Football: Florida’s redshirt (rising) junior QB Feleipe Franks has put all reasonable doubt aside and solidified his place as the Gators starting QB heading into fall camp.
Franks was methodical in the annual spring game on Saturday and threw for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns (in fairness, against a very vanilla defense). Franks has also proven to be a leader and is clearly a favorite in the locker-room.
It will be nice heading into fall camp with no doubt as to who will be receiving first team reps at the most important position on the field, and with the bevy of talent at the skill positions, Franks could be set for a monster year statistically.
Baseball: The Gators took a series from South Carolina thanks to a 3-run, walk-off homer from Jordan Butler on Saturday. Florida will look to bottle up the momentum gained from the series win as they head into a weekend series at No. 9 LSU after a midweek contest against Jacksonville on Tuesday.
One major change Kevin O’Sullivan made: benching Wil Dalton whose batting average dipped to .221 after an 0-2 day at the plate on Thursday. Dalton was expected to be the power source in the lineup, but he just isn’t producing (3 HR, 17 RBI). Jacob Young got the start in right on Friday with Kendrick Calilao earning the start on Saturday.
Butler may be forcing O’Sullivan’s hand after a 4-5, 4 RBI performance on Saturday with the start at first base. It will be interesting to see if Sully chooses to stick with one of his top options (and only lefty) out of the bullpen in a starting role on the field.
Softball: It appears the UF softball team used a 2-0 loss to Florida State on April 3rd as a springboard. The Gators have won 7 straight including two straight conference sweeps (over Arkansas and Texas A&M) since the loss to their rivals.
The team is now 9-6 in conference play and is back in the thick of the league race with only nine (SEC) games to play. Florida will get to test their mettle against FSU on Wednesday in Tallahassee. The Gators follow that up with a series against No. 5 Alabama, who happens to be second in the SEC standings.
Speaking of UF softball, Kendyl Lindaman has been as advertised. The junior catcher is up to 14 homers and 49 RBI to go along with a .372 batting average. Lindaman transferred from Minnesota, where she jacked 40 homers over two years.
Lacrosse: Florida lacrosse is heating up, having won six straight after a 20-10 win over ECU on Saturday. Unfortunately, it’s likely too little, too late in terms of earning a hosting seed in the NCAA Tournament. The RPI ratings came out last week and the Gators were No. 15. With only two games remaining before the AAC Tournament, it’s unlikely that UF will be able to raise their RPI much, if any.
Also, senior attacker Lindsey Ronbeck is one of the most exciting athletes on campus right now. Ronbeck has recorded a hat-trick in 12 of 14 contests this year and has totaled 65 goals thus far.
Men’s Tennis: Florida earned the regular season SEC Title and will play host to this week’s SEC Tournament. The Gators will play on Friday at 3:00 PM against either Mississippi or Alabama.
Women’s Tennis: Florida will head to College Station for the SEC Tournament. They will face No. 10 seed Mississippi on Thursday at 10:00 AM.
Also: The Florida Letterman’s Awards Ceremony is Monday evening. ChompTalk.com has been invited and will be in attendance for the event.
We have also chosen to sponsor The Gator Dugout Club’s Inaugural Golf Tournament at Ironwood on April 27. We are proud to partner with a club that plays a vital role in the support of the Florida baseball program.
