Florida Baseball: Gators-Tigers Weekend Preview
By Tucker Welch
![Florida pitcher Hunter Barco (12) fields a bunt and throws to first to record an out against Mississippi State during the SEC Tournament Tuesday, May 26, 2021, in the Hoover Met in Hoover, Alabama. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]Sec Tournament Florida Vs Mississippi State](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F8d98592747e7681c3f1154d5cc80233a131cb560a4632073832a10bbc6adb33c.jpg "Florida pitcher Hunter Barco (12) fields a bunt and throws to first to record an out against Mississippi State during the SEC Tournament Tuesday, May 26, 2021, in the Hoover Met in Hoover, Alabama. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]Sec Tournament Florida Vs Mississippi State")
Florida Baseball Weekend Preview Against LSU Tigers
The Florida-LSU rivalry will continue this weekend on the diamond as the Tigers carry their 15-6 record into Gainesville for a three-game series. Florida baseball always has high hopes on the season, and this season is no different. LSU will be the second top-25 matchup this season for the Gators as they took down Miami, who was ranked #22 at the time of the three-game series in which Florida took two of three.
The Florida Gators baseball team enters the weekend ranked #8 in the nation, according to D1Baseball.com. The Gators enter the top-25 matchup with a 16-5 record and having won last weekend’s conference series against Alabama.
The first pitch of the series is at 7:00 P.M. Friday, with the Gators starting sophomore Hunter Barco on the mound.
Ready to shove. #GoGators pic.twitter.com/XgJWoZ3a7w
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) March 24, 2022
Barco has, without a doubt, been the ace of this Gator pitching staff, boasting a record of 4-1 in five games and an ERA of 1.72. Barco will look to neutralize a Tiger lineup averaging just under 8.9 runs per game.
The game two starter for the Florida Gators will be sophomore Brandon Sproat. Sproat has a record of 3-1 with an ERA of 3.33. He has pitched well this season and has been able to eat innings and keep the Gators in a position to win games. Game two will be Saturday at 6:30 P.M.
The big bat in the Gator lineup is junior Jud Fabian. He enters the weekend as the SEC leader in home runs with 10.
Your new 𝙎𝙀𝘾 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 👑 #GoGators // 🐊⚾️ pic.twitter.com/BvHVMwLrfG
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) March 23, 2022
Fabian has a batting average of .320 and 25 RBIs to add to his home run total. He leads an explosive Gator offense averaging 7.8 runs per game. Florida has proven throughout the season the ability to win high and low scoring games allowing the team never to be counted out.
Game three of the weekend series will be Sunday, with the first pitch at noon. We will have to wait for Florida to announce their game three starter.
This weekend’s matchup for Florida baseball will be the usual tough opponent that you can expect from an SEC series, but the Gators do have the home-field advantage. You can expect hard-fought games all weekend between the two teams and expect the Florida stars to shine.