The Florida Gators are back home for a three-game weekend series against one of the top teams in the country. The Gators will host the Vanderbilt Commodores for the first time in their new stadium.

The Vanderbilt Commodores are the second-ranked team in the country with one of the top pitching staffs and lineup in the country. Vanderbilt has a 31-7 record with a 13-5 record in SEC play.

The Commodores are also a tough team to play on the road as they’re 10-2 on the road. However, Florida has been very good at home and are also very hot winning seven out of their last eight games.

The Vanderbilt Commodores travel to Gainesville, Florida for the first time since 2018 and it’ll be their first time playing at Florida Ballpark. The Commodores will be led by their head coach, Tim Corbin, in the middle of the 19th season at Vanderbilt University.

The Vanderbilt pitching staff is arguably the best pitching staff in the country as they have two of the best pitchers in their weekend rotation. Right-handed pitcher Kumar Rocker is the Friday night arm for Vanderbilt and he’s only one of the top prospects in the 2021 MLB draft class.

Rocker has had a very good season for the Commodores as he’s made ten starts thus far. The big right-hander has a 9-1 record with a 1.55 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 12.5 K/9, and a .143 opponent batting average.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jack Leiter will be on the mound for the Commodores on Saturday and is currently the #1 prospect in the 2021 MLB Draft. Leiter has been incredible this season with a 7-1 record, 1.49 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 15.2 K/9, and a .115 opponent batting average.

Vanderbilt has not announced who will be on the mound for the series finale on Sunday. The projected Sunday starter for the Commodores is freshman right-handed pitcher Patrick Reilly. The New Jersey native has been made ten appearances including three starts. Reilley has a 3-1 record with a 4.87 ERA and .211 opponent batting average.

As for the Commodores offense, they are the second-ranked hitting team in the country only behind the Ole Miss Rebels. Vanderbilt has produced some elite-level talent at the plate in recent years with guys like JJ Bleday and Austin Martin. They might not have an elite hitter like Bleday and Martin but their offense is still very dangerous.

First baseman Dominic Keegan is the leading hitter for Vanderbilt as he’s batting .373 on the season which ranks second in the SEC. Keegan also has 44 hits, ten doubles, seven home runs, 34 RBIs, and a 1.122 OPS.

Freshman outfielder Enrique Bradfield and jump on college baseball this season and made himself into one of the top leadoff hitters in the country. Bradfield is slashing .331/.460/.392 with 43 hits, four doubles, two triples, 27 runs batted in, and a nation-leading 30 stolen bases. Two other Vanderbilt hitters to watch this weekend are catcher C.J. Rodriguez and outfielder Isaiah Thomas.

The Florida Gators will look to stay hot as the Vanderbilt Commodores come into town. The Gators will need to continue their recent success in order to shock some people in the college baseball world. Florida opened the season as the College World Series favorites but haven’t played like it this season. If the Gators could win this series over Vanderbilt it’ll give the Gators the rest they’ve been looking for.

Florida’s head coach, Kevin O’Sullivan, will keep the same rotation they had last weekend. Right-handed pitcher Franco Aleman will get the start for the series opener. Aleman has been really good lately as he has a 1-1 record in four starts. He also has a 3.50 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, and .218 opponent batting average.

Right-handed pitcher Tommy Mace will get the start on Saturday. Mace has been solid this season with 4-0 record in ten appearances and nine starts. Mace has a 4.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and an 11.2 K/9.

Left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco will get the start for Florida in the series finale. Barco has had an up and down season after a freshman season in 2020. Barco has a 6-2 record in ten starts. He also has a 4.73 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9 and a 10.3 K/9.

The Florida Gators' offense has been pretty good during the 2021 season. The Gators have a .285 team batting average which ranks fifth in the SEC. Florida is also third in hits in the conference with 394 combined hits on the team.

The leading hitter for the Gators is catcher Nathan Hickey. The second-year freshman is slashing .356/.476/.616 with some of the best hitting numbers in the SEC. Hickey is seventh in batting average, fourth in on base percentage and tenth in slugging percentage.

Outfielder Jacob Young continues his success at the plate as he’s one of the top hitters in the SEC. Young is slashing .321/.408/.458 with 54 hits, thirteen doubles, two triples, two home runs, 20 RBIs and a .866 OPS. Two other Gators to watch this weekend are infielder Colby Halter and centerfielder Jud Fabian.

Florida is also expected to make a change at first base due to an injury. Starting first baseman Jordan Butler is not expected to travel with the team this weekend due to a concussion he suffered in the series opener versus Missouri. Kris Armstrong and Kendrick Calilao are expected to get some playing time this weekend if Butler is out for this weekend.