Tennessee Comes To Town On Top – And It's Not A Rocky Top This Time

Gator Baseball needs the pop of Sterlin Thompson vs. Tennessee -- and pitching (UAA Photo)

By KYLE CURTIS

GatorBaitMedia.com

Florida baseball has hit a midseason slump after dropping eight of its last twelve matchups. Amidst the woes, the Gators have their hardest challenge yet this weekend at Florida Ballpark when they host the No. 1 nationally ranked Tennessee Volunteers.

Undoubtedly, the Gators have had one of the SEC’s toughest stretches in baseball you could have after playing at Vanderbilt, Georgia and hosting No. 22 Arkansas over the past three weekends. This weekend is the cherry on top as they host the hottest team in college baseball.

The Volunteers boast a 34-3 record on the season in the nation’s hardest conference. Tennessee is well-rounded and polished in all aspects of the game: topnotch pitching, hitting and few self-inflicted errors.

For the Gators to win a few things need to happen. Especially after news came out that ace pitcher Hunter Barco, the only bright spot from the pitching staff this year, is out indefinitely and will be re-evaluated shortly after severe elbow soreness -- a big blow for the Gators to lose their Friday starter and a premier pitcher in college baseball. Barco is projected to be a top 10 pick in the upcoming MLB draft, ranking Barco No. 7 on MLB’s latest draft board.

With the news that Barco is out, it will be intriguing to see who Coach Kevin O’Sullivan will give the nod to on Friday night. Throughout the whole weekend, if the Gators want a chance to steal the series, they need to have pitchers step up. Between Nick Pogue and Brandon Sproat, there have been a few bright moments where they show potential to be that guy.

To add to the pitching dilemma, the Gators need to find someone to come in from the bullpen and consistently be able to close games outside of Blake Purnell. While Purnell has been great, it would be tough for him to have extended innings three straight days. Younger guys will get opportunities to shine this weekend and be able to earn some quality innings against top-tier competition.

Another key to the Gators’ chances of pulling off the upset this weekend lies on the latter part of the batting order. Jud Fabian brings his SEC-leading 16 home runs with Sterlin Thompson establishing himself as one of the nation’s best hitters. B.T. Riopelle has been on an absolute tear as well – three home runs in Game 2 vs. Vanderbilt -- all three providing spark with their bats. The question is whether Josh Rivera, Kendrick Calilao and even Deric Fabian can provide run support on the back end.

Defensively, the Gators have been sharp all year in comparison to last year’s surplus of errors. Limiting errors will be another key component to the Gator’s success.

One thing the Gators have going for them is their playing at Florida Ballpark, where the Gators are 42-10 over their last 52 game and have been a different team at home.

A big series in Gainesville that can set the table for the post-season as the Gators look to steal the series and gain some momentum going into the final stretch of their regular season.