Florida Closes Out Home Slate vs. No. 4 Kentucky - Florida Gators (2024)

LAST TIME OUT
The Gators notched a midweek victory over USF on Tuesday night, winning 4-1 against the Bulls. Left-handed pitcher/first basemanJac Caglianone slammed his 27th home run of the season in the first to extend his hitting streak to 27 games, while outfielderHayden Yost and infielder/outfielderTyler Shelnut both doubled inruns. Left-handed pitcherCade Fisherearned the win as a key reliever, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings and allowing only one hit. Right-handerBrandon Neely worked a clean ninth to earn his second save of the season.

RELENTLESS REPTILES
Florida boasts 13 come-from-behind wins on the season, with nine of the team's 10 SEC victories occurring in comeback fashion. The Gators wield three walk-off victories this year.

COMFY AT CONDRON
Florida is 54-18 at home since the start of last season despite a 18-11 record at Condron Family Ballpark in 2024. The Gators have claimed 15 of their last 17 three-game, regular-season series at Condron Family Ballpark dating back to the 2022 season.

WEEKEND WARRIORS
Despite the series loss to now-No. 1 Tennessee, the Gators have claimed 22of their last 29 three-game, regular-season series dating back to the 2022 season including 15of 22in SEC play. The Gators are 48-27 in weekend series since the start of last season and 57-30 across the team's previous 29 series at any venue.

THE SEC'S FINEST
Across their last 77 conference tilts, the Gators have gone 47-30vs. SEC opponents featuring a 39-27regular-season mark.

NATIONAL LEADERBOARDS
Florida ranks seventh nationally and fourth in the SEC with 99 home runs this season (2.06 per game). Meanwhile, the Gators sit 12th in the country and fourth in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (10.8). At .980, Florida ranks third in the SEC and 17th in the NCAA in fielding percentage.

CLEMENTE CRUISING
Redshirt freshman rightyJake Clemente has not given up an earned run across his last five appearances, having last been charged with an earned run on March 12. Since then, Clemente is 2-0 with nine innings pitched, one unearned run allowed, seven hits, five walks and 14 strikeouts. He has strung together three-straight scoreless appearances spanning five innings.

GOING STREAKING
The longest active on-base streak on the team belongs to Caglianone at 34 games, who also paces Florida with a 27-game hitting streak dating back to March 22 vs. LSU. Caglianone's hitting streak is three games shy of tying Jacob Young's program record of 30-straight set from 2019-2021. Young broke Tim Olson's 21-year-old record on Sunday, March 7, as he singled in the eighth inning to extend his hitting streak to a record 30 games. Young recorded hits in the final two games of the 2019 Lubbock Regional, all 16 games he made a plate appearance in 2020, and the first 12 games of the 2021 season. The hitting streak spanned over 646 days, as his streak began June 1, 2019. Young hit .415 (51-123) over the streak, with 11 doubles, 18 RBIs, and 23 runs. Caglianone is batting .418 (41-for-98) across his hitting streak. He has totaled a .533 on-base percentage, .980 slugging percentage, 18 home runs, 33 RBI, 32 runs, 18 walks and seven strikeouts over the streak.

CAGLIANONE'S GOLDEN SEASON
After homering in an NCAA-record nine-straight games from April 6-19, Caglianone followed the act with an equally brilliant one by going 66-consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout from April 7-27 before being fanned in the eighth inning of the series finale at No. 2 Arkansas. At present, the slugger ranks among the top-40 most-difficult hitters to strike out in the country with 11.0 at bats per strikeout. Caglianone's unparalleled power-contact combination has fueled him to a 17-to-30 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 7.6% strikeout rate and 27 home runs on the season, the latter of which is tied for second 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 27 bombs this year are the second-most in club history.With 198 career hits in 146 games as a hitter, Caglianone is set to become the second-fastest Gator in program history to 200 hits behind Preston Tucker (146 games from 2009-11). Caglianone's 198 hits have come across 573 at bats.

Caglianone paces the Gators in virtually every offensive statistic including batting average (.412), on-base percentage (.511), slugging (.856), OPS (1.367), hits (77), homers, RBI (54), runs (56) and walks (30). The two-way standout ranks second in the SEC in hits, homers, total bases (160), batting average and slugging (seventh in NCAA), third in OBP, sixth in RBI and seventh in runs scored. On the mound, Caglianone is 5-1 and his .223 batting average against is the 12th-best in the SEC, as the southpaw has been charged with the ninth-fewest hits allowed and fourth-fewest homers surrendered among qualified SEC hurlers.

2-WAY 2 DOMINANT 2 HANDLE
In the 11 games Caglianone has started on the mound, he is hitting .425 (17-for-40). He has six home runs in those 40 at bats while surrendering only four to the opposing 240 batters he has faced. 63 of those batters have struck out while Caglianone has only two strikeouts in the games he has pitched. Florida has won in nine of Caglianone's 11 starts.

HEALTHY SIP OF JAMESON
Across the team's last 13games, right-handed pitcherFisher Jameson has made seven appearances for a team-low 2.87 ERA across 15 2/3 innings. In that span, Jameson has struck out 21 batters while issuing just two walks. He also wields a 1-0 record, two saves and a .228 batting average against in his previous seven outings.

CHECK THE FRESH LP
Freshman rightyLiam Peterson seems to have found a groove, having allowed just one run across his previous three appearances spanning eight innings (dating back to April 19 at Vanderbilt). In those three games (two starts), Peterson has a 1.12 ERA and .192 batting average against. He threw four shutout, one-hit innings with seven strikeouts and two walks last Saturday vs. now-No. 1 Tennessee.

COPPOLA'S COMEBACK
Redshirtsophom*ore southpawPierce Coppola is coming off his best start of the season, striking out six Razorbacks across three-plus innings of one-hit, one-run ball on April 26 in Fayetteville. Friday's outing vs. Kentucky marks his fourth start of the campaign after returning to the mound for the first time in 783 days to start on April 13 vs. South Carolina. Through six innings this year, Coppola has allowed seven hits and three walks while fanning 10 batters.

EVANS ERUPTION
Adding to his career high in homers, outfielderTy Evans launched his 13th home run of the season on Saturday vs. Tennessee. In addition to home runs, Evans owns single-season career highs in runs (44), hits (60), doubles (10), extra-base hits (24) and walks (18) while increasing by at least .85 points in every slash category with a .324/.414/.600 batting line after hitting .239/.302/.485 in 2023. Evans boasts 19 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI contests in 48 games this season, with both totals ranking second on the roster behind Caglianone.

THE SCORING STREAK
Florida's scoring streak of 127-consecutive games is the third-longest in program history (May 27, 2022-present). The only longer streaks in team history have occurred from March 12, 1995-April 7, 1999 (268 games) and from 1957-63 (184). The Gators were last shut out on May 26, 2022 vs. Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.

SULLY SUPERLATIVES
Since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, no college program has more CWS trips (8), Super Regionals hosted (nine), top-eight national seeds (10) and NCAA Tournament bids (15) than the Florida Gators. Overall, Florida's 15-straight NCAA bids represent the second-longest active streak in the sport. The Gators have also hosted 12 NCAA Regionals out of a possible 15 during O'Sullivan's tenure (no NCAA Tournament in 2020), which ranks first in the nation. Looking at the SEC specifically, Florida's .607 winning percentage (287-186) since 2008 is the top mark in the conference.

PARKING/SHUTTLES
Fans are encouraged to park at the Fifield and IFAS lots during the weekend. An increased number of shuttles will be available for transportation to the ballpark each day.