Florida Baseball Travels to Face No. 4 Arkansas In Weekend Series

Florida baseball travels to Fayetteville on Friday for a three-game series against No. 4 Arkansas.

Florida is coming off a 5-0 shutout win against No. 10 Florida State on Tuesday in a game that featured five different Gators earning a run. Four of them came in the 7th inning, and all were necessary after Alabama swept the Gators two days earlier

“We’ve got one of the best programs in the country for two decades now,” coach Kevin O’ Sullivan said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the way we responded.”

The Gators’ success can be primarily attributed to Brendan Lawson, who is the Gators’ leading batter with 30 runs and a .370 batting average. Lawson missed a game in the atrocious Tuscaloosa stretch, but he returned Tuesday, earning a run in the 7th inning. Lawson is slated to be in the lineup on Friday.

Arkansas also entered the win column Tuesday with a 15-2 beatdown against the University of Central Arkansas. Infielder TJ Pompey led with three runs, followed by Carter Rutenbar, Nolan Souza and Zack Stewart, who each had two.

Not mentioned: Camden Kozeal is the Razorbacks’ leading batter with 29 runs and a .354 batting average. Behind him, Damian Ruiz has 24, but a more efficient .358 batting average, and Ryder Helfrick has 24 and .310. Simply, the Razorbacks can rake.

The Gators are currently 3-3 against conference opponents. However, on the road, they’re still winless.

As it stands, Arkansas’s most high-profile win came against Mississippi State, with a series victory against the current No. 6 Bulldogs on March 14. Since then, their only loss was on Sunday to an unranked South Carolina squad, which is currently ranked last in the SEC.

The Razorbacks are 14-5 at home, though, with three losses against mid-majors. So some vague hope may still exist for Florida.

Category: Baseball, Gators Baseball