Florida baseball takes on the Virginia Cavaliers in the opening game for the College World Series on Friday, June 16, and if you are looking to follow this evening’s action on the clay diamond, you have come to the right place.
The Orange and Blue earned a share of the Southeastern Conference’s regular-season title but were unable to earn the tournament crown, getting upended by the Vanderbilt Commodores in the semifinals — Vandy’s first win in five tries during the 2023 campaign. Nevertheless, Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad finished the season ranked second in the nation according to most major polls.
The Gators then went on to win the Gainesville Regionals, taking two out of three from the Texas Tech Red Raiders to advance to the next round while also dispensing of the FAMU Rattlers and UConn Huskies along the way. Finally, Florida defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks in two straight games to reach the College World Series.
Take a look below at everything you need to know to follow Friday night’s matchup between Florida and Virginia at Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
How to Watch
Friday (7 p.m. EDT)
Probable Starters
|
Team |
Pitcher |
Record |
ERA |
|
FLORIDA |
RHP Brandon Sproat |
8-3 |
4.69 |
|
VIRGINIA |
RHP Nick Parker |
8-0 |
3.81 |
Probable Starters Notes
Brandon Sproat will get his typical Friday night start, but it will once again be an audition for the many major league scouts in attendance. It’s been the same story for a while with Sproat: really good stuff, but not that consistent. His 4.69 earned run average is palatable and he’s learned to generate more swing and miss than he did a year ago.
Sproat might be a first-round pick in the eyes of some scouts, but he’s not a lock to earn big money just yet either. Turning down a third-round contract is risky, but a big outing could make everything work out.
Virginia is throwing right-hander Nick Parker, who was roommates with Florida’s BT Riopelle at Coastal Carolina as freshmen. He’s 6-foot-1-inches tall and 208 pounds with a fastball that tops out around 90 mph, yet he’s been one of the most effective pitchers of the postseason.
Parker has a slow 77-78 mph curve that’s developed nicely over the year, and his slider has also improved throughout 2023. The changeup is his favorite offspeed pitch to go to, so opposing batters are dealing with a lot when facing Parker.
Florida should be able to handle this, but I can see lefties such as Riopelle struggling with his stuff. — David Rosenberg
Projected Starting Lineup
|
Pos. |
Player Name |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
RBI |
|
C |
BT Riopelle |
.250 |
.377 |
.537 |
216 |
52 |
54 |
16 |
65 |
|
1B |
Jac Caglianone |
.336 |
.402 |
.766 |
256 |
70 |
86 |
31 |
84 |
|
2B |
Cade Kurland |
.300 |
.408 |
.570 |
237 |
68 |
71 |
16 |
46 |
|
3B |
Colby Halter |
.248 |
.360 |
.412 |
153 |
27 |
38 |
3 |
28 |
|
OR |
Dale Thomas |
.244 |
.414 |
.444 |
45 |
10 |
11 |
1 |
4 |
|
SS |
Josh Rivera |
.362 |
.465 |
.633 |
229 |
66 |
83 |
17 |
68 |
|
LF |
Richie Schiekofer |
.200 |
.273 |
.280 |
50 |
13 |
10 |
1 |
5 |
|
CF |
Wyatt Langford |
.373 |
.498 |
.769 |
212 |
76 |
79 |
18 |
48 |
|
RF |
Tyler Shelnut |
.285 |
.382 |
.503 |
151 |
27 |
43 |
7 |
27 |
|
DH |
Luke Heyman |
.327 |
.379 |
.583 |
168 |
28 |
55 |
11 |
36 |
Notes: It wouldn’t be surprising to see Michael Robertson start this game. Richie Schiekofer isn’t lighting things up at the plate, and Robertson’s glove is elite.
Other Players to Watch
Virginia, as a whole, can hit the baseball well. They lead the nation with a .335 team batting average and 753 hits. Catcher Kyle Teel (.418/.484/.673) and shortstop Griff O’Ferrall (.396/.455/.491) each have 105 base knocks on the year and first baseman Ethan Anderson (.377/.472/. 643) is nearing the century mark with 95 to his name.
Third baseman Jake Gelof (.331/.435/.731) is the power bat with 23 home runs and 89 runs batted in. Anderson’s 14 homers are second on the team, and Teel is tied in third with center fielder Ethan O’Donnell (.356/.450/.595) 13 apiece. O’Donnell likes to run. He’s swiped 18 bags this season, and O’Ferrall is a threat as well with 16 steals. — Rosenberg
Series History
|
OVERALL |
5-3 |
|
AT HOME |
3-0 |
|
AWAY |
0-0 |
|
NEUTRAL |
2-3 |
NOTES: Florida played three games against Virginia in 2015 at the College World Series, losing two of three games to the eventual national champion Cavaliers. — Rosenberg
Prediction
Sproat hasn’t been great away from Condron Ballpark, but I don’t think Florida gets shut down but a slow righty at this point in the season, even if he does have strong complementary breaking stuff.
I expect Wyatt Langford and Josh Rivera to have big offensive days, and Sproat will hold Virginia to two runs through seven innings, allowing Brandon Neely to get the two-inning save.
Prediction: 5-2, Florida — Rosenberg
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Story originally appeared on Gators Wire