After its statement series win against Arkansas, No. 4 Kentucky baseball will hit the road to take on the Florida Gators for the final road series of the season.

The visiting Wildcats enter the weekend 18-6, which is first in the SEC East. The Wildcats have swept Georgia, Ole Miss, Auburn and Alabama while also taking series wins against Missouri and Arkansas, only losing series to Tennessee and South Carolina.

For the home Gators, they enter the weekend with a 10-14 record, which is sixth in the SEC East. The Gators have claimed series victories over Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi State, but have lost series to South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Tennessee and have been swept by Missouri.

Team comparison

Starting with offense, the Wildcats enter the weekend first in the SEC with a .308 team batting average in conference play while the Gators come in at 13th with a .238 average.

Looking at on-base percentage in conference play, the Wildcats remain in first with a .404 on-base percentage and the Gators move up one spot to 12th with a .341. When it comes to slugging percentage, the Wildcats come in at third in conference action with a .550 slugging percentage while the Gators sit at ninth place with a .441.

Switching gears to the mound, the Wildcats enter the series with a 4.88 team ERA in conference play, which is fifth in the SEC, and the Gators team ERA sits at 6.17, which ranks ninth in the SEC.  When looking at batting average against in conference play, Kentucky comes in at second with a .229 batting average against and Florida ranks seventh in the SEC with a .262.

Offensive players to watch

Starting with the home Gators, Jac Caglianone has cemented himself as one of the most fearsome hitters in not only the SEC, but in all of college baseball. The lefty enters the weekend with 27 home runs on the year, which is tied for second in all of Division-I college baseball.

Looking at his numbers in conference play, Caglianone has posted a .363 batting average, .482 on-base percentage and a .791 slugging percentage, compared to his season-long figures of a .412 batting average, .511 on-base percentage and a .856 slugging percentage.

Another name to watch on offense for the Gators is Ty Evans, who has hit to a .292 batting average, .382 on-base percentage and a .583 slugging percentage.

Another threat is Brody Donay, who has appeared in 12 conference games, but has started in 10 and has posted a .270 batting average, .325 on-base percentage and a .595 slugging percentage in his conference action. Looking at the entire season, Donay has posted a .295 batting average, .362 on-base percentage and a .611 slugging percentage. 

The Gators will look to rely on the video-game-level production of Caglianone along with Evans and Donay to guide their offense in this series. 

Looking at the visiting Wildcats, Ryan Waldschmidt continues to be one of the leading producers in conference play as he leads the team with a .396 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage while also posting a .677 slugging percentage in conference play.

Another Wildcat who has maintained a hot streak in conference action is Nolan McCarthy, who enters the weekend with a .348 batting average, .400 on-base percentage and a .641 slugging percentage in conference games. Looking at McCarthy’s numbers on the year, they reveal a .292 batting average, .366 on-base percentage and a .507 slugging percentage.

Rounding out the Wildcats to keep an eye on is Ryan Nicholson, who has emerged as the teams power source in conference action. Nicholson leads the Bat Cats with a .744 slugging percentage while also posting a .322 batting average and a .419 on-base percentage.

Pitching matchups

For the home Gators, Pierce Coppola is scheduled to take the hill in game on. All of Coppola’s action on the year has taken place in conference action and he has pitched to a 10.50 ERA as he has given up seven earned runs in six innings pitched along with 10 strikeouts.

For the visiting Wildcats, Trey Pooser is set to take the mound for his eighth conference start. In his seven conference starts, Pooser leads Wildcat starters in ERA at 3.51 along with innings pitched and strikeouts at 41 and 37 respectively. Pooser has also surrendered the least earned runs among Wildcat starters at 16. On the year, both out of the bullpen and starting, Pooser has accumulated a 3.88 ERA across 53.1 innings pitched in which he surrendered 23 earned runs and struck out 52 batters.

In game two, the Gators are scheduled to send Liam Peterson to the hill and he has pitched to 7.71 ERA in 25.2 conference innings as he has given up 22 earned runs and struck out 31 batters. On the year, Peterson has posted a 6.54 ERA in 42.2 innings pitched in which he has surrendered 31 earned runs and struck out 53 batters.

Opposing Peterson for the Cats is scheduled to Domnic Niman, who has pitched to a 4.91 ERA in 40.1 innings pitched as he has given up 22 earned runs while also striking out 36 batters. Looking at the full season, Niman has tossed 59.1 innings in which he has given up 32 earned runs which accumulates to a 4.85 ERA. He has also struck out 53 batters on the year. 

In game three, the Gators are scheduled to send its two-way star Caglianone to the mound, who has pitched to a 5.40 ERA in 38.1 innings pitched in which he has struck out a team leading 36 batters and given up 23 earned runs in his conference starts. On the year, Caglianone has pitched to 4.39 ERA across 53.1 innings pitched in which he has surrendered 26 earned runs. He leads the Gators with 63 strikeouts on the season.

Dueling Caglianone in game three for the Wildcats is set to be Mason Moore, who has pitched 40 innings and given up 29 earned runs, which accumulates to a 6.52 ERA in his conference outings. Moore has also struck out 36 batters in conference play. Looking at his full season, Moore leads the Wildcats with 55 strikeouts in his 61.2 innings pitched in which he has given up 34 earned runs and that accumulates to a 4.96 ERA.

With the stage now set, Kentucky and Florida will take the field for game one on Friday, May 10, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.