OMAHA, Neb. — Florida baseball will look to continue its resilient postseason run when it faces Kentucky on Wednesday in the College World Series at Charles Schwab Field (11 a.m. ET, ESPN).
The game was postponed on Tuesday night due to storms in Omaha, forcing the possibility of UF needing to play a doubleheader on Wednesday to continue to advance in the CWS. If Florida wins, it will play Texas A&M on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET.
The Florida Gators (35-29) improved to 7-1 in their last eight games facing elimination when they edged North Carolina State 5-4 on Tuesday night.
Florida two-way star Jac Caglianone powered UF to an early 4-1 with a three-run homer and Brandon Neely pitched three scoreless innings to hold a one-run lead to pick up his fifth save of the season.
"Honestly, just playing for each other," Caglianone said, when asked about UF's resiliency. "We have a bunch of older guys, who, they don't know what their baseball career holds for them. So just playing for them and knowing this could possibly be it, we don't want to end on a bad note by any means."
Florida will send lefty Pierce Coppola (0-4, 9.16 ERA) to the mound to start, but could also need more big performances from its bullpen to keep its season alive for another game.
"That's going to the message for tomorrow," Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "We're going to need some help ... we're going to need some guys who haven't pitched to go get three or six outs for us."
Kentucky (46-15) fell into the losers bracket with a 5-1 loss to Texas A&M on Monday night. The Wildcats were no-hit into the 7th inning by ace TAMU lefty Ryan Prager and scored its lone run on a solo homer by first baseman Ryan Nicholson in the ninth inning.
Florida went 1-2 against Kentucky during the regular season at home when the two teams last played May 10-12. Both of UF's losses came in extra innings. The Wildcats finished the regular season as co-SEC champs with Tennessee.
"They took the hard path here, they were on the road, both for regionals and supers," Kentucky coach Nick Mingione said of Florida. "This league every week teams can change, and this is a time that we're facing tomorrow that has been there, done that. They're well coached. So yeah, we'll definitely have our hands full and they are not the same team from when we played them a couple of weeks ago."
Kentucky will likely start lefty Dominic Niman (8-4, 6.24). Florida scored six runs on seven hits on May 11 against Niman, a game the Gators won handily 10-1.
Florida baseball, Kentucky baseball key players
Florida: 1B/P Jac Caglianone (.413, 34 HR, 71 RBIs, 5-2, 4.76 ERA), SS Colby Shelton (.250, 20 HR, 55 RBIs), OF Tyler Shelnut (.266, 16 HR, 51 RBIs)
Kentucky: DH Nick Lopez (.341, 6 HR, 51 RBIs), 1B Ryan Nicholson (,312. 23 HR, 63 RBIs), RHP Johnny Hummel (4-0, 3.30 ERA, 7 saves
Florida baseball vs Kentucky odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM. Odds will be updated as they become available.
Moneyline:Florida (+100), Kentucky (-130)
Why Florida baseball will beat Kentucky
Florida will touch up Niman again, jump to an early lead, and maintain it for the remainder of the game. Right-handed bats Luke Heyman and Ashton Wilson are due to break out of slumps and will welcome the opportunity to face a left-hander. Coppola will give UF a solid start before turning it over to the bullpen.
Why Florida baseball won't beat Kentucky
Florida's inability to make consistent contact up and down the order will come back to bite the Gators, as UF has struck out 29 times in its first two CWS games. The Wildcats will cause havoc on the bases for the Gators after stealing three times against UF during their regular season series. Coppola won't make a long enough start, and UF's taxed bullpen, which allowed 15 runs in three games against UK during the regular season, won't be able to maintain the lead.
Prediction
Florida 5, Kentucky 3: Florida has played loose and relaxed when facing elimination and expect that trend to continue Tuesday night (weather permitting). Kentucky has a hard time playing uphill with its style of play, and if Florida can jump to an early lead, it should be able to piece another game together with its bullpen and extend its season one more game,
