Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Volunteers Series Preview
Hector
Hector
The Florida Gators continue SEC play on the road for a three-game series against one of their biggest rivals. The Gators will head north to Knoxville, Tennessee to take on the Tennessee Volunteers.
The Florida Gators come into this series with a 25-5 record on the season. The Gators are 7-2 in SEC play. The Volunteers head into this series with a 21-8 record. They are also 4-5 in conference play. Here is the Florida Gators versus Tennessee Volunteers series preview.
Tennessee Volunteers
The Volunteers will be led by their head coach, Tony Vitello, who’s in his sixth season at Tennessee. The Volunteers are one of the toughest teams to play at home and will look to continue that trend versus Florida.
The Tennessee pitching staff will be led by junior right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander. Dollander is one of the top pitchers in the nation and is a potential top five pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. In seven starts, Dollander has a 4-2 record with a 3.92 ERA. He also has a 1.13 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, and 12.9 K/9.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Chase Burns will get the start for the Volunteers on Friday. The 2022 Freshman All-American is one of the top strikeout artists in college baseball. Burns has a 2-2 record with a 4.97 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 15.6 K/9.
In the series finale, sophomore right-handed pitcher Drew Beam will get the start for Tennessee. The Preseason All-American has pitched very well for the Volunteers. Beam has a 3-1 record with a 2.51 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 2.2 BB/9.
On offense, the Volunteers have a very talented offense including one of the top collegiate hitting projects in the 2023 MLB Draft. Sophomore infielder Christian Moore leads the Tennessee offense. Moore is slashing .349/.504/.581 with 30 hits, five home runs, twelve stolen bases, and a 1.085 OPS.
Shortstop Maui Ahuna is the 22nd-ranked draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Ahuna is batting .289 with 22 hits, five doubles, five home runs, and a .994 OPS. Two Tennessee hitters to watch this weekend are Blake Burke and Zane Denton.
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are back on the road after taking two out of three last weekend versus the Auburn Tigers. The Gators also knocked off Bethune-Cookman in the midweek matchup last Tuesday.
Junior right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat will get the start on Thursday night for the Gators. Sproat has been struggling on the mound since his lights out performance versus Alabama. On the season, Sproat has a 4-1 record with a 5.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, a .190 opponent batting average, and 12.9 K/9.
Florida will hand the ball to junior right-handed pitcher Hurston Waldrep for the Friday night game. The Southern Miss transfer posted a 5-1 record in seven starts. He has a 4.74 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 15.6 K/9, and a .231 opponent batting average.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Jac Caglianone will be on the mound for the Gators in the series finale on Saturday. Caglianone is one of the best hitters in the country but has been struggling lately with pitching.
On the mound, Caglianone has a 3-0 record with a 4.18 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched. At the plate, Caglianone is slashing .403/.456/.935 with 50 hits, eight doubles, two triples, a nation-high 18 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a 1.391 OPS.
The Florida Gators have one of the best offenses in the country. As a team, the Gators rank fourth in the nation in team batting with a .330 batting average. They are also tied for second in the nation in home runs with 64 dingers this season.
Shortstop Josh Rivera is having a monster season and leads Florida in batting. Rivera is slashing .411/.511/.759 with 46 hits, eleven home runs, 41 RBIs, a team-high ten stolen bases, and a 1.270 OPS. Two other Florida hitters to watch this weekend are Wyatt Langford and BT Riopelle.
