2020 Florida Gators baseball team

2020 Florida Gators baseball
2020 Florida Gators baseball
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
CB	No. 1
Record	16–1 (0–0 SEC)
Head coach	Kevin O'Sullivan (13th season);
Assistant coaches	Craig Bell (13th year); Chuck Jeroloman (1st year);
Home stadium	Alfred A. McKethan Stadium

2020 Southeastern Conference baseball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Eastern
No. 1 ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	16	–	1	.941
Tennessee ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	15	–	2	.882
No. 3 Georgia ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	14	–	4	.778
South Carolina ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	12	–	4	.750
No. 6 Vanderbilt ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	13	–	5	.722
Missouri • ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	11	–	5	.688
Kentucky ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	11	–	6	.647
Western
No. 8 Ole Miss ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	16	–	1	.941
Alabama ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	16	–	1	.941
Texas A&M ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	15	–	3	.833
No. 17 Mississippi State ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	12	–	4	.750
No. 18 Auburn ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	13	–	5	.722
No. 19 LSU ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	12	–	5	.706
No. 14 Arkansas ‍‍‍	0	–	0	–	11	–	5	.688

‡ – Tournament champion – ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions As of March 12, 2020^[1] Rankings from D1Baseball

The 2020 Florida Gators baseball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of baseball during the 2020 college baseball season. Florida competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Home games were played at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus, in the final season at the ballpark. The team was coached by Kevin O'Sullivan in his thirteenth season as Florida's head coach. The Gators entered the season looking to return to the College World Series after an early regional exit in last year's Lubbock Regional.

The season was cut short in stages by March 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[2] The Gators finished with a 16–1 record, tied for the best in the country, and ranked No. 1 in all major polls. A tightly contested road sweep of the Miami Hurricanes helped propel Florida to the top spot in the rankings. Not knowing at the time it would be their final game, the Gators saw their 11-game winning streak over Florida State come to an end in the last game played at McKethan Stadium.

Previous season

The Gators finished the 2019 season with a 34–26 record, compiling a 13–17 mark in the SEC.

2019 MLB draft

The Gators had five players drafted in the 2019 MLB draft.^[3]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	MLB Team
Brady McConnell	Shortstop	2	44	Kansas City Royals
Tyler Dyson	Pitcher	5	153	Washington Nationals
Wil Dalton	Outield	8	257	Boston Red Sox
Nelson Maldonado	Outfield	21	642	Chicago Cubs
Hunter Barco	Pitcher	24	718	New York Mets
Feleipe Franks	Pitcher	31	947	Boston Red Sox
Tyler Nesbitt	Pitcher	32	969	Colorado Rockies

Players in bold are signees drafted from high school that will attend Florida.

Preseason

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on February 6, 2020, with the Gators predicted to finish in second place in the Eastern Division.^[4]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (East)
1	Vanderbilt	87 (9)
2	Florida	77 (3)
3	Georgia	76 (2)
4	Tennessee	50
5	South Carolina	48
6	Missouri	32
7	Kentucky	22

Personnel

By player

2020 Florida Gators baseball team

Players

Coaches

#	Pos.	Name	B/T	Height	Weight	Year	Home town
22	INF	Cory Acton	L/R	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	So	Fort Lauderdale, FL
39	RHP	Justin Alintoff	R/R	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jr	Jupiter, FL
34	INF	Kris Armstrong	S/R	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	So	Jupiter, FL
12	LHP	Hunter Barco	L/L	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Fr	Jacksonville, FL
21	INF	Nick Blasucci	R/R	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sr	Fort Myers, FL
29	OF	Austin Brinling	L/L	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Fr	Bradenton, FL
15	INF	Jordan Butler	L/L	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	Tampa, FL
16	LHP	Ryan Cabarcas	L/L	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Fr	Pembroke Pines, FL
6	INF	Kendrick Calilao	R/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	Kissimmee, FL
37	RHP	Nolan Crisp	R/R	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	So	Locust Grove, GA
18	OF	Brock Edge	L/L	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jr	Lake City, FL
4	OF	Jud Fabian	R/L	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	So	Ocala, FL
46	RHP	Nick Ficarrotta	R/R	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Fr	Palm Harbor, FL
2	C	Cal Greenfield	R/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jr	Chicago, IL
11	INF	Nathan Hickey	L/R	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Fr	Jacksonville, FL
44	OF	Austin Langworthy	L/L	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sr	Williston, FL
23	RHP	Jack Leftwich	R/R	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jr	Orlando, FL
17	RHP	David Luethje	R/R	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	So	Vero Beach, FL
47	RHP	Tommy Mace	R/R	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jr	Tampa, FL
52	INF	Kirby McMullen	R/R	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sr	Ocala, FL
3	RHP	Garrett Milchin	L/R	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jr	Windermere, FL
30	RHP	Hunter Mink	R/R	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Palm Harbor, FL
10	RHP	Tyler Nesbitt	R/R	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	LaBelle, FL
27	INF	Isaac Nunez	R/R	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Orlando, FL
20	RHP	Nick Pogue	R/R	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	So	Melbourne, FL
28	C	Matt Powell	R/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Fort Myers, FL
24	INF	Josh Rivera	R/R	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Fr	Avon Park, FL
13	INF	Andrew Roberts	R/R	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Altamonte Springs, FL
14	RHP	Christian Scott	R/R	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	So	Parkland, FL
9	INF	Brady Smith	R/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jr	Niceville, FL
55	RHP	Ben Specht	R/R	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	Fort Myers, FL
5	RHP	Brandon Sproat	R/R	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Fr	Pace, FL
32	OF	Tucker Talbott	R/R	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Fr	Atlantic Beach, FL
33	LHP	Trey Van Der Weide	L/L	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Sr	Longwood, FL
1	OF	Jacob Young	R/R	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	So	Ponte Vedra, FL

Head coach

7 Kevin O'Sullivan

Assistant coach(es)

36 Craig Bell
35 Chuck Jeroloman

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: September 25, 2020

By position

2020 Florida Gators roster^[5]

Pitchers

3 - Garrett Milchin - Junior
5 - Brandon Sproat - Freshman
10 - Tyler Nesbitt - Freshman
14 - Christian Scott - Sophomore
16 - Ryan Cabarcas - Freshman
17 - David Luethje - Sophomore
20 - Nick Pogue - Sophomore
23 - Jack Leftwich - Junior
30 - Hunter Mink - Freshman
33 - Trey Van Der Weide - Graduate Student
37 - Nolan Crisp - Sophomore
39 - Justin Alintoff - Junior
46 - Nick Ficarrotta - Freshman
47 - Tommy Mace - Junior
55 - Ben Specht - Sophomore

Catchers

2 - Cal Greenfield - Junior
28 - Matt Powell - Freshman

Infielders

13 - Andrew Roberts - Freshman
21 - Nick Blasucci - Senior
22 - Cory Acton - Sophomore
24 - Josh Rivera - Freshman
27 - Isaac Nunez - Freshman
34 - Kris Armstrong - Sophomore
52 - Kirby McMullen - Senior

Outfielders

1 - Jacob Young - Sophomore
4 - Jud Fabian - Sophomore
18 - Brock Edge - Junior
29 - Austin Brinling - Freshman
32 - Tucker Talbott - Freshman

Utility

6 - Kendrick Calilao (1B/OF) - Sophomore
9 - Brady Smith (INF/C) - Junior
11 - Nathan Hickey (C/INF) - Freshman
12 - Hunter Barco (P/1B) - Freshman
15 - Jordan Butler (P/1B) - Junior
44 - Austin Langworthy (OF/P) - Senior

Coaching staff

2020 Florida Gators coaching staff^[5]
Name	Position	Seasons at Florida	Alma Mater
Kevin O'Sullivan	Head coach	13	Virginia (1991)
Craig Bell	Assistant coach	12	North Florida (1989)
Chuck Jeroloman	Assistant coach	1	Auburn (2005)
Lars Davis	Volunteer Assistant Coach	6	Illinois (2007)
Matt den Dekker	Student Assistant Coach	1	Florida (2010)
Nolan Fontana	Student Assistant Coach	1	Florida (2013)

Schedule and results

Schedule

Legend
	Florida win
	Florida loss
	Postponement
Bold	Florida team member

2020 Florida Gators baseball game log

Regular season

February
Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	SEC Record
February 14	Marshall	No. 4	McKethan Stadium Gainesville, FL	W 9–2	T. Mace (1–0)	W. Martin (0–1)	None	4,441	1–0	–
February 15	Marshall	No. 4	McKethan Stadium	W 10–0	J. Leftwich (1–0)	B. Choban (0–1)	None	4,453	2–0	–
February 16	Marshall	No. 4	McKethan Stadium	W 15–8	C. Scott (1–0)	B. Callaly (0–1)	None	3,903	3–0	–
February 18	at Jacksonville	No. 2	John Sessions Stadium Jacksonville, FL	W 13–3	N. Ficarrotta (1–0)	M. Cassala (0–2)	None	1,063	4–0	–
February 19	Jacksonville	No. 2	McKethan Stadium	W 4–3¹⁰	N. Pogue (1–0)	C. Mauloni (0–1)	None	3,300	5–0	–
February 21	at No. 1 Miami (FL) Rivalry	No. 2	Alex Rodriguez Park Coral Gables, FL	W 2–1¹¹	B. Specht (1–0)	D. Federman (0–1)	N. Pogue (1)	4,046	6–0	–
February 22	at No. 1 Miami (FL) Rivalry	No. 2	Alex Rodriguez Park	W 7–4¹⁰	B. Specht (2–0)	A. McFarlane (1–1)	None	4,172	7–0	–
February 23	at No. 1 Miami (FL) Rivalry	No. 2	Alex Rodriguez Park	W 5–3	H. Barco (1–0)	S. Cecconi (1–1)	R. Cabarcas (1)	3,554	8–0	–
February 25	Florida A&M	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	Postponed (rain) Makeup: Unscheduled before season was terminated^[6]
February 26	at Stetson	No. 1	Conrad Park DeLand, FL	Postponed (rain) Makeup: March 18^[7]
February 28	Troy	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	W 3–2	T. Mace (2–0)	L. Johnson (0–1)	B. Specht (1)	3,377	9–0	–
February 29	Troy	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	W 10–7	D. Luethje (1–0)	D. Wilder (0–1)	B. Specht (2)	4,140	10–0	–

March
Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	SEC Record
March 1	Troy	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	W 7–1	H. Barco (2–0)	T. Ellis (0–1)	None	4,001	11–0	–
March 3	vs. Florida Atlantic	No. 1	FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches West Palm Beach, FL	W 7–3	D. Luethje (2–0)	M. DeGusipe (0–1)	None	1,984	12–0	–
March 4	Florida A&M	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	W 5–0	T. Nesbitt (1–0)	K. Coleman (1–1)	None	2,684	13–0	–
March 6	South Florida	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	W 9–1	T. Mace (3–0)	C. Sullivan (1–2)	None	3,594	14–0	–
March 7	South Florida	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	W 15–5	J. Leftwich (2–0)	J. Jasiak (1–2)	None	4,538	15–0	–
March 8	South Florida	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	W 2–1	C. Scott (2–0)	O. Kerkering (0–1)	B. Specht (3)	3,978	16–0	–
March 10	No. 15 Florida State Rivalry	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	L 0–2	A. Velez (1–0)	N. Pogue (1–1)	P. Messick (1)	5,276	16–1	–
March 13	No. 3 Georgia	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
March 14	No. 3 Georgia	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
March 15	No. 3 Georgia	No. 1	McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
March 17	Jacksonville		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
March 18	at Stetson		Conrad Park	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[8]
March 20	at Kentucky		Kentucky Proud Park	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
March 21	at Kentucky		Kentucky Proud Park	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
March 22	at Kentucky		Kentucky Proud Park	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
March 24	vs. Florida State Rivalry		Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
March 27	Texas A&M		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
March 28	Texas A&M		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
March 29	Texas A&M		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
March 31	Stetson		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]

April
Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	SEC Record
April 2	at Arkansas		Baum–Walker Stadium Fayetteville, AR	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 3	at Arkansas		Baum–Walker Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 4	at Arkansas		Baum–Walker Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 7	North Florida		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 9	Missouri		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 10	Missouri		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 11	Missouri		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 14	at Florida State Rivalry		Dick Howser Stadium Tallahassee, FL	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 17	at Tennessee		Lindsey Nelson Stadium Knoxville, TN	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 18	at Tennessee		Lindsey Nelson Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 19	at Tennessee		Lindsey Nelson Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 21	Florida Atlantic		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 24	Ole Miss		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 25	Ole Miss		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
April 26	Ole Miss		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]

May
Date	Opponent	Rank	Stadium Site	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	SEC Record
May 1	at Auburn		Plainsman Park Auburn, AL	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
May 2	at Auburn		Plainsman Park	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
May 3	at Auburn		Plainsman Park	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
May 5	Bethune–Cookman		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
May 8	Vanderbilt		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
May 9	Vanderbilt		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
May 10	Vanderbilt		McKethan Stadium	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
May 14	at South Carolina		Founders Park Columbia, SC	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
May 15	at South Carolina		Founders Park	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]
May 16	at South Carolina		Founders Park	Canceled (COVID-19 pandemic)^[2]

Schedule Source:^[9]

*Rankings are based on the team's current ranking in the D1Baseball poll.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	Final
Coaches'^[10]	10	10*	10*	1 (26)	1 (28)	1 (28)
Baseball America^[11]	4	2	1	1	1	1*
Collegiate Baseball^^[12]	14	14	2	2	1	1
NCBWA†^[13]	8	5	1	1	1	1
D1Baseball^[14]	4	2	1	1	1	1*

^ Collegiate Baseball ranked 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranked 30 teams weekly during the season.
† NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

2020 MLB draft

The Gators did not have anyone selected in the 2020 MLB draft.

References

^ "2020 Standings". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al "COVID-19 Updates". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
^ "MLB Amateur Draft Picks who came from".
^ "Vanderbilt picked to win 2020 SEC Baseball Championship".
^ ^a ^b "Official Baseball Roster". Florida Gators. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
^ Dirlam, Zach (February 25, 2020). "Florida-Florida A&M Game Postponed". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
^ Dirlam, Zach (February 26, 2020). "Florida-Stetson Midweek Game Rescheduled". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
^ "Stetson, ASUN Cancel Athletics Events". gohatters.com. Stetson University. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
^ floridagators.com
^ Baseball Coaches Poll
^ Baseball America College: Top 25
^ NCAA DIV I Baseball Polls-Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
^ NCBWA Division I poll
^ D1 Baseball

[1] "2020 Standings". Southeastern Conference. Retrieved March 12, 2020.

[Coronavirus_UF-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al "COVID-19 Updates". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved March 13, 2020.

[3] "MLB Amateur Draft Picks who came from".

[4] "Vanderbilt picked to win 2020 SEC Baseball Championship".

[roster-5] "Official Baseball Roster". Florida Gators. Retrieved June 9, 2020.

[6] Dirlam, Zach (February 25, 2020). "Florida-Florida A&M Game Postponed". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved February 25, 2020.

[7] Dirlam, Zach (February 26, 2020). "Florida-Stetson Midweek Game Rescheduled". floridagators.com. University Athletic Assoc., Inc., Fox Sports Sun, IMG College. Retrieved February 26, 2020.

[8] "Stetson, ASUN Cancel Athletics Events". gohatters.com. Stetson University. Retrieved March 17, 2020.

[9] ridagators.com

[10] Baseball Coaches Poll

[11] Baseball America College: Top 25

[12] NCAA DIV I Baseball Polls-Collegiate Baseball Newspaper

[13] NCBWA Division I poll

[14] D1 Baseball

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Florida Gators baseball
Venue	The Baseball Park (1906–1911) Fleming Field (1912–1948) Perry Field (1949–1987) Alfred A. McKethan Stadium (1988–2020) Condron Ballpark (2021–)
Rivalries	Florida State Miami
People	Head coaches MLB players
Seasons	1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National Championships in bold; College World Series appearances in italics