A 1-11 start to SEC play has Florida on the cusp of missing the NCAA Baseball Tournament after reaching the College World Series in back-to-back years, but there's still a path to the playoffs and it starts with a sweep against Missouri.
Technically, it started with a series win over Florida State on Tuesday, but the Gators have already knocked over the first domino, so now all eyes are on Florida vs. Mizzou. The Tigers are the only team with a worse record against the SEC at 0-12, and the Gators can't afford to drop a game to them this weekend. Of course, sweeping any SEC team is easier said than done, even if it's at the bottom of the conference.
Florida is dealing with the same injuries it has for most of the year. Left-handed starter Pierce Coppola has missed most of his redshirt junior season and doesn't appear any closer to a return. Left-handed reliever Frankie Menendez is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and second baseman Cade Kurland is also officially done for the season.
Kyle Jones isn't on the injury report this week, but that could be a sign of a redshirt attempt rather than a return. The newest name on the availability report is senior outfielder Ty Evas, who has had a tough go of it at the plate but played on Tuesday. Sante Fe transfer Matthew Jenkins is also unavailable and has been for several weeks.
Projected Starting Lineup: Florida Gators
| Pos. | Player Name | AVG | OBP | SLG | AB | R | H | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Luke Heyman | .315 | .414 | .550 | 111 | 24 | 35 | 7 | 25 |
| 1B | Brendan Lawson | .312 | .440 | .544 | 125 | 29 | 39 | 8 | 39 |
| 2B | Justin Nadeau | .265 | .419 | .398 | 98 | 23 | 26 | 2 | 13 |
| 3B | Bobby Boser | .317 | .419 | .593 | 145 | 42 | 46 | 11 | 39 |
| SS | Colby Shelton | .369 | .441 | .604 | 149 | 32 | 55 | 6 | 30 |
| LF | Blake Cyr | .284 | .387 | .474 | 116 | 25 | 33 | 6 | 18 |
| CF | Hayden Yost | .273 | .375 | .382 | 110 | 20 | 30 | 1 | 20 |
| RF | Ashton Wilson | .171 | .358 | .268 | 41 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 |
| DH-L | Brody Donay | .321 | .459 | .679 | 106 | 27 | 34 | 9 | 22 |
| DH-R | Landon Stripling | .259 | .385 | .376 | 85 | 19 | 22 | 2 | 16 |
Probable Starters: Game 1 - Tuesday (6:30 p.m. ET)
| Team | Pitcher | Record | ERA |
| FLORIDA | RHP Jackson Barberi | 1-1 | 4.84 |
| STETSON | RHP Zane Coppersmith | 4-2 | 7.27 |
NOTES: Jackson Barberi gets the midweek start once again for Florida. Kevin O'Sullivan has gone with him over the past few weeks, and he's seen a ...
