend.

Florida baseball managed to narrowly avoid a sweep at the hands of the Vanderbilt Commodores with a 10-inning win on Sunday, and the Gators have one more game against Stetson on Tuesday to prepare for No. 1 Tennessee over the coming weekend.

Last time out against the Hatters, Florida cruised to an 8-1 victory. That game came after an opening series loss to Liberty and led to an early seven-game winning streak for UF. The Gators could use another momentum boost after getting off to a rocky start against SEC opponents.

[autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] led the offense with three RBIs on three hits, including a solo home run, and redshirt freshman [autotag]Tucker Talbot[/autotag]t had a four-hit night in one of his few appearances of the year. [autotag]Timmy Manning[/autotag] got a short one-inning start to regain some confidence after a weekend loss. Tuesday’s starter,[autotag] Karl Hartman[/autotag], was the first arm out of the bullpen followed by [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag], who ended up taking home the win after 60 pitches and 4 2/3 innings. [autotag]Blake Purnell[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Neely[/autotag] finished things off.

Kevin O’Sullivan probably won’t be playing his backups too much in this one as the Gators find themselves in need of a pick me up during the toughest part of their schedule. Each weekend seems to end in heartbreak only to have some hope restored by a solid midweek win. There’s no game between the Tennessee and Kentucky series, so this is Florida’s last dress rehearsal for that stretch.

A win here is expected, but it’s a crucial game for the Gators.

Florida baseball bounces back from rough opening weekend to beat Stetson

The baseball team got back on the winning track tonight.

Coach Kevin O’Sullivan challenged his Florida baseball lineup to step up after the Gators dropped two out of three games against the Liberty Flames in its opening series. His hitters struck out 31 times and collected a .186 batting average through the three games. Against Stetson on Tuesday, the Gators’ lineup rose up to the occasion. They recorded 14 hits in an 8-1 victory versus the Hatters on the road.

Florida jumped Stetson pitcher Anthony Defabbia to start the game. Right fielder Sterlin Thompson continued his hot streak, knocking in second baseman Colby Halter who got on via a lead-off hit. Then center fielder Jud Fabian scored when shortstop Josh Rivera grounded into a double play.

Thompson added to the Gators lead in the third when he blasted a solo shot to right field. Designated hitter Tucker Talbott doubled to score Rivera after he walked earlier in the inning to increase the lead to 5-0.

Thompson did it again in the fourth when he drove in Fabian. In the fifth, Talbott singled in Rivera, and Deric Fabian scored Talbott later on to make it 7-1. Finally, in the seventh, Deric hit a single that bounced off the Stetson pitcher to plate Rivera to get to the final score.

Florida pitcher Timmy Manning got the start versus Stetson after he took the starting the second game versus the Flames. In that game, he allowed four earned runs and gave up five hits, two walks and a hit by pitch in only three innings. However, Sullivan only asked Manning to throw one inning that was clean with the exception of hitting a Hatter. The rest of the Gators bullpen pitched well allowing only one run and three hits.

Offensively, Thompson, Talbott and Deric led the charge going a combined 9-14 with seven RBIs, three doubles and a home run.

The Orange and Blue return to Florida Ballpark Wednesday to face North Florida in another mid-week contest at 7 p.m.

Game Preview: Florida baseball to host Stetson Hatters for midweek matchup

The Gators look to get back on the winning path tonight at Florida Ballpark.

Florida baseball’s opening weekend didn’t go the way anyone in Gainesville expected. The Gators lost two of three games to Liberty and now need a midweek win over Stetson to avoid slipping further away from a winning record.

There’s little doubt that Florida spent Monday working on its discipline at the plate. The Gators struck out 31 times in the first series of the season, and runs were hard to come by aside from Sterlin Thompson’s two opening night home runs. The Fabian brothers combined for just two hits in 16 at-bats, and Josh Rivera finished the weekend with just two hits as well.

Left-hander Timmy Manning will be on the mound again after a shaky start on Saturday. In three innings, Manning allowed four earned runs, five hits, two walks and hit a batter. Brandon Sproat, who came in for two innings of relief, ended up taking the loss after allowing a run in the fifth.

Florida’s pitching staff is young. They need experienced position players to provide some support, and that didn’t happen against Liberty. Stetson is a nice chance for Manning and the offense to rebound, but Florida can’t afford any sloppy play if it wants to get back to .500 on Tuesday.

Stetson earns first win over Florida baseball in 14 years

A monster eighth inning from Stetson helped the Hatters secure a 6-1 win, avoiding a season sweep at the hands of the Gators.

The No. 9 Gators couldn’t manage a sweep for the year against Stetson, as in the fourth and final game of the season series, the Hatters took a 6-1 win on their home field in Deland. It was Stetson’s first win over the Gators since 2007.

Florida’s pitchers had a dominant outing to start the game, and UF held a 1-0 lead for most of the ballgame. But uncharacteristically, the team struggled to get going offensively, and eventually, the bullpen broke down. The Gators were out-hit 9-3 as the Hatters scored five runs in the eighth inning.

Brandon Sproat made his first career start on the mound, and it may be the first of more to come. He was very sharp, allowing just a walk in the first inning and his lone hit of the game in the fourth inning. He didn’t give up any earned runs, and though he wasn’t in position to earn a win, Florida (33-15) led when he was pulled after the fourth.

The Gators got on the board in the second inning on an effort that started with a walk from Kirby McMullen. Though Stetson (25-20) managed two outs, it couldn’t put UF away. It loaded the bases on a walk from Cory Acton and a fielding error that allowed Cal Greenfield to reach base, and a fielder’s choice from Jacob Young scored a run. But that was all Florida would get the rest of the way.

David Luethje entered in the fifth for the Gators, and he was very solid in his 1 and 2/3 innings, as well, walking just one batter and allowing just one hit. But Trey Van Der Weide, who replaced him in the sixth, wasn’t as effective. He allowed hits against the first two Stetson batters to start the seventh, and he made an error that allowed a third runner to reach base, loading them up.

Van Der Weide was quickly pulled for Christian Scott, but he couldn’t salvage the no-out situation, allowing an RBI single that tied the game against his first batter. But Scott locked in and struck out three consecutive batters to end the threat.

Replacing him with Ben Specht to start the eighth was probably a mistake. He hit his first batter with a pitch, and a single put runners at the corners. Florida allowed the go-ahead run to score on the next at-bat hoping to turn two, but they only got one on the play. On the very next bat, Stetson’s Eric Foggo crushed a drive to deep left-center that went over the wall, putting two more runs aboard and extending Stetson’s lead to 4-1.

After another hit-by-pitch and single, Specht was mercifully pulled for Ryan Cabarcas. Although Cabarcas struck out his first batter, he allowed the runners on first and second to advance with a wild pitch against the next one. He then gave up a blooper double near the right-field line to Gainesville native Andrew MacNeil, which put the final two runs across.

Florida attempted to rally in the ninth as pinch hitter Sterlin Thompson led off the inning with a single. But another pair of pinch hitters, Colby Halter and Wyatt Langford, struck out swinging, and with the game in the hands of Young, he popped one up to left field, ending the game.

Though a disappointing loss, the Gators are certainly more concerned with their final two SEC series. Still two games out of the lead in the SEC East, Florida will return home from its four-game road trip to take on Georgia, who is just 11-13 in conference play and sits in second-to-last in the division.

No. 10 Gators overcome early deficit to win midweek matchup against Stetson

The two teams combined for 24 hits and 15 runs, but the Gators came out on top in a 9-6 win over the Hatters on Tuesday night.

Florida was back on the field Tuesday night after a huge win in its weekend series over No. 2 Vanderbilt. Now ranked as the No. 10 team in the country, the Gators struggled early in their midweek game against Stetson, finding themselves down two runs after just half an inning. But UF’s lineup came through with 12 hits in a 9-6 home win over the Hatters.

Freshman pitcher Timmy Manning earned the start on the mound for Florida (31-13). He entered this game with just 12 2/3 innings pitched on the season, and this was not one of his better appearances.

He gave up a home run to lead off the game to Stetson’s Andrew MacNeil, a Gainesville native. The Hatters (23-18) got another one off of Manning on a shot to right-center field from Hernen Sardinas later in the inning, and the Gators found themselves in an early hole.

They wouldn’t stay down for long, though, as Kirby McMullen led off the bottom of the second with a walk, and a double from Sterlin Thompson brought him home. With two outs in the inning, Colby Halter and Jacob Young notched a pair of RBI base hits to take the lead. Stetson starter Bret Neilan’s night came to an end after just 1 2/3 innings pitched.

But Manning wouldn’t stay in the game much longer. He quickly loaded the bases at the top of the third with a single and two walks, causing coach Kevin O’Sullivan to pull him for Trey Van Der Weide. He started off with a strikeout, but he couldn’t keep the Hatters completely at bay as a single on the next at-bat scored a run, though a throwout at home prevented the second run from coming across and ended the inning. Still, the game was tied yet again.

After stranding three on base in the third inning, Florida loaded the bases in the fourth on three walks with just one out. It retook the lead off a sac-fly from Kris Armstrong, though that was all the Gators got as they left two runners on base. It was in the fifth inning, though, that UF really took control.

Thompson led off with a single and stole second. He then advanced to third on a balk from Stetson’s Anthony DeFabbia. Josh Rivera made the Hatters pay on an RBI single, and that was just the beginning. A fielder’s choice from Halter put two outs on the board, but Young singled, and a subsequent double from Nate Hickey scored two more runs. Austin Amaral came in for DeFabbia after that, but a double from Jud Fabian put a fourth run across in the inning, stretching UF’s lead to 8-3.

Despite pitching cleanly through the fifth, O’Sullivan subbed David Luethje in for Van Der Weide at the top of the sixth. Van Der Weide earned a win for his efforts, moving his record to 2-1 on the year. He allowed three hits and no runs in 2 2/3 innings pitched.

Luethje walked a batter in the sixth but otherwise had no issues. In the seventh, he put the Hatters lineup away in order. But at the top of the eighth, O’Sullivan pulled him for Ryan Cabarcas, who didn’t fare well. He gave up two singles and a walk to start, loading the bases with no outs, and O’Sullivan swiftly pulled him after just nine pitches for Christian Scott.

Scott couldn’t avert the danger entirely, as a single from Eric Foggo put one run across, but he followed it up with a strikeout, a fielder’s choice and a flyout to get out of the inning. At the bottom of the frame, Armstrong got the Gators some insurance with a solo drive that went over the right-field wall.

Scott gave up a leadoff homer in the top of the ninth (from MacNeil again), and Sardinas hit another homer, as well, with two outs on the board. Stetson continued its challenge with a single, but the rally came to an end on a deep fly ball to right field that was easily caught by Thompson.

The Gators took their third victory of the season against the Hatters and will go for the season sweep next Tuesday when they travel to Deland to face them on the road. Before that, they have a weekend series at Kentucky that begins on Thursday. The Wildcats are just 10-11 in SEC play, while Florida sits just one game behind SEC East leaders Vanderbilt and Tennessee. A sweep over UK could vault UF into first place in the division.

First pitch for Game 1 is set for 7 p.m. EDT.

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