Florida Baseball Carries Six-Game Streak into Away Series in Tuscaloosa
Florida Gators baseball (19-3, 3-0 SEC) rolls into its first road SEC series on a six-game win streak as it travels to face Alabama (15-7, 0-3), having claimed ten consecutive series against the Tide dating back to 2009.
All roads lead back to Florida’s pitching staff this season. The Gators have the third-best ERA in the SEC (3.00) and have struck out 246 batters — fifth most in the nation — establishing themselves early as one of the league’s most difficult weekend rotations to face. That dominance will be tested this weekend in a three-game series in their first true road environment in conference play.
The test starts Friday with Liam Peterson, who has faced 89 batters this season and struck out 44 — nearly a 50% strikeout rate. If Peterson is able to control the zone and keep his pitch count down, Florida can put early pressure on an Alabama lineup that has struggled to generate hits.
On Saturday, Aidan King will pitch for the Gators. The sophomore has yet to allow a run in 23 ⅓ innings. King is second on the staff with 26 strikeouts and is viewed as a second ace that Florida keeps up their sleeve.
UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan is sticking with the same weekend rotation that swept South Carolina, sticking with a group that has already delivered in SEC play. Cooper Walls got his first taste of conference action last weekend and enters Sunday with a 4.91 ERA. O’Sullivan emphasized after the game that Walls’ role as a Sunday starter comes down to throwing strikes, and doing what’s expected of him.
Entering the season Walls won the Sunday spot, but the race may have just reopened. Junior Russel Sandefer retired all nine batters he faced Tuesday against Stetson, striking out six, in his first start of the season. While Sandefer will come out of the bullpen this weekend, O’Sullivan said he might cause the coaching staff to make some tough decisions moving forward.
While pitching has set the tone, Florida’s offense has been able to add run support. The Gators have consistently found ways to get on base and score runs, even without relying solely on the long ball. Freshman Cash Strayer has recorded a sacrifice fly in four straight games, and his five on the season lead the SEC — a nod to his ability to execute in the big moments, despite his inexperience.
Meanwhile, Brendan Lawson is coming off one of his most productive stretches of the season, batting .500 with two home runs, seven runs and 10 walks in four games last week. Lawson has already matched his home run total from last season (10) and leads the SEC in walks (27), making the left-handed batter a nightmare for opposing pitchers to face.
In contrast, Alabama (15-7, 0-3 SEC) enters the weekend searching for any signs of progress. The Crimson Tide has dropped four straight games, including getting swept by No. 21 Kentucky and a midweek loss to South Alabama. The struggles show up in the numbers, with Alabama ranking near the bottom of the SEC in batting average (.266) and slugging percentage (.454).
However, it still is sweet home Tuscaloosa for the Tide, who are 11-1 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Tide also bring an element to their game that saw Florida struggle in their series loss to High Point — aggressive baserunning.
Shortstop Justin Lebron leads the team in at-bats (83), runs (25), hits (26) and home runs (9). He is also 20-for-20 in stolen base attempts this season, contributing to the Tide’s 47-for-49 mark in stolen bases on the season. Even without consistent power production, Alabama’s ability to find ways on base will test Florida’s pitching staff and fielders – who totaled seven errors in the three games against South Carolina.
Tyler Fay (3-2, 5.34 ERA) is first on the mound for Alabama for the series opener at 7 p.m. Saturday’s 3 p.m. game features the only left-hander in either team’s weekend starting rotation with Zane Adams (3-1, 4.38 ERA). Rounding off the weekend starters for the Tide it’s Myles Upchurch (3-2, 2.82 ERA) on the mound for Sunday’s 1 p.m. start time.
Florida has not started SEC play 4-0 since the 2016 season but have gone 17-4 in the team’s last 21 games dating back to last season’s 14-4 run. Entering this weekend, the Gators have won seven straight SEC series.
The first two games of the series will air on SEC Network+, followed by Sunday’s finale on SEC Network.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Baseball
