The time for experimentation is over.
Almost one month after opening day, Florida will welcome Texas A&M into Florida Ballpark for a three-game series beginning Thursday. The Aggies mark the start of conference play as the Gators now face nine straight weekend series against SEC foes to close the year.
After 18 non-conference games to start the year, Florida’s strengths and weaknesses are clear. The Gators’ batting and starting pitching remains elite, but the fielding and bullpen need to catch up.
As the calendar gives way to the conference schedule, fans should expect less experimentation with lineups and relievers. The mentality switches from getting players experience to putting the Gators in the best position to win as the starting nine takes clearer shape.
Florida built a strong case as one of the best offensive teams in the SEC during the first month of the schedule. The Gators lead the conference in hits (190) and share the lead in doubles (38). They knocked the fourth-most home runs (23), scored the fourth-most runs (140) and hold the fifth-highest batting average at .294.
The top of Florida’s batting order is murderer’s row for opposing pitchers. Left fielder Jacob Young leads the NCAA with 10 doubles and a .358 batting average, the highest on the team. Center fielder Jud Fabian smashed a team-high six home runs this year. Catcher Nathan Hickey reeled in 21 RBIs, the most on the team and 13th in the country, and boasts a .609 slugging percentage.
If an opponent survives those three, senior third baseman Kirby McMullen waits at clean-up. McMullen crushed four home runs the past six games after an injury earlier this year to elevate his slugging percentage to a team-high .681.
The Aggies will face a tough time in the batter’s box during the opening innings. Weekend starters Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich own 1.96 and 1.82 ERAs, respectively. Mace, the presumptive Friday starter, struck out 31 batters against just 13 hits in his first four starts, while Leftwich allowed just a .148 batting average despite leading Florida with 24.2 innings on the mound.
Southpaw Hunter Barco, Sunday’s assumed starter, produced a less consistent start to 2021 but allowed only two combined runs his last two outings.
While not every team in the SEC can challenge the Gators at the plate, the Aggies seem up to the task. A&M rides into Gainesville on an 11-game winning streak, and it hit the second most home runs in the SEC (27) and possesses the third-highest on-base percentage at .413.
Senior Will Frizzell rocketed out to a great start to 2021, leading the Aggies in batting average (.382), home runs (7), doubles (6) and slugging percentage (.779). He batted in 17 runs, tied for the most on the team, and drew 15 walks for a team-high .488 on-base percentage.
The Aggies haven’t announced who will be on the mound each day, but sophomore lefty Jonathan Childress and senior southpaw Dustin Saenz will likely receive a game each. Childress allowed one run or less in all four starts this year and boasts a 1.11 ERA. Saenz owns a 1.71 ERA of his own and the pair lead the team with 36 strikeouts.
Texas A&M already played a conference opponent in 2021, a 6-1 loss to Auburn Feb. 28, the Aggies most recent defeat.
Thursday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Contact Ryan Haley at rhaley@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @ryan_dhaley
Ryan Haley, a UF journalism senior with a sports & media specialization from Jacksonville, Florida, is Summer 2022's Engagement Managing Editor. He grew up playing a bunch of different sports before settling on golf, following Rory McIlroy and all Philadelphia sports teams. He also loves all things fiction, reading, watching shows and movies and talking about whatever current story or character is in his head.
