Tuesday's matchup marks Florida's third-straight game against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament.
HOOVER, Ala. - No. 9-seed Florida opens the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament against No. 8-seed Vanderbilt in the opening round on Tuesday, May 21 at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
The meeting marks the fourth between the Gators and Commodores this season, as Vanderbilt took two of three (L 10-5, L 5-2, W 6-2) in Nashville from April 18-20. This is Florida's third-straight SEC Tournament game vs. Vanderbilt, as the Gators went 2-1 in Hoover last year, finishing with a win and a loss vs. the Commodores in their final two games.
Overall, Florida is 148-81-1 in the head-to-head series including 6-8 in neutral-site contests. The Gators are 35-23 in the series under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, highlighted by a 6-4 neutral-site mark.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gators are fresh off a vital series win at No. 9 Georgia, rallying for victories in the final two games after dropping the opener (L 9-4, W 7-14, W 19-11). Florida was led by catcher Luke Heyman (5-for-15) and second baseman Cade Kurland (4-for-13), as both players drilled three home runs, finishing with 10 RBI and 6 RBI, respectively. Outfielder Michael Robertson (5-for-12) also starred, leading the team with a .417 average while chipping in one double, four RBI and two runs. Right-handed pitcher Brandon Neely was nails out of the pen in the game-two win, chucking 4 2/3 frames of one-run ball on two hits while striking out six to earn the win. In the finale, Florida posted a season-high 19 runs thanks to a 12-run fourth inning, signifying the team's most runs in one frame since Feb. 27, 2002 vs. Siena (15).
VANDY SCOUTING REPORT
The Commodores enter with a 35-20 record and 13-17 mark in SEC play. As a team, the Dores are slashing .288/.381/.469 with 64 home runs while pitching to a 5.08 ERA and 546 strikeouts in 469 1/3 innings. Vanderbilt is fielding at a .977 clip.
HOOVER'S FINEST
Florida is the only team to reach the SEC Tournament Semifinals in each of the last three seasons featuring a trip to the finals two years ago. During that span, the Gators own a 9-4 record in Hoover. Overall, Florida is 77-69 (.527) all-time in Hoover, making the team's 43rd SEC Tournament appearance in 2024.
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Florida boasts 15 come-from-behind wins on the season, with 12 of the team's 13 SEC victories occurring in comeback fashion. The Gators wield three walk-off victories this year.
SEC'S SUPREME
Across their last 83 conference tilts, the Gators have gone 50-33 vs. SEC opponents featuring a 42-30 regular-season mark.
WEEKEND WARRIORS
Coming off a series win at No. 9 Georgia, the Gators have claimed 23 of their last 31 three-game, regular-season series since the 2022 season including 16 of 24 in SEC play. The Gators are 51-30 in weekend series since the start of last season and 60-33 across the team's previous 31 series.
NATIONAL LEADERBOARDS
Florida ranks sixth nationally and fourth in the SEC with 115 home runs this season (2.1 per game). Meanwhile, the Gators sit 16th in the country and seventh in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (10.4). At .981, Florida ranks third in the SEC and 11th in the NCAA in fielding percentage.
DOUBLE-DIGIT JACKS x 7
For the first time since the 1998 season, Florida has seven different hitters with double-digit home runs: first baseman/left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone (29), shortstop Colby Shelton (18), Heyman (14,) outfielder Ty Evans (13), infielder/outfielder Tyler Shelnut (13), Kurland (13) and catcher/designated hitter Brody Donay (11). Those seven players have accounted for 111 of the Gators' 115 home runs this season (96.5%). In 1998, Florida was led by Brad Wilkerson with 23 home runs, followed by David Ross (19), Jason Dill (16), Derek Nicholson (15), Mark Ellis (14), Greg Catalanotte (13) and Casey Smith (12). Last year's SEC Championship team had six players hit 10-plus homers highlighted by five with 17-plus.
CAGLIANONE'S GOLDEN SEASON
After homering in an NCAA-record nine-straight games from April 6-19, Caglianone followed the act with an equally brilliant one by going 66-consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout from April 7-27. He then proceeded to post a 30-game hitting streak from March 23 through May 12 to tie the all-time program mark. At present, the slugger ranks as the 60th-most-difficult hitter to strike out in the country with 9.9 at bats per strikeout. Caglianone's unparalleled power-contact combination has fueled him to a 21-to-41 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 8.2% strikeout rate and 29 home runs on the season, the latter of which ranks third nationally. He now owns each of the two-most-prolific home run seasons in Gators history, setting the team record with 33 last season while his 29 bombs this year are the second-most in club history.
Caglianone paces the Gators in virtually every offensive statistic including batting average (.414), OBP (.525), slugging (.851), OPS (1.376), hits (86), homers, RBI (58), runs (66) and walks (41). The two-way standout ranks second in the SEC in homers, batting average (ninth in NCAA) and slugging (fifth), third in OBP (11th), hits and total bases (177), fifth in runs scored and 11th in RBI. On the mound, Caglianone is 5-1 and his .217 batting average against is the eighth-best in the SEC, as the southpaw has been charged with the fifth-fewest hits allowed and second-fewest homers surrendered among qualified SEC hurlers.
ALL-SEC DUO
Two Gators collected All-SEC honors on Monday from the league's coaches in Caglianone and right-hander Liam Peterson, with Caglianone being named First Team All-SEC at first base and Peterson an All-SEC Freshman Team recipient. For Caglianone, the honor marks his second-straight season as the All-SEC First Team first baseman. Meanwhile, Peterson's first-career All-SEC accolade follows two Freshman of the Week nods on Feb. 26 and May 20.
CHECK THE FRESH LP
Peterson has been lights out across the final month of the regular season. Dating back to April 19, Peterson has made five appearances (four starts) and leads the Orange & Blue with a 2.33 ERA and .211 batting average against in 19 1/3 frames. The right-hander from Palm Harbor, Fla. is 1-0 in that span with just 15 hits allowed, nine walks and 20 strikeouts. Overall, Peterson enters the postseason with a 2-4 record and 5.83 ERA, although his .251 BAA and 10.5 strikeouts per nine paint an even better picture. As a true freshman, he ranks second on the roster in innings pitched (54.0) and games started (12) behind Caglianone.
HEALTHY SIP OF JAMESON
Across the team's last 18 games, righty Fisher Jameson has made 10 appearances and produced a 3.68 ERA across 22 innings. In that span, Jameson has struck out 28 batters while issuing just four walks. He wields a 2-0 record, two saves and a .274 batting average against in his previous 10 outings.
FIREWORKS IN THE FOURTH AT FOLEY
Trailing 3-0 in the series finale at No. 9 Georgia after three frames, Florida erupted for 12 runs in the fourth inning. The outburst marked the most runs (12) in a single inning of the Kevin O'Sullivan era (2008-present) and the most since Feb. 27, 2002 vs. Siena (15) in what was a 31-3 drubbing by the Gators. Two Gators had multiple hits in the frame: outfielder Ashton Wilson (single, two-run double) and Shelnut (double, two-run double). Heyman drove in four runs in the inning. The Gators combined for seven extra-base hits and also hit for the cycle as a team.
2-WAY 2 DOMINANT 2 HANDLE
In the 13 games Caglianone has started on the mound, he is hitting .408 (20-for-49). He has seven home runs in those 49 at bats while surrendering only four to the opposing 281 batters he has faced. 68 of those batters have struck out while Caglianone has only three strikeouts at the plate in the games he has pitched. Florida has won in 10 of Caglianone's 13 starts
THANK YOU, I'LL HAVE ANOTHER
Both Heyman and Kurland posted multi-homer games in the series win at No. 9 Georgia, after Shelton and Heyman collected multi-homer games two weekends back vs. Kentucky. Florida hitters have cashed in on 13 multi-homer games this season and 42 in the past three years (2022-24), after having batters collect just 32 multi-homer games in the previous 10 seasons prior (2012-21).
THE SCORING STREAK
Florida's scoring streak of 133-consecutive games is the third-longest in program history (May 27, 2022-present). The only longer streaks in team history have occurred from March 12, 1995-April 7, 1999 (268 games) and from 1957-63 (184). The Gators were last shut out on May 26, 2022 vs. Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.
SULLY SUPERLATIVES
Since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, no college program has more CWS trips (8), Super Regionals hosted (nine), top-eight national seeds (10) and NCAA Tournament bids (15) than the Florida Gators. Overall, Florida's 15-straight NCAA bids represent the second-longest active streak in the sport. The Gators have also hosted 12 NCAA Regionals out of a possible 15 during O'Sullivan's tenure (no NCAA Tournament in 2020), which ranks first in the nation.
HOOVER, Ala. - No. 9-seed Florida opens the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament against No. 8-seed Vanderbilt in the opening round on Tuesday, May 21 at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
The meeting marks the fourth between the Gators and Commodores this season, as Vanderbilt took two of three (L 10-5, L 5-2, W 6-2) in Nashville from April 18-20. This is Florida's third-straight SEC Tournament game vs. Vanderbilt, as the Gators went 2-1 in Hoover last year, finishing with a win and a loss vs. the Commodores in their final two games.
Overall, Florida is 148-81-1 in the head-to-head series including 6-8 in neutral-site contests. The Gators are 35-23 in the series under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, highlighted by a 6-4 neutral-site mark.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gators are fresh off a vital series win at No. 9 Georgia, rallying for victories in the final two games after dropping the opener (L 9-4, W 7-14, W 19-11). Florida was led by catcher Luke Heyman (5-for-15) and second baseman Cade Kurland (4-for-13), as both players drilled three home runs, finishing with 10 RBI and 6 RBI, respectively. Outfielder Michael Robertson (5-for-12) also starred, leading the team with a .417 average while chipping in one double, four RBI and two runs. Right-handed pitcher Brandon Neely was nails out of the pen in the game-two win, chucking 4 2/3 frames of one-run ball on two hits while striking out six to earn the win. In the finale, Florida posted a season-high 19 runs thanks to a 12-run fourth inning, signifying the team's most runs in one frame since Feb. 27, 2002 vs. Siena (15).
VANDY SCOUTING REPORT
The Commodores enter with a 35-20 record and 13-17 mark in SEC play. As a team, the Dores are slashing .288/.381/.469 with 64 home runs while pitching to a 5.08 ERA and 546 strikeouts in 469 1/3 innings. Vanderbilt is fielding at a .977 clip.
HOOVER'S FINEST
Florida is the only team to reach the SEC Tournament Semifinals in each of the last three seasons featuring a trip to the finals two years ago. During that span, the Gators own a 9-4 record in Hoover. Overall, Florida is 77-69 (.527) all-time in Hoover, making the team's 43rd SEC Tournament appearance in 2024.
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Florida boasts 15 come-from-behind wins on the season, with 12 of the team's 13 SEC victories occurring in comeback fashion. The Gators wield three walk-off victories this year.
SEC'S SUPREME
Across their last 83 conference tilts, the Gators have gone 50-33 vs. SEC opponents featuring a 42-30 regular-season mark.
WEEKEND WARRIORS
Coming off a series win at No. 9 Georgia, the Gators have claimed 23 of their last 31 three-game, regular-season series since the 2022 season including 16 of 24 in SEC play. The Gators are 51-30 in weekend series since the start of last season and 60-33 across the team's previous 31 series.
NATIONAL LEADERBOARDS
Florida ranks sixth nationally and fourth in the SEC with 115 home runs this season (2.1 per game). Meanwhile, the Gators sit 16th in the country and seventh in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (10.4). At .981, Florida ranks third in the SEC and 11th in the NCAA in fielding percentage.
DOUBLE-DIGIT JACKS x 7
For the first time since the 1998 season, Florida has seven different hitters with double-digit home runs: first baseman/left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone (29), shortstop Colby Shelton (18), Heyman (14,) outfielder Ty Evans (13), infielder/outfielder Tyler Shelnut (13), Kurland (13) and catcher/designated hitter Brody Donay (11). Those seven players have accounted for 111 of the Gators' 115 home runs this season (96.5%). In 1998, Florida was led by Brad Wilkerson with 23 home runs, followed by David Ross (19), Jason Dill (16), Derek Nicholson (15), Mark Ellis (14), Greg Catalanotte (13) and Casey Smith (12). Last year's SEC Championship team had six players hit 10-plus homers highlighted by five with 17-plus.
CAGLIANONE'S GOLDEN SEASON
After homering in an NCAA-record nine-straight games from April 6-19, Caglianone followed the act with an equally brilliant one by going 66-consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout from April 7-27. He then proceeded to post a 30-game hitting streak from March 23 through May 12 to tie the all-time program mark. At present, the slugger ranks as the 60th-most-difficult hitter to strike out in the country with 9.9 at bats per strikeout. Caglianone's unparalleled power-contact combination has fueled him to a 21-to-41 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 8.2% strikeout rate and 29 home runs on the season, the latter of which ranks third nationally. He now owns each of the two-most-prolific home run seasons in Gators history, setting the team record with 33 last season while his 29 bombs this year are the second-most in club history.
Caglianone paces the Gators in virtually every offensive statistic including batting average (.414), OBP (.525), slugging (.851), OPS (1.376), hits (86), homers, RBI (58), runs (66) and walks (41). The two-way standout ranks second in the SEC in homers, batting average (ninth in NCAA) and slugging (fifth), third in OBP (11th), hits and total bases (177), fifth in runs scored and 11th in RBI. On the mound, Caglianone is 5-1 and his .217 batting average against is the eighth-best in the SEC, as the southpaw has been charged with the fifth-fewest hits allowed and second-fewest homers surrendered among qualified SEC hurlers.
ALL-SEC DUO
Two Gators collected All-SEC honors on Monday from the league's coaches in Caglianone and right-hander Liam Peterson, with Caglianone being named First Team All-SEC at first base and Peterson an All-SEC Freshman Team recipient. For Caglianone, the honor marks his second-straight season as the All-SEC First Team first baseman. Meanwhile, Peterson's first-career All-SEC accolade follows two Freshman of the Week nods on Feb. 26 and May 20.
CHECK THE FRESH LP
Peterson has been lights out across the final month of the regular season. Dating back to April 19, Peterson has made five appearances (four starts) and leads the Orange & Blue with a 2.33 ERA and .211 batting average against in 19 1/3 frames. The right-hander from Palm Harbor, Fla. is 1-0 in that span with just 15 hits allowed, nine walks and 20 strikeouts. Overall, Peterson enters the postseason with a 2-4 record and 5.83 ERA, although his .251 BAA and 10.5 strikeouts per nine paint an even better picture. As a true freshman, he ranks second on the roster in innings pitched (54.0) and games started (12) behind Caglianone.
HEALTHY SIP OF JAMESON
Across the team's last 18 games, righty Fisher Jameson has made 10 appearances and produced a 3.68 ERA across 22 innings. In that span, Jameson has struck out 28 batters while issuing just four walks. He wields a 2-0 record, two saves and a .274 batting average against in his previous 10 outings.
FIREWORKS IN THE FOURTH AT FOLEY
Trailing 3-0 in the series finale at No. 9 Georgia after three frames, Florida erupted for 12 runs in the fourth inning. The outburst marked the most runs (12) in a single inning of the Kevin O'Sullivan era (2008-present) and the most since Feb. 27, 2002 vs. Siena (15) in what was a 31-3 drubbing by the Gators. Two Gators had multiple hits in the frame: outfielder Ashton Wilson (single, two-run double) and Shelnut (double, two-run double). Heyman drove in four runs in the inning. The Gators combined for seven extra-base hits and also hit for the cycle as a team.
2-WAY 2 DOMINANT 2 HANDLE
In the 13 games Caglianone has started on the mound, he is hitting .408 (20-for-49). He has seven home runs in those 49 at bats while surrendering only four to the opposing 281 batters he has faced. 68 of those batters have struck out while Caglianone has only three strikeouts at the plate in the games he has pitched. Florida has won in 10 of Caglianone's 13 starts
THANK YOU, I'LL HAVE ANOTHER
Both Heyman and Kurland posted multi-homer games in the series win at No. 9 Georgia, after Shelton and Heyman collected multi-homer games two weekends back vs. Kentucky. Florida hitters have cashed in on 13 multi-homer games this season and 42 in the past three years (2022-24), after having batters collect just 32 multi-homer games in the previous 10 seasons prior (2012-21).
THE SCORING STREAK
Florida's scoring streak of 133-consecutive games is the third-longest in program history (May 27, 2022-present). The only longer streaks in team history have occurred from March 12, 1995-April 7, 1999 (268 games) and from 1957-63 (184). The Gators were last shut out on May 26, 2022 vs. Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.
SULLY SUPERLATIVES
Since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, no college program has more CWS trips (8), Super Regionals hosted (nine), top-eight national seeds (10) and NCAA Tournament bids (15) than the Florida Gators. Overall, Florida's 15-straight NCAA bids represent the second-longest active streak in the sport. The Gators have also hosted 12 NCAA Regionals out of a possible 15 during O'Sullivan's tenure (no NCAA Tournament in 2020), which ranks first in the nation.
