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The New York Mets announced their player development awards for the 2023 season and former Florida Gators pitcher Christian Scott earned the franchise’s Pitcher of the Year honor.
Scott spent time playing across three different levels of professional ball, opening the season with Low-A St. Lucie before being promoted to High-A Brooklyn after just one start. The Fort Lauderdale, FL native made six starts with the Cyclones before advancing to Double-A Binghamton.
Across all levels, Scott excelled with a 2.57 ERA in 87.2 innings of work across 19 starts. He struck out 107 batters while walking just 12.
Scott, 24, was drafted by the New York Mets in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Scott played for Florida from 2019-21 but started just seven games over three years. He finished his career with the Gators at 12-5 with a 3.72 ERA.
The No. 3 Gators hosted the top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers in an elite college volleyball matchup. The showdown brought out a historic crowd to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Sunday afternoon. It was the largest attendance at a Florida volleyball game in the history of the program.
It was a loud and hostile environment inside Exactech Arena. The Gators used the advantage of the home crowd to propel them throughout the first set. Back-to-back aces by Ana Dixon gave Florida an early 7-4 lead in the first set.
Kennedy Martin led the way offensively for the Gators early. Martin totaled four kills in set one. However, it was a balanced attack for Florida early. AC Fitzpatrick, Alexis Stucky and Sofia Victoria all added kills for the Gators on their way to a dominating 25-15 victory in the first set.
The second set was a much more highly contested affair. The score went back and forth until Florida tied things up 10-10. Then an ace by Emily Canaan energize the crowd as the Florida lead grew to 14-11.
The Gators then had a huge unexpected loss that nobody could have seen coming. Alexis Stucky seemed to have injured her ankle while attempting to make a play at the net. The injury kept Stucky out for the remainder of the match. Graduate senior Kennedy Muff replaced Stucky at the setter position for the remainder of the match.
Although the injury was a massive blow to the team. The Gators stayed together to sustain their lead 21-18 late in the second set. Florida called a timeout when the Badgers cut the Gator lead to two. However, an attack error by Wisconsin on set point allowed Florida to take the 2-0 edge in the match.
With a match sweep staring back at them, Wisconsin came out in the third set with a desperate mentality. The Gators fell behind early 5-2. Although AC Fitzpatrick made a statement with a pair of kills, Wisconsin kept their foot on the gas and extended their lead to 8-3 in set three.
Florida was then able to gain some positive momentum. Multiple kills by Fitzpatrick and an ace by Elli McKissock helped cut the deficit to 18-14. The two teams then traded points until Wisconsin edged out the set three win.
In the fourth set, Wisconsin was once again facing elimination. The Gators had two service errors by Martin and Canaan that helped the Badgers gain 7-4 lead in the set. Kills by Sofia Victoria and Nnedi Okammor allowed Florida to stay competitive in the set and shrink their deficit to 10-8.
Later in the fourth set, the Badger lead grew to 19-15 and were on the brink of evening the match 2-2. Wisconsin continued to execute at a higher level as they rode their momentum to a 25-22 victory in set four.
The match came down to a fifth and final set. The first team to reach 15 points would win the match. Kennedy Martin got the offense going early with a kill to tie the score 1-1. Martin added another kill to give Florida their first lead of the set 5-4.
The fifth set looked as if it would be close until the very finish. Anna Dixon added two clutch kills to give the Gators a 9-8 edge. Coming out of a Florida timeout, Wisconsin would take the lead back 12-10 and were closing in on the match victory.
Martin led the team in kills with 13. Fitzpatrick and Dixon each had 11 apiece for the Gators. Defensively Nnedi Okammor led the team with 5 blocks while Trinity Adams and McKissock held down the backourt with 17 and 16 digs.
After replacing Stucky after her injury, Muff held the fort down as the catalyst for the offense as she led all players in the match with 28 assists. Head Coach Mary Wise gave her thoughts postgame on how Muff handled getting put into an unexpected situation and playing through it.
Mary Wise: “It’s a very different feel to go to a different setter. We’ll have this week to practice to hopefully get ourselves in a better position.”
The 8-1 Gators will regroup before their road trip to Auburn to face the No. 24 Tigers. The contest is schedule for Sept. 22 with first serve slated for 7:30 P.M.
Following a 29-16 thrashing of rival Tennessee, the Florida Gators football team has made its way back into the AP Top-25.
The Gators received 103 points, 25th overall, in the poll released Sunday afternoon. Florida is 27 points ahead of Clemson, the top ranked team outside of the Top-25.
POLL ALERT: No. 13 Alabama is out of the top 10 for the first time since 2015; Georgia remains No. 1.
Florida is one of six SEC teams ranked in the poll: (1) Georgia, (12) LSU, (13) Alabama, (15) Mississippi, (23) Tennessee. Missouri and Kentucky are right on the heels of the Top-25, as well.
The Gators return to the Top-25 for the first time since the poll released on September 24, 2022.
Florida will take on Charlotte Saturday evening in The Swamp. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 PM kickoff.
Second year head coach Billy Napier secured his first signature win at Florida Saturday night. The Gators defeated the No. 11 ranked Tennessee Volunteers 29-16 in front of the seventh largest crowd in program history.
The Gators earned the upset victory behind a career high 172 yards on the ground by sophomore Trevor Etienne. Fellow backfield-mate Montrell Johnson found the endzone twice despite gaining just 23 yards on 12 carries.
Following an opening drive that resulted in a missed field goal by Adam Mihalek, the Gators scored touchdowns on their next four drives in the first half.
Etienne got Florida on the scoreboard with a 62-yard dash to the endzone. Mihalek’s PAT was blocked leaving the Vols ahead 7-6.
The Gators then forced a three and out before Johnson scored from four yards out. The Gators were aided early on by successful third down conversions. Florida started the game six for seven on third down, leading to both touchdowns.
Trailing 12-7, Tennessee QB Joe Milton lofted a ball while under heavy pressure for an easy interception by Devin Moore. Thanks to an unsportsmanlike penalty, Florida operated from the UT 9-yards line and scored three plays later. Florida’s final touchdown came out of a seven play, 55-yard drive that culminated with Johnson’s 18-yard score.
The Gators chose to go conservative in the second half, only putting a field goal on the scoreboard. But, Tennessee couldn’t figure out the Florida defense. Or maybe it was the crowd of 90,751.
Graham Mertz finished the day 19-24 for 166 yards. Etienne rushed for 172 yards on 23 carries.
Florida heavily utilized freshman Eugene Wilson early on as he had the first six receptions of the game. Wilson, however, suffered a collarbone injury and didn’t return to the game.
Tennessee continued its dismal streak in Gainesville, where they haven’t won since 2003.
Florida will take a 2-1 record into Saturday’s matchup with Charlotte. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM.
A matchup of two of the elite programs in college volleyball will battle it out at the Stephen C. O’connell Center on Sunday afternoon.
Florida will welcome the top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers with first serve going up in the air at 3 p.m. The matchup from Exactech Arena will be aired on ESPN. This will be Florida’s first match on ESPN this season.
Both teams enter Sunday with an undefeated record and plenty of talent up and down their lineups. Their perfect 8-0 records will be put to the test as only one squad can stay unbeaten.
After a come-from-behind rivalry win at Florida State, the Gators will have to collect their emotions to take down the No. 1 team in all the land. Head Coach Mary Wise gave her thoughts on what makes Wisconsin a difficult opponent to prepare for.
Mary Wise: “Their length, their ability to get kills from antenna to antenna and how veteran they are. We won’t play teams as big and as physical as this because there just aren’t that many in the country.”
After Wisconsin sold out their arena for last year’s matchup between the two teams, Florida will hope they can create the same type of environment in Gainesville. Senior, AC Fitzpatrick, a native of nearby Ocala, explained during the team’s media availability how much playing in front of the home crowd means to her.
AC Fitzpatrick: “As a kid, I grew up going to Gator’ games every single weekend, literally dying to be a Florida Gator volleyball player and now that I’m actually here and I’m living out that dream I think that is my favorite part about it. Especially when we do the autographs or the meet and greet after the game, I’m like I was seriously once in this position and it is almost a dream come true.”
The Gators hold a 6-1 advantage over the history of the matchup. The team is encouraging fans to wear blue. Although the matchup was originally going to air on ESPN 2, the Top-3 matchup gained enough hype to get moved to ESPN on the national spotlight at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The Florida Gators take on rival Tennessee in prime time in the Swamp Saturday night. The Vols haven’t beaten Florida in Gainesville since 2003. There’s a lot on the line in this one as Billy Napier has failed to win any of Florida’s rivalry games thus far.
The following are our staff’s predictions for Florida vs Tennessee:
Carson Euverard – Josh Huepel’s offense has stumbled out the gate so far with limited experience in their receiver room and Joe Milton taking over the offense. The Swamp will play a factor as the crowd will try to affect their rhythm and make it tough on the young Volunteers.
The Gators’ Kingsley Eguakun will be making his return to UF’s offensive line, which will help establish the run game early on. The Volunteers have talented edge rushers and the offensive line will need to limit the pressure on Graham Mertz. This will be a close game that comes down to the trenches. Tennessee escapes 30-27 for their first win in the Swamp since 2003.
Alyssa Britton-Harr – I believe this game is going to be a tough battle on both sides. Graham Mertz and the Gators pulled off an impressive game in week two against McNeese, however, against teams like Tennessee their defense is going to come at Florida a lot harder. Florida has a young team and some powerful players that have begun to show out in the season. Though Tennessee is favored in this game by six points, I believe if Florida starts with a quick start in the first half they could have a chance. The Gators played well in week two, but against teams like Tennessee their run-first operation is going to be prominent, and with a young team I’m not sure they can pull off a win. I do think Florida will get points on the board, but in the end it’s going to be Tennessee to take the win, 30-24.
Hugh Green – This game is going to be a dog fight from the start. Both teams will try to establish their dominance over the other in the trenches in hopes of winning the running battle. Tennessee might have an advantage in that sense being that four out of their five offensive linemen are seniors or fifth years. The Volunteers struggled early in their game last week against Austin Peay, but still came away victorious. Florida is coming off a dominating performance against a McNeese State team that looked defeated after the first drive. Tennessee hasn’t won a game in Gainesville in 20 years, which is mainly due to the crowd noise in the Swamp. This will be on full display on Saturday night under the lights. However, I believe that the defense of the Vols will be too good for a Gator offense that is still trying to find its identity. Tennessee 28-20.
Brian Fox – At the time of writing this, Tennessee is a 6.5-point favorite to beat the Gators in the Swamp. Joe Milton is easily the best QB the Florida defense has faced this year as he can throw the ball all over the football field. But, Tennessee tends to find ways to lose these games, whether by blow out, or a clutch 4th and 14 catch and run, or a Hail Mary finish. That said, Josh Heupel is a good coach and his offense has the ability to score, and do so quickly. I think the Vols find the end zone early and often, Tennessee 38-17.
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Florida and Tennessee kickoff at 7:00 PM. ESPN will be broadcasting the game live.
The Gridiron Growl Podcast is back. Following a hiatus of just over a year, ChompTalk’s Florida Gators sports podcast has made a triumphant return.
The show is led by University of Florida alum Ethan Budowsky, a 2022 graduate, who also reports for TV-20 in Gainesville and hosts the “Just Baseball” podcast, as well.
Ethan is joined on the show by ChompTalk owner and operator Brian Fox. Brian has played a role in each iteration of The Gridiron Growl Podcast.
The Gridiron Growl Podcast has recorded over 80 episodes between 2020 and 2022. The show has been hosted, or co-hosted, by David Soderquist, Michael Pfeffer, and Mark McLeod.
Episode one of a new era of The Gridiron Growl Podcast is available now through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts with more to come.
Follow The Gridiron Growl Podcast on the following platforms:
The Gators had their back against the wall as they faced a 2-1 deficit in the match. On the brink of being defeated, the team rallied together and showed their fight to cap off a come from behind win in five sets. It came down to who wanted it more on Tuesday night in Tallahassee, and Florida had just enough left in the tank to secure the win and move to 8-0 on the season.
The Seminoles used a loud and intense environment to their advantage at Tully Gymnasium. Florida State jumped out to an early lead in the first set and were riding the momentum of the home crowd. FSU led 8-2 in the first set and forced Gators Head Coach, Mary Wise to call a timeout. However, the Seminoles continued to execute their game plan effectively. Resulting in a 25-18 victory in set one.
The Gators showed no signs of quitting as they knew how important the rivalry is. The team showed resiliency in set number two. After the score was tied 3-3, Florida would go on a 4-0 run. Then, Florida State fought back to take a 13-12 lead in the frame. Moreover, the teams traded points until a the Gators pulled away to win the set and even the match 1-1.
Heading to a pivotal set three, the Seminoles made a statement grabbing a 12-8 lead. Florida once again bounced back to knot things at 12 apiece. Following a timeout by FSU, the set went back and forth as the two teams traded blows before Florida State won the third set 25-23.
While the Gators began to see their perfect record begin to slip away, they began to flip the switch. UF gained a 7-3 edge in the fourth set. A service run by Trinity Adams allowed the Gators lead to grow to 15-9. Later on, Florida would finish the set on a 6-2 run to earn a 25-17 win in set four.
In the match’s deciding fifth set, it was winner take all. Florida watched their lead grow to 6-3 over Florida State before the Seminoles battle their way out of a hole to gain a 10-9 lead. However, the momentum swung once again back into the Gators hands as they took a 13-11 lead. FSU answered right back to tie the score at 13 apiece. With the match coming down to the final points, Sofia Victoria had two clutch back-to-back kills to seal the match victory for the Gators.
Kennedy Martin and AC Fitzpatrick led the Gators on offense. Martin had an impressive performance leading the way with 23 kills and three aces. Fitzpatrick left it all out on the court tonight and posted a career-high 22 kills. The intensity and competitiveness that she displayed will be something Florida will look for out of her all season long. Sofia Victoria also contributed 10 of her own kills throughout the match, and was a solid third option offensively.
Alexis Stucky had a stellar performance tallying 50 assists on the night, good for a .276 hitting percentage. Stucky was able to consistently receive great first passes from her backcourt to set up her variety of weapons that she has at her disposal.
Defensively, Nnedi Okammor led the way with five blocks. Gabrielle Essix added four blocks of her own in the victory as well. While Fitzpatrick totaled three on the match.
Florida’s backcourt was held down by Elli McKissock and Adams. The teammates each posted a match high 10 digs. Stucky and Martin were both positive contributers on defense as well tallying nine digs apiece.
The Gators will get some much needed rest before No. 1 Wisconsin comes to town. The No. 3 Gators will battle Wisconsin on Sunday in one of the elite matchups of the AVCA season so far. First serve will be at 3 p.m. from the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Gators women’s soccer team dropped their first game of the season against the fifth-ranked Florida State Seminoles, 1-0 Sunday.
The Gators defense held strong for seventy-five minutes before conceding the game winning goal to Jody Brown. The Seminoles won a 50/50 ball off a Gators goal kick and Beata Olsson found Brown just outside the box with a through pass. Brown was able to beat the defender and goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg for the score.
JODY BROWN HOW DO YOU DO‼️‼️‼️‼️
SHE GIVES THE NOLES THE LEAD IN THE 76th MINUTE🍢🍢🍢
The Seminoles controlled most of the possession, outshooting the Gators 10-3. Florida State also had 11 corner kicks to Florida’s three. Julianna Leskauskas recorded all three of the Gators’ shots in the match.
Goldberg recorded two saves in the match.
The Gators will look to regroup next Friday, September 15 against the Missouri Tigers at home. The game will air on SECN+. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m.
With SEC play ramping up next weekend against Tennessee, the Florida Gators took care of business against FCS opponent McNeese State Saturday, 49-7.
Nine days after struggling on the ground in the season opener at Utah, Florida rushed for 327 yards with both Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne averaging more than seven yards a carry to lead the team.
The Gators opened the scoring with a Johnson touchdown from two yards out with 10:59 remaining in the first quarter. In all, Florida scored a rushing touchdown on each of their first five drives. Johnson found the endzone twice while QB Graham Mertz, Etienne, and freshman Treyaun Webb all recorded scores as well.
First career touchdown in the Orange and Blue for @w_treyaun ‼️
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