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Florida Baseball has one final tune up before SEC play begins

The Gators have a three game series with St. Mary's starting tonight

Gators infielder Colby Shelton (10) makes his debut in Orange and Blue in Game 1 against St. John s
Gators infielder Colby Shelton (10) makes his debut in Orange and Blue in Game 1 against St. John s / Cyndi Chambers/Special to the
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Sitting at 8-4 on the season, Florida Baseball has one final series this weekend against St. Mary's to tune things up before SEC play begins next week.

And in preparation, the Gators will take on a team they have never faced in program history.

Florida Baseball: West Coast Vibe

St. Mary's College is making trek from out west to take on the Gators this weekend. Sitting at 8-4 themselves, the Gaels have won all three series they have taken part in this season, knocking off Oakland, Utah Valley, and Seattle.

Given their strength of schedule though, St. Mary's is ranked 221st in RPI. Florida meanwhile came into the week ranked as high as fourth in the polls, but are currently 15th in RPI.

St. Mary's is essentially a two bat lineup, with Christian Almanza hitting .429 with six homeruns already and Dalton Mashore hitting .349.

No other qualified hitter for St. Mary's is hitting over .300.

Florida will aim to keep its same rotation of Cade Fisher, Liam Peterson, and Jac Caglianone. Given that St. Mary's is ranked outside the top 100 in walks drawn, the trio should be fine as long as they can pound the strike zone.

The bats for Florida though are still looking for more consistent at bats. The Gators are currently 59th in runs scored despite being in the top ten for home runs hit. A big reason for that is because they are 73rd in on base percentage. Florida is striking out every four at bats compared to St Mary's striking out every 5.5 at bats.

Anything short of a sweep will probably feel like a disappointment for the Gators, but a series win will do to keep the Gators in the conversation of the nation's elite as SEC play is right around the corner.

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