Today is Wednesday, which can mean only one thing, Wide Open Wednesday. Today is all about you, the member. You have a blank canvas today to decide where the topic of conversation goes. I will start with a few topics, but after that, it is up to you to decide.

No. 3 Gators Battle Back to Best Noles. Jac Caglianone went 4-for-5 with three RBI while Philip Abner provided 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

Tallahassee, Fla. – No. 3 Florida used a five-run eighth inning to come from behind and top Florida State by a score of 9-5 at Dick Howser Stadium on Tuesday night.

Jac Caglianone (4-for-5) led the Gators at the plate with a team-high three RBI. Lefty Philip Abner was stellar for the Orange & Blue on the mound, shutting out FSU over 2 1/3 frames of relief.

The Seminoles (12-9, 3-3 ACC) put two runs on the Gators (19-4, 2-1 SEC) in the second after a scoreless first inning. Nander De Sedas drove in the first with an RBI double to left-center and later came in to score on a fielder's choice by Colton Vincent.

Gators starter Tyler Nesbitt blanked the Noles in the third, allowing the Orange & Blue to chip away at the deficit in the top of fourth. Josh Rivera picked up a one-out two-bagger with a blast off the right-center field wall, then came in to score on a two-out double to left-center by Ty Evans.

Florida State added on in the fifth. With the bases loaded and two men down, Jaime Ferrer cleared the bags with a three-run double to right field.

Saddled with a 5-1 deficit, the Gators responded with one run the next half inning. Dale Thomas and Cade Kurland drew walks, with the former crossing home on an RBI single to right field off the bat of Caglianone.

Florida scored for the third and fourth-straight frames in the sixth and seventh. Following a two-out double by Tyler Shelnut Colby Halter tripled off the right-center field wall. In the seventh, Caglianone doubled home Robertson to make it 5-4 with a hard ground ball down the right-field line.

Having drawn within one run, the Gators offense erupted for a five-run eighth inning to grab the lead. With the bases loaded, Matt Prevesk knotted the contest with an RBI single to left field. Thereafter, the trio of Robertson, Caglianone and Rivera followed with run-scoring singles of their own, with Rivera driving in a pair to cap off the inning.

With a newfound 9-5 advantage, Florida called on closer Brandon Neely out of the bullpen. The right-hander quickly worked a clean frame in the eighth before cementing the victory with a nine-pitch ninth inning.

Abner (2-0) secured the victory, blanking the Noles across 2 1/3 innings of relief. He surrendered just two hits and struck out six.

Seminoles reliever Jamie Arnold (1-2) was charged with the loss. The southpaw gave up three earned runs over one-third of an inning, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out one batter.

Nesbitt received the no-decision, allowing four runs (three earned) across 3 2/3 innings. He allowed five hits and one walk. FSU starting pitcher Ben Barrett also did not factor into the decision after allowing one run across four innings on four hits and two strikeouts.

NOTABLES

* The Gators have won 20 of the last 24 meetings against the Noles.

* Florida improves to 125-131-1 against FSU including 46-71-1 in Tallahassee

* Florida is 33-19 in the series under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan

* Abner extended his scoreless streak to seven innings spanning four appearances.

* The outing marked his third scoreless relief appearance of the season of two or more innings.

* Caglianone tied his career high with four hits.

* Prevesk knotted the game at 5-5 with a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth.

* Florida has struck out double-digit batters in 17 of 23 games.

* Rivera extended his team-leading reached base streak to 22 games (25 including the 2022 season.

* Robertson extended his own on-base streak to 19 games.

* Florida has struck out 252 batters in 187 innings – translating to 12.1 per nine innings.

* Through 23 games, Florida has a run differential of plus-124.

* The Gators have scored in 95 of 176 batted innings this season (60.0%).

* The Gators have 252 hits through 23 games (10.9 hits/game).

FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O'SULLIVAN On the comeback win…

"Started the game a little bit slow. Thought we were on our heels a little bit. First time we've been on the road in a while, but we hung in there. I thought Tyler [Nesbitt] did a nice job… I thought the three relievers were really good. They all did their job. Obviously, Jac had a big night at the plate with four hits. And obviously the big at bat by Matt Prevesk was huge for us."

On Caglianone finding his stroke…

"It's baseball. It's a game of percentages. The streak that he's been on has been something that's been nothing short of remarkable. So, it was good to see him get back on track tonight."

On the late contributions …

"This was a really good crowd tonight. I think that's maybe part of the issue that we got off to a slow start. But, it's a nine-inning ballgame and we hung in there. Really pleased with how we were able to handle the crowd. Obviously, we weren't very sharp in the first three, but we overcame it and came from behind on the road against a good Florida State team. The guys should feel good about themselves going into the weekend."

UP NEXT Following the midweek matchup with FSU, the Gators trek to Oxford for a three-game series at No. 13 Ole Miss from Friday, March 24 to Sunday, March 26. All three games will stream on SEC Network+.

NCBWA Tabs Sproat as Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week. The righty fired a complete-game shutout with a career-high 11 strikeouts against No. 24 Alabama.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – One day removed from being named the SEC Pitcher of the Week, Florida right-hander Brandon Sproat has been honored as the Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week as announced by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Sproat is the second Gator to garner weekly national honors from the NCBWA. Jac Caglianone was named the Dick Howser Trophy National Co-Hitter of the Week on Feb. 28.

Making his fifth start of the season, Sproat produced one of the greatest pitching performances in program history in the SEC opener against No. 24 Alabama on March 16. The Pace Fla. native fired a complete-game, one-hit shutout against the Tide, with his lone hit allowed being a second-inning single. He walked two and struck out a career-high 11 batters.

Needing 106 pitches to complete the outing, Sproat retired the final 10 batters of the game in order. His stellar start helped power Florida to a 3-0 Thursday night win and an eventual series victory over the Crimson Tide.

Dating back to April 29, 2022 when he took over the Friday-night role vs. Kentucky, Sproat has made 11 starts and is 9-0 with a 2.08 ERA, 76 strikeouts and 25 walks across 69 1/3 innings - and Florida is 11-0. He has not lost a decision since April 23, 2022 vs. Tennessee.

Sproat carries a 4-0 record, 2.73 ERA and 43 strikeouts across 29 2/3 innings into his next start at No. 13 Ole Miss on Friday, March 24.

Chris McClellan Press Conference

Miguel Mitchell Press Conference

Wes Wiggins OL 6-foot-3, 250-Pounds Smithville (MS) 2026

"My overall impression of Florida was amazing top-notch facilities and top-notch location, and another thing that impressed me tons was the Florida Gatormade program. I loved how they wanted you to excel off the field as much as they wanted you to excel on the field. Florida stands very high for me. Out of all the schools I’ve visited so far this spring, they are definitely one of the top schools, and I look forward to spending more time on campus to get to know coaches, staff, and players better. The biggest thing that separates me from the other players is my love for the game and my dedication to the game; not many people want to work out every day of the week. I go workout 2x a day on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; on Thursday and Friday, is 1x a day; and Saturday and Sunday is, position work with my trainer, who played at Alabama and Mississippi State Scott Lashley."

Jamari Howard ATH 6-foot-3, 180-Pounds Hialeah (FL)

"My coach went with me on this visit. I experienced a nice view of Florida. I love the new building and everything; my overall thought from a scale of 1-10, I give it a 10; it was amazing."

"I love how the coaches are hard on their players about everything. I love how they treat their players. I had a great conversation with coach Raymond; we were talking about how he would make me a first-round draft pick and produce me to become a great guy at the next level."

"The Gators will be in my top 8 and will definitely fit in the picture for me and the fam."

Ryan Wright One-on-One with TE Amir Jackson

The spring visits heat up in April.

“On April 1, I am going to Georgia, April 3 to Alabama, April 6 to Florida, April 8 to Auburn, April 15 to Florida State, and on the 18th or 20th, I am going to Alabama,” Jackson stated.

The previous trip to Gainesville was influential, Jackson wants to see if there is a repeated feeling this spring.

“I want to see if they keep the same energy as last time, stuff like that,” Jackson stated. “Basically, I’m going to touch base.”

After seeing the Gators and Seminoles in April, they are set to host him on paid trips.

“I will be taking two for sure, Florida State and Florida,” Jackson shared.

Jackson shared why Florida made his list as an official visit spot.

“Because they are one of the schools keeping in contact with me and texting me every other day,” Jackson said. “They wanted to know my reaction when their tight ends coach went to the NFL. When coach (Russ) Calloway was hired, he texted me immediately. It is things like that.”

Japan Taking over Baseball?

How on earth could it come down to a showdown between two teammates, two of the overall greats in MLB Shohei Ohtani strikes out Mike Trout to clinch WBC Title for Japan. So much for all the Dream Team talk.

Big Visit Coming for the Gators (Thursday)

Austin Simmons:

"I'm going with my dad, and I am really excited to get back in The Swamp. I am hoping to see more of the campus and the coaches."

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