Wyatt Langford, Jac Caglianone Lead No. 4 Florida to Lexington for Regular Season Finale
The final weekend of the regular season is upon us, and it features yet another huge series for Kentucky baseball.
The No. 19 Bat Cats are set to welcome the No. 4 Florida Gators to Kentucky Proud Park for three games that will help decide seeding for the SEC Tournament next week, as well as the NCAA Tournament hosting picture afterward.
Florida (40-12, 18-9 SEC) has hung around the top of the pack in the country and in the SEC for the entire season and is in great shape to host a Regional in Gainesville, kicking off a run to Omaha. Kevin O'Sullivan is in year No. 16 as head coach and owns an impressive record of 667-314 (.680).
The last few weeks have been hit or miss for the Gators. They're the only team to win a series on the road against Tennessee this year and have continued to hold serve at home.
They were swept at South Carolina three weeks ago, but have since won six SEC games in a row, sweeping Missouri and Vanderbilt. Entering this weekend, Florida is second in the SEC and could enter Hoover next week as the No. 1 seed with a good series.
Coming off series' against South Carolina and Tennessee, Kentucky is used to facing high-powered offenses. That isn't changing this weekend, as UF ranks high in stats at the plate:
- .304 batting average (2nd in SEC)
- .565 slugging (2nd)
- 446 runs scored (2nd)
- 106 home runs (2nd)
Wyatt Langford headlines for the Gators, as the junior left fielder will enter Thursday night with a .400 batting average and an .813 slugging percentage, both of which are the third best in the SEC. His unreal .535 on-base percentage is second best, while he still maintains a .1000 fielding percentage in left field.
He's one of five UF players with double-digit home runs this season, but none come close to two-way sensation Jac Caglianone.
As a first baseman, he's slashing .349/.401/.813, has a Division-I-best 27 homers and ninth-best 73 RBIs. As a pitcher, he's 5-2 with a 4.47 ERA in 13 starts. Opponents are hitting only .174 and have struck out 63 times across 54.1 innings against the lefty.
If those two aren't enough, shortstop Josh Rivera is hitting .370 with a .467 OBP. He and Langford have both walked more than they've struck out. Luke Heyman is hitting .347, 2B Cade Kurland sits at .317.
Simply put, there won't be an easy out for Kentucky's pitching staff all weekend.
"(Florida) is a team that's playing a really good brand of baseball," UK head coach Nick Mingione said. "So we'll have our hands full, but love the way our team is competing right now."
The pitching has been hit or miss for the Gators this season, but the talent is clear to see. They'll send three quality arms to the bump to start in Lexington this weekend — including Caglianone:
Pitching Probables
- THURSDAY: UK – RHP Travis Smith (4-2, 4.81); FLA – RHP Hurston Waldrep (6-3, 5.0
- FRIDAY: UK – RHP Zack Lee (4-2, 3.54); FLA – RHP Brandon Sproat (7-2, 4.44)
- SATURDAY: UK - TBA; FLA – LHP Jac Caglianone (5-2, 4.47)
Florida is craving a lockdown start from Waldrep. He's ate innings, but has given up at least four earned in each of his last three starts — excluding last weekend vs. Vanderbilt, as a weather delay axed his outing prematurely. His stuff is nasty, as he's fanned 104 batters in 66.2 innings.
Sproat has gone deep lately as well and threw six scoreless against the Commodores a week ago. He's thrown a team-best 73.0 innings and has walked only 33 in that span.
When the pitching is bad, however, it's bad. In five of Florida's last eight losses, it's allowed 10 or more runs.
Kentucky enters the weekend as the No. 6 seed in the SEC Tournament. It could take the field at the Hoover Met Complex anywhere from the No. 2 seed, all the way down to No. 9. Find out about scenarios that could lead the Cats upward HERE.
First pitch in game one between the Wildcats and Gators on Thursday, May 18 is set for 6:30 p.m. EST and will air on SEC Network+.
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