Preview: No. 2 Florida Baseball Opens SEC Play Against South Carolina

The No.2 Florida baseball team(16-3) opens up SEC play this weekend on the road against the South Carolina Gamecocks (12-5). The Gators are 3-2 away from home this season. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan will be looking for his reliable weekend rotation to keep Florida’s momentum rolling following a big win over in-state rival Florida State this past Tuesday.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday: RHP Brady Singer (4-0, 2.08 ERA) vs. RHP Adam Hill (2-1, 3.91 ERA)

Saturday: RHP Jackson Kowar (3-0, 2.05 ERA) vs. RHP Cody Morris (3-1, 4.05 ERA)

Sunday: RHP Tyler Dyson (3-1, 1.07 ERA) vs. TBA

To say Florida’s starting pitching has been good in 2018 would be an understatement. Gator starters have a combined 2.74 ERA. The weekend starters have been especially dominant. Singer, Kowar and Dyson have a combined 1.74 ERA, 76 strikeouts and have issued just 15 walks.

The Gator bullpen has been equally as impressive. The group has a combined 1.55 ERA and a 3.18 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Closer Michael Byrne is yet to surrender a run and has given up just eight hits over 12.1 innings of work.

Scouting the Gamecocks

South Carolina starter Adam Hill is a strikeout machine. He’s second in the nation with 43 K on the year. Opponents are hitting just .115 against him so runs could be at a premium for both teams during his Friday matchup against Singer.

The Gamecocks have three players hitting over .300 (min. 40 at-bats) and they’re a team that has a disciplined eye at the dish. South Carolina is tied for 13th in the nation with 104 walks. When the Gamecocks do hit the ball, they tend to hit it far. They’re tied for fifth in the country with 1.53 home runs per game and the team has a .491 slugging percentage.

Head coach Mark Kingston’s team is also on a hot-streak of their own. They’ve won five in a row coming into this weekend.

Hot Gator Hitters

After a slow start to the season, Austin Langworthy seems to have found his groove at the plate. Over his last five games, he’s hitting .357 with 3 RBI. Jonathan India has also been tearing it up of late.

Over the team’s last 10 games, Jonathan India has a team-best slash line of .500 / 1.125 / .594 with three 2B, four HR and seven RBI. #JonnyGator pic.twitter.com/HqrZTT6gkG

— Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) March 15, 2018

Perhaps the most surprising offensive contribution this season has come from Nick Horvath. Heading into 2018, his career average was .173 and he had 11 career RBI. This season, the senior is hitting .345 with 13 RBI.

Game Info

You can listen to all three games on 103.7 the Gator and watch on Friday and Saturday via SEC Network+. Sunday’s game will be televised on ESPNU.