After a successful opening weekend of SWAC conference play, the Wildcats will take a midweek trip to Gainesville to take on their third nationally-ranked opponent of the season in #9 Florida, Tuesday night at 6 p.m.
Fans can watch B-CU baseball live Tuesday night on SECN+.
Game Information
Tuesday, March 21
Opponent: #9 Florida (15-5, 2-1 SEC)
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Gainesville, Fla. / Florida Ballpark
Live Stats: https://floridagators.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Watch: SECN+
Listen: ESPN 98.1 FM
Last Time Out
The Wildcats opened SWAC play last weekend with a clean sweep of Jackson State. B-CU shutout the Tigers, 4-0 on Friday night behind a six-inning effort from starter Louis Lipthratt in which he allowed only four hits. Knickolas Billings and Brenton Fisher handled things from there in the victory. Boris Peña’s third homer of the season proved to be the difference in the 4-0 win.
The Wildcats fell behind first in the latter two games of the series, including a 7-1 deficit in game two. A six-run sixth tied things at 7, a Franki Febles sacrifice fly tied things a second time at eight, and a Matthew Garcia double walked things off for B-CU in the eleventh.
The Wildcats fell behind, 2-0 Sunday, but took things over with a four run fourth. A four-run eighth pushed the B-CU lead to 8-2. Jackson State nearly pulled even with a four-run ninth, but Brenton Fisher shut the door with a swinging strikeout in the ninth.
Scouting the Gators
Florida is 15-5 this season. The Gators opened SEC play last weekend with a series win over Alabama, dropping the series finale, 8-7.
The ninth-ranked team in the country is batting .309 as a team with a .940 OPS. They have outscored opponents 161-69 on the season. Outfielders Wyatt Langford and Jud Fabian lead the Gators with 23 RBI each. Langford is batting .400 through 20 games started.
The Gator pitching staff has combined for a .813 era and 1.18 WHIP. They have struck out 187 batters in 178 innings. Opposing batters are hitting .219 against UF arms.
The Starters
Alec Mendez will make the start for B-CU Tuesday night. The lefty made his return from a year-long rehab after Tommy John surgery in 2021. He pitched a clean inning at LSU with a strikeout. Mendez was primarily a starter in his first two years at B-CU. A season ago, he finished with a 2-0 record in 26 innings with 22 strikeouts. Opponents batted just .194 against him in the COVID-shortened season.
The Gators will throw Nick Pogue. The 6-5, 235-pound right-hander has made only one appearance on the young season in relief. He threw 1.2 innings against Seton Hall, allowing a run on three hits with three walks. Pogue also makes his return this season after season-ending surgery in 2021.
All-Time Series
Tuesday will mark the fifteenth meeting all-time between B-CU and Florida. The Wildcats have won only one game in the series. Last time out, B-CU fell to Florida, 7-4 on Feb. 21, 2018. The Wildcats lone win came in 2017 when they took down UF in Gainesville, 6-2.
Notes
- Brenton Fisher appeared in all three wins for the Wildcats last weekend. In two full innings, Fisher allowed no runs, no hits, and only one walk with four strikeouts, earning a save and a win.
- The Wildcats have are 5-3 in eight one-run games this season. The next closest SWAC teams in one-run games played are Alabama A&M (1-5) and Alabama State (2-4). Mississippi Valley State is closest in wins at 3-1. B-CU, MVSU, Southern (2-1), and MVSU are the only SWAC teams with winning records in one-run games.
- Tuesday marks the third nationally-ranked team B-CU has met thus far this season – they are the only SWAC school to face three ranked teams. Four SWAC schools have faced none, only two others have faced more than one.
- B-CU is one of only three SWAC schools to sweep the opening weekend of conference play.