Gators Wrap Week Four of Fall Scrimmages Before Jacksonville Exhibition
Florida baseball completed its fourth week of fall practice and intra-squad scrimmages Wednesday.
Starting Tuesday, the Gators saw pitching appearances by 2026 MLB draft prospects Luke McNeillie and Caden McDonald.
McNeillie pitched a scoreless inning, striking out fellow draft prospects Kyle Jones (OF) and Ethan Surowiec (IF), while McDonald gave up two hits and zero runs in two innings.
Sophomore righty Schuyler Sandford also pitched two innings in Tuesday’s matchup, striking out outfielders Jacob Kendall and Blake Brookins after giving up back-to-back walks and hitting catcher AJ Malzone in the ankle.
Jackson Barberi faced four batters in the one inning he pitched, striking out both Cash Strayer and Cade Kurland while swinging.
The offensive highlight of Tuesday’s scrimmage came off of the bat of Sam Miller, who hit a two-RBI single in a 3-0 win for the Orange against Blue.
The Gators’ bats were much hotter Wednesday.
Ashton Wilson and Landon Stripling each reached base in all three of their at-bats. Wilson hit an RBI triple off the right-field wall, while Stripling hit a two-run homer, with an exit velocity of 101 mph, off freshman right-handed pitcher Cooper Moss, whose top speed reached the mid-90s.
Strayer was also productive at the plate with two walks and an RBI double.
One of the more exciting matchups of the week was between brothers Cade and Rivers Kurland. Rivers won the battle after Cade hit a ground ball to shortstop. Teammates were audibly impressed when Rivers, the younger brother, pitched 90 mph against his older brother Cade.
Right-handed pitcher Billy Barlow pitched 2 2/3 innings, giving up three hits and two walks. Barlow showed his defensive skills assisting in a double play to end the top of the second inning.
Infielder Kolt Myers also flashed his leather Wednesday, making a diving catch at third and beating out Kyle Jones with the throw to first.
The Gators will play their first fall exhibition game against Jacksonville University in Jacksonville Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Category: Baseball, Gator Sports, Gators Baseball, SEC
