Florida seniors Nelson Maldonado and Blake Reese were seniors in high school the last time Alabama bested the Gators on the diamond.
As a result, no player on UF’s roster has ever lost to the Crimson Tide. The series this weekend presents an opportunity for Maldonado and Reese to finish their careers undefeated against their SEC West foe with a sweep and a chance for Florida’s freshmen to join the club. Still, Alabama can play spoiler against a Gators squad that looks more vulnerable than it has in recent years and score a road win against a ranked opponent.
Florida (17-10, 1-5 SEC) comes into the game riding a six-game winning streak over the Crimson Tide (20-6, 2-4) dating back to 2015.
UF may be happy to see its opponent this weekend fall outside of the top 25 after consecutive series losses to ranked teams, but Alabama is no easy out.
The Crimson Tide lead the SEC in walks (165), have the second-highest on-base percentage (.428) and the fifth-best batting average (.286).
The Gators have run into issues simply producing outs, so Alabama’s consistency getting on base may prove troublesome.
UF’s pitching staff is tied for the highest opposing batting average (.257) among SEC teams and is last in total strikeouts (208). The strikeout numbers are especially of concern for Florida with its uncharacteristic fielding issues this season. The Gators lead the SEC in errors (33) and have the worst fielding percentage in the conference (.967).
Florida’s suspect pitching and fielding has, at times, been overshadowed by its streaky offense. UF is near the middle of the pack in the SEC in most major hitting categories but has exhibited the potential to score runs in bunches. The Gators will likely need a strong offensive showing to take the pressure off its pitching staff, where Alabama, again, holds the advantage.
The Crimson Tide have a 2.89 team ERA, which is lower than that of any of the starters Florida is expected to put on the mound this weekend (Tommy Mace, 3.99; Jack Leftwich, 4.65; Tyler Dyson, 5.34).
Alabama’s weekend rotation of senior Sam Finnerty (4-2), redshirt junior Brock Love (3-0) and junior Will Freeman (2-2) is followed by a stout bullpen led by Jeremy Randolph, who has yet to allow a run in 16 innings pitched.
One area where Florida has a clear advantage is in its power hitting. The Gators are tied with Georgia for the third-most home runs in the SEC (27), while the Crimson Tide have the fewest in the conference (17). That power hitting is also evenly distributed, with eight players having multiple home runs, led by Jud Fabian with five.
Again, UF is more than capable at the plate (four hitters hit .333 or better), but through its six SEC games that capability has yet to surface.
Home field does not figure to be too much of an advantage for Florida or much of a disadvantage for Alabama. The Gators have performed well at home (15-6) while the Crimson Tide have fared well outside of Tuscaloosa, Alabama (4-2).
Follow Kyle Wood on Twitter @Kkylewood and contact him at kwood@alligator.org.
Jud Fabian leads the Gators' baseball team with five home runs this season.
