Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Volunteers Series Preview
Hector
The Florida Gators will be on the road for their first three-game weekend series in conference play. The Gators will take on the 2024 defending national champions and the only undefeated team in college baseball, the Tennessee Volunteers.
Florida comes into SEC play with a 16-2 record after handing Florida State their first loss of the season. Tennessee will host Florida with a 17-0 record heading into SEC play. Here is the series preview between the Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers.
Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers will open SEC play at home against one of the top baseball programs in the country, the Florida Gators. The Volunteers will be led by their head coach, Tony Vitello, who’s entering his eighth season at Tennessee.
The Tennessee pitching staff will also be led by their ace left-handed pitcher, Liam Doyle. The Coastal Carolina and Ole Miss transfer is having a major breakout season for the Volunteers. Doyle leads all of college baseball in strikeouts (47) and K/9 (20.8).
On Saturday, junior right-handed pitcher Marcus Phillips will get the ball for the Volunteers. The former JUCO transfer has been excellent on the mound this season. In his first four starts, the South Dakota native has a 1-0 record with a 1.42 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, a .145 opponent bating average, and 25 strikeouts in nineteen innings pitched. Tennessee has not announced their Sunday starter in the series finale.
At the plate, the Volunteers have one of the most productive offenses in the nation. As a team, Tennessee ranks sixth nationally in batting average but has the top slugging team in the country. Middle infielder Gavin Klein is one of the leaders for Tennessee’s offense. Klein is slashing .448/.577/1.034 with 26 hits, four doubles, three triples, a team-high eight home runs, and a 1.611 OPS.
Sophomore infielder Dean Curley is another impact bat for the Volunteers. The draft-eligible sophomore is slashing .345/.526/.673 with nineteen hits, six home runs, sixteen RBIs, sixteen walks, and a 1.199 OPS. Two other Tennessee Volunteers to watch in the series are Andrew Fischer and Levi Clark.
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are looking to stay hot heading into the SEC part of their schedule. Florida has won their last five games, including defeating a top-five opponent in Florida State on Tuesday. In the series history, Florida has the upper hand versus Tennessee with a 157-97 all-time versus the Volunteers. The Gators also have a 69-49 record against the Volunteers on the road.
The Florida pitching staff will be led by sophomore right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson. The Sunshine State native has been dominant through his first four starts. On the mound, Peterson has posted a 4-0 record with a 0.86 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, a .164 opponent batting average, and 34 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Aidan King will be on the mound for Florida in Saturday’s game. King made his first collegiate start against Harvard last weekend and dominated the Crimson. King has made six appearances and one start. He has posted a 3-0 record with a 0.55 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, a .155 opponent batting average, 20 strikeouts, and two walks allowed in 16.1 innings pitched. Florida has not announced a starting pitcher for the series finale.
The Florida Gators’ offense has had excellent production early in the season. The Gators rank in the Top 15 nationally in team batting average, slugging percentage, and home runs. Junior catcher Brody Donay has been on a tear at the plate. Donay is slashing .403/.547/.947 with 23 hits, five doubles, one triple, eight home runs, eleven walks, and a team-high 1.494 OPS.
Junior shortstop Colby Shelton is also having a very productive season for the Gators. The former Alabama transfer is slashing .361/.434/.583 with a team-high 26 hits, ten doubles, two home runs, 16 RBIs, and a 1.017 OPS. Two other Florida hitters to watch in this series are infielder Brendan Lawson and Bobby Boser.
