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Florida baseball continues the NCAA Regionals in Gainesville, Florida, on Sunday after defeating the Connecticut Huskies in the third game of the weekend event and now facing a rematch with the Texas Tech Red Raiders. If you are looking to follow this afternoon’s action on the clay diamond, you have come to the right place.
The Orange and Blue earned a share of the Southeastern Conference’s regular-season title but were unable to earn the tournament crown, getting upended by the Vanderbilt Commodores in the semifinals — Vandy’s first win in five tries during the 2023 campaign. Nonetheless, Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad finished the season ranked second in the nation according to most major polls.
Florida beat the Florida A&M Aggies on Friday but fell to Texas Tech in game 2, putting them in an elimination game against the Connecticut Huskies which they won. If the Gators win on Sunday, there will be one more game played on Monday, but if the Red Raiders emerge victorious, that is all she wrote.
Take a look below at everything you need to know to follow Sunday evening’s matchup between UF and Texas Tech inside Condron Family Ballpark.
Everything you need to know about the 2023 Gainesville Regional
How to Watch
SUNDAY (6 p.m. EDT)
Probable Starters
|
Team |
Pitcher |
Record |
ERA |
|
FLORIDA |
LHP Cade Fisher |
5-0 |
3.58 |
|
TEXAS TECH |
RHP Zane Petty |
3-2 |
6.27 |
Projected Starting Lineup
|
Pos. |
Player Name |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
RBI |
|
C |
Riopelle |
.266 |
.392 |
.542 |
192 |
46 |
51 |
13 |
60 |
|
1B |
Caglianone |
.349 |
.409 |
.790 |
229 |
65 |
80 |
28 |
76 |
|
2B |
Kurland |
.310 |
.414 |
.605 |
210 |
65 |
65 |
16 |
45 |
|
3B |
Halter |
.235 |
.348 |
.404 |
136 |
26 |
32 |
25 |
|
|
SS |
Rivera |
.363 |
.466 |
.637 |
204 |
60 |
74 |
15 |
61 |
|
LF |
Langford |
.398 |
.521 |
.823 |
186 |
69 |
74 |
17 |
43 |
|
CF |
Robertson |
.233 |
.359 |
.283 |
180 |
39 |
42 |
1 |
19 |
|
RF |
Shelnut |
.279 |
.371 |
.504 |
129 |
24 |
36 |
6 |
23 |
|
DH |
Heyman |
.329 |
.377 |
.615 |
143 |
26 |
47 |
11 |
35 |
Projected Starting Lineup Notes
At its best, Florida’s offense is the best in all of college baseball. The trio of Wyatt Langford, Jac Caglianone and Josh Rivera hitting in the 2-4 spots of the order almost guarantees that starters are pulled by their third time through, and Luke Heyman and Cade Kurland are among the best freshman hitters in the Southeastern Conference.
Florida’s 116 combined home runs are good for fourth in the nation, behind only FGCU (135), Maryland (120) and LSU (117).
There are a few weak spots, though. Colby Halter is a phenomenal third baseman, but Sully has gone to Dale Thomas over the past few weeks for some more help at the plate. Michael Robertson is undoubtedly the team’s best option in center field, but his .233/.359/.283 slash line leaves a lot to be desired.
The good news is that guys like BT Riopelle are starting to get hot, and Tyler Shelnut seems like a solid offensive replacement for Ty Evans in right field. — David Rosenberg
Series History
|
OVERALL |
1-3 |
|
AT HOME |
0-1 |
|
AWAY |
0-0 |
|
NEUTRAL |
1-2 |
Prediction
The Gators taste blood in the water and win their second game of the day against the Red Raiders… but it will not be easy. Expect the starters to both struggle and the game to be decided by offensive output down the stretch, which favors thew Orange and Blue. — Adam Dubbin
Florida 10, Texas Tech 7
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