The Gators will have to wait another 24 hours before their first game as the nation’s No. 1 team.
Florida’s home contest against Florida A&M scheduled for Tuesday night was postponed due to inclement weather, according to a release. No makeup date has been announced as of yet, but the two teams are still set to meet on March 4 in Gainesville.
Coach Kevin O’Sullivan and his squad now shift their focus to tonight’s opponent, as UF goes on the road to take on Stetson at Melching Field in DeLand, Florida.
The Hatters (6-1) have gotten off to a much-improved start this season after losing five straight games to open the 2019 campaign.
Last week, they edged out a 6-5 victory over Central Florida. It was a telling triumph for Stetson, with the Knights making their way to the No. 21 spot in Baseball America’s rankings after UCF swept then-No. 12 Auburn over the weekend.
If Stetson’s midweek bout with UCF is any indication of who will pitch on Wednesday, then it's likely that UF will face right-hander Danny Garcia at some point throughout the night.
The sophomore earned his first collegiate start against Central Florida, giving up two earned runs on four hits in five innings of work.
Garcia appeared on the mound in 28 games last season and finished with a 5-1 record with a 1.22 ERA in 59 innings.
The righty will be an interesting test for UF’s batters if he pitches. They have racked up 85 hits (tied for 10th in the nation) and 65 runs (12th in the nation) through the first eight games of the season.
Outfielders Jacob Young and Jud Fabian are at the forefront of Florida’s high-octane offense with a .407 and .342 batting average, respectively. They are the only players who have registered double-digit hits for the Gators so far this year.
Florida’s starting pitcher for Wednesday’s game has not been announced.
The postponement of Tuesday’s game against the 1-5 Rattlers gives the Hatters a chance at becoming the first team to upset the nation’s top-ranked team, so the Gators will be playing with a target on their backs tonight.
Follow Bryan Matamoros on Twitter @bryan_2712. Contact him at bmatamoros@alligator.org.
Sophomore Jud Fabian is hitting .342 this season.
