After a 4-0 road stretch last week, the No. 2 Gators are rolling.
Florida took down in-state rival Florida State 8-2 on April 12 in Tallahassee and swept the weekend series at Arkansas by a combined score of 29-12, while never trailing against the Razorbacks.
Now, UF (33-5) returns home and will look to continue its winning streak against Jacksonville (22-13) tonight at 7 at McKethan Stadium.
The Gators will look to slow down the Dolphins, who ride into Gainesville having won five of their last six games, including two against North Florida and Lipscomb and one against Florida A&M.
This year, Florida is 22-1 overall and 15-0 at home versus non-conference opponents. UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan is 6-3 against the Dolphins in his career and holds a 5-2 record versus JU at home.
The last time these two teams squared off was April 5, when lefthander Scott Moss earned his first career win in a 7-2 victory in Gainesville. Freshman Nelson Maldonado powered Florida in the win, crushing a home run and knocking in three runs.
While Moss had success against JU, tossing three hitless and scoreless innings, Florida will instead turn to its usual midweek starter — freshman Jackson Kowar.
Kowar is 3-0 and owns a 3.41 ERA this year, but he’s been even better as a starter.
In five games started, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has a 1.85 ERA and has struck out 29 batters through 24.1 innings.
Kowar, who’s only seen the Dolphins in relief, will have to deal with a Jacksonville lineup that features one of the more prominent home-run hitters in the nation: Austin Hays.
Hays’ 12 homers are tied for 10th most in the country, and the junior leads the team with a .394 average and 36 RBIs.
In Florida’s 7-2 win over JU in April, Hays was the only player to record two hits, going for 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.
On the mound, the Gators will face junior Casey Kulina for the first time. Kulina is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA this season.
Contact Patrick Pinak at ppinak@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @pinakk12
Jackson Kowar pitches during Florida's 5-4 win over UNF on March 9 at McKethan Stadium.
