Florida, FSU to face off in Sunshine Showdown
The Sunshine State baseball rivals are riding into Jacksonville.
Florida and Florida State square off on the college baseball diamond Tuesday night, renewing Jacksonville’s annual tradition at 121 Financial Ballpark. The first pitch is set for 6 p.m.
The annual series on the First Coast has been all Florida of late, with the Gators winning the last six times they’ve faced off in the 904 area code. FSU hasn’t beaten the Gators in Northeast Florida since March 31, 2015, when the Noles triumphed 8-3 with a pair of RBI from Bolles School graduate and current New York Mets outfielder DJ Stewart.
This year, the teams are entering the Sunshine Showdown with momentum in opposite directions.
FSU (19-3) into the top 10 of the Baseball America national rankings with their 19-0 start to the season before Clemson put a stop to that run on a weekend of bullpen meltdowns: The Noles blew an 8-1 lead in the ninth inning Saturday and an 11-2 lead in the sixth inning Sunday.
The Gators (14-9), despite an upand-down start that included a loss last Tuesday to Jacksonville University, bounced back nicely over the weekend by taking two of three from No. 5 LSU in Baton Rouge.
Unlike last year, when weather worries scrapped the teams’ scheduled Jacksonville game and forced a makeup game in May, the National Weather Service expects the rain to hold off until later in the week.
Here’s what fans need to know.
Florida Gators baseball: What to know
In barely a month of action, Florida has already experienced its share of highs (series wins against LSU and Texas A&M, both ranked in the top
five) and not-so-highs (four in-state losses already this year to JU, FSU, UCF and Stetson).
As in recent years, the Gators tend to live or die with the long ball, ranking in the Division I top 10 for homers and clubbing a season-high six on Sunday against LSU.
They’ve got big-time power with Jac Caglianone (.394, 11 HR, 24 RBI, 1.211 OPS), Ty Evans (.389, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 1.138 OPS), Colby Shelton (.311, 12 HR, 26 RBI, 1.195 OPS) and Tyler Shelnut (.313, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 1.153 OPS), but only three other players receiving more than 25 at-bats bat above .225. Evans, Caglianone and Shelnut went back-to-back-to-back in the eighth on Sunday, the first time the Gators have done that since 2005.
Caglianone has also led the UF rotation (3-0, 1.65 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) but won’t be available for mound duties after throwing seven innings Sunday against LSU. The Gators hold a team ERA of 5.45.
Florida State Seminoles baseball: What to know
They’ve been hot, until last week. FSU, in its second year under head coach Link Jarrett, won its first 19 games — the last undefeated team standing in NCAA Division I — and ranked No. 2 in college baseball for both batting average and earned run average until the past weekend’s series at Clemson.
Still, Saturday’s losses might leave a mark. FSU, which had entered the weekend No. 7 in the Baseball America national rankings, got walloped 15-5 in the first game of a doubleheader at Clemson, then squandered those big late leads to lose 9-8 and 14-2.
For the year, they’re batting .344 with a 1.035 OPS, paced at the plate by Cam Smith (.447, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 1.269 OPS), James Tibbs III (.386, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 1.341 OPS) and Jaime Ferrer (.333, 9 HR, 24 RBI, 1.170 OPS).
FSU’s team ERA of 4.03 also ranks far better than the NCAA norm, although ace Jamie Arnold (5-0, 0.52 ERA, 0.81
WHIP, 53 K in 34.2 IP) started Saturday against Clemson and isn’t expected to see action Tuesday.
Locals on the rosters
Florida:
IF/OF Tyler Shelnut (Fort White High School)