Florida vs Miami: 2023 SEC Baseball series preview, prediction

One of the biggest series involving an SEC baseball team this weekend comes in Gainesville, as Florida is set to host Miami for a ranked-vs-ranked showdown between the two in-state teams.

Florida vs Miami: 2023 SEC Baseball series preview, prediction

When: 

• Friday, March 3 at 6:30 PM ET on SEC Network+
• Saturday, March 4 at 2:00 PM ET on SEC Network+
• Sunday, March 5 at 12:00 PM ET on SEC Network

Where: Condron Family Ballpark, Gainesville, FL

Ranked as the nation’s No. 6 team according to D1Baseball.com, Florida is off to an 8-2 start to the season. Led by head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, the Gators are coming off a 10-8 loss at home to Jacksonville, with their other loss this season having come at home to South Florida, 10-9.

The Gators lineup is led by two-way player Jac Caglianone, a sophomore who has hit eight HR so far this season to lead SEC baseball, as well as having hit five across his last three games. Florida, who is also batting a combined .355 as a team, has three others hitting for a .400+ AVG in Cade Kurland, Josh Rivera, and Wyatt Langford, while Gators catcher BT Riopelle is also one of the best in the SEC at the position.

Florida’s rotation features the previously mentioned Caglianone as the Sunday starter, while right-handers Brandon Sproat and Hurston Waldrep sit in the Friday-Saturday spots. The Gators top reliever this season has been right-hander Brandon Neely, while Cade Fisher and Ryan Slater have also impressed.

Miami comes to Gainesville ranked as the No. 22 team nationally according to D1Baseball.com, as the Hurricanes own a 7-2 overall record. Led by head coach Gino DiMare, the Hurricanes are also coming off a 6-5 midweek road loss at Florida Atlantic, with their other lone loss having come in the season opener against Penn State, 9-5.

The Hurricanes lineup is led by one of college baseball’s top third basemen in Yohandy Morales, who is also MLB Pipeline’s No. 15 overall 2023 MLB Draft prospect, slashing .400/.471/.800 with three HR and 11 RBI. Miami is also hitting for a combined .308 AVG as a team so far with 24 total HR, and have multiple others such as Zach Levenson, Blake Cyr, and Carlos Perez all among key names to know.

Pitching-wise, Miami owns a combined 3.49 ERA as a team, with Karson Ligon having been their top starter this season owning a 0.66 ERA across 13.2 IP. Alejandro Rosario and Gage Ziehl have also made two starts each for the Hurricanes this season, with Andrew Walters, Alejandro Torres, and Chris Scinta having impressed as relievers.

As for a prediction, expect this to be the top series involving an SEC baseball team this weekend, one that could go either way. However, I’ll say that Florida picks up the series win, with the home field advantage in Gainesville being a reason why.

Series Prediction: Florida 2-1