The Florida Gators return to the diamond after two midweek games against Georgia State and Stetson. Florida knocked off the Georgia State Panthers on Tuesday night. That win gave Kevin O’Sullivan win No. 557, making him the winningest head coach in Florida baseball history
Florida also hosted the Stetson Hatters Wednesday night in which the Gators came back and won 10-7. The Gators will now take on the Jacksonville Dolphins in a three-game weekend series at Florida Ballpark.
Going into this weekend, Jacksonville is 3-8 on the season and is coming off a strong weekend. Jacksonville hosted the Wofford Terriers and swept them last weekend. Jacksonville comes into this weekend series riding a hot streak and with some of the top players in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Here are three Jacksonville players to watch against the Gators.
3B Jackson Grabsky
True freshman Jackson Grabsky has made an immediate impact for the Jacksonville Dolphins since he arrived on campus. Coming out of high school, Grabsky was one of the top signees in Jacksonville’s 2020 recruiting class. On Perfect Game, Grabsky was the 500th ranked prospect and 139th ranked shortstop in the country.
Since he enrolled at JU, Grabsky has become the everyday third baseman and one of their most productive hitters. In his first eleven games, Grabsky leads the Dolphins in hitting with a .324 batting average. He also has twelve hits, three doubles, two RBIs, and a .359 on-base percentage.
RHP Tyler Santana
Fifth-year senior pitcher Tyler Santana is the Friday night arm in Jacksonville’s rotation and is off to a dominant start. The 6’1” 205 pound Coral Gables native is starting to look like his old self with a high strikeout rate.
In the 2021 season, Santana has made three appearances and started in all of them. He has posted a 1-2 record with a 3.18 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 12.2 K/9 and has yet to allow a home run this season.
Santana will match up against Florida’s ace pitcher Tommy Mace on Friday night. It should be a good battle between the two and both should be good tests for the opposing offenses. Santana’s fastball sits in the low 90s and tops out at 93 mph with good secondary pitches.
CF Ruben Someillan
Another fifth-year senior that’s been very good during the collegiate career is centerfielder Ruben Someillan. He’s been a starter since 2017 when he enrolled at Jacksonville as a true freshman.
The Miami native is off to a solid start in his final season at Jacksonville. Someillan is batting .261 with twelve hits, one home run, four RBIs, and three walks. He’s the leadoff hitter for the Dolphins and does a good job of creating havoc while on base.
Someillan is also an excellent defensive centerfielder that has consistently been Jacksonville’s top defensive players. Florida is well aware of Ruben Someillan and will have a game plan on how to attack the left-handed-hitting Someillan.
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