Florida & Vanderbilt NOTES:
SERIES HISTORY OVERALL 148-81-1
IN GAINESVILLE 84-24
AWAY 58-49-1
NEUTRAL 6-8
NOTABLE: Tuesday's matchup marks Florida's third-straight game against the Commodores in the SEC Tournament. SEC TOURNEY
Preview: Florida enters the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament as the No. 9 seed and will take on No. 8-seed Vanderbilt in the opening round on Tuesday. 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. Vandy, as the Gators went 2-1 in Hoover last year, finishing with a win and a loss vs. the Dores in their final two games. Overall, Florida is 148-81-1 in the series, including 6-8 in neutral-site contests. The Gators are 35-23 in the series under HC 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 wins in the final two games after dropping the opener (L 9-4, W 7-14, W 19-11). Florida was led by C Luke Heyman (5-for-15) and 2B Cade Kurland (4-for-13), as both players drilled three home runs, finishing with 10 RBI and 6 RBI, respectively. OF Michael Robertson (5-for-12) also starred, leading the team with a .417 average while chipping in one double, four RBI, and two runs. RHP 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 February 27, 2002, vs. Siena (15).
Vandy scouting report: The Commodores enter with a 35-20 record and a 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 have three walk-off victories this year. SEC'S SUPREME: Across their last 83 conference tilts, the Gators have gone 50-33 vs. SEC opponents, with 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: Caglianone (29), SS Colby Shelton (18), C Luke Heyman (14,) OF Ty Evans (13), INF/OF Tyler Shelnut (13), 2B Cade Kurland (13) and C/DH 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.
Coppola's comeback: RS sophomore LHP Pierce Coppola will make his second start in the last six days on Tuesday after starting the series opener at Georgia on May 16 last week. He returned to the mound for the first time in 783 days to start on April 13 vs. South Carolina.
CAGLIANONE'S golden season: After homering in an NCAA-record nine-straight games from April 6-19, 1B/LHP Jac Caglianone followed the act with an equally brilliant one by going 66 consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout from April 7-27. He then posted a 30-game hitting streak from March 23 through May 12 to tie the all-time program mark. 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), 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
SERIES HISTORY OVERALL 148-81-1
IN GAINESVILLE 84-24
AWAY 58-49-1
NEUTRAL 6-8
NOTABLE: Tuesday's matchup marks Florida's third-straight game against the Commodores in the SEC Tournament. SEC TOURNEY
Preview: Florida enters the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament as the No. 9 seed and will take on No. 8-seed Vanderbilt in the opening round on Tuesday. 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. Vandy, as the Gators went 2-1 in Hoover last year, finishing with a win and a loss vs. the Dores in their final two games. Overall, Florida is 148-81-1 in the series, including 6-8 in neutral-site contests. The Gators are 35-23 in the series under HC 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 wins in the final two games after dropping the opener (L 9-4, W 7-14, W 19-11). Florida was led by C Luke Heyman (5-for-15) and 2B Cade Kurland (4-for-13), as both players drilled three home runs, finishing with 10 RBI and 6 RBI, respectively. OF Michael Robertson (5-for-12) also starred, leading the team with a .417 average while chipping in one double, four RBI, and two runs. RHP 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 February 27, 2002, vs. Siena (15).
Vandy scouting report: The Commodores enter with a 35-20 record and a 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 have three walk-off victories this year. SEC'S SUPREME: Across their last 83 conference tilts, the Gators have gone 50-33 vs. SEC opponents, with 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: Caglianone (29), SS Colby Shelton (18), C Luke Heyman (14,) OF Ty Evans (13), INF/OF Tyler Shelnut (13), 2B Cade Kurland (13) and C/DH 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.
Coppola's comeback: RS sophomore LHP Pierce Coppola will make his second start in the last six days on Tuesday after starting the series opener at Georgia on May 16 last week. He returned to the mound for the first time in 783 days to start on April 13 vs. South Carolina.
CAGLIANONE'S golden season: After homering in an NCAA-record nine-straight games from April 6-19, 1B/LHP Jac Caglianone followed the act with an equally brilliant one by going 66 consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout from April 7-27. He then posted a 30-game hitting streak from March 23 through May 12 to tie the all-time program mark. 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), 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
