Florida Gators’ sophomore Jac Caglianone has plenty of talent both at the plate and on the mound. The 20-year-old Caglianone, a left-handed starting pitcher/first baseman/designated hitter, has pitched 69 innings this year, posting a 7-3 record, a 3.78 ERA, and 81 strikeouts (10.6 per nine innings). But he’s been even more impressive at the plate, batting .289/.339/.548 with 29 home runs (second in the nation to Cam Fisher of the Charlotte 49ers) entering Sunday. And in the Gators’ NCAA Tournament regional game Sunday against the UConn Huskies, where he was playing first base, Caglianone tied and then passed Fisher’s 30 home runs on the year with a pair of dingers. Both were to right field, with the second one being a particularly impressive shot:
#️⃣3️⃣0️⃣ for Jac Caglianone!#GoGators // 📺 https://t.co/yfDs0JQ41S pic.twitter.com/MUuFttasMr
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 4, 2023
Florida's Jac Caglianone crushes his nation-best 31st homer of the season! ⚾️💣pic.twitter.com/qocc23sDqZ
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) June 4, 2023
As ESPN Stats & Info noted, that puts Caglianone in elite company amongst some past SEC sluggers:
Moments ago, Florida's Jac Caglianone became the 3rd player in SEC history to hit 30 homers in a season, joining LSU's Brandon Larson and Brad Cresse.
His 3-run "Jac" moved him into a tie with Charlotte's Cam Fisher for the Division I lead with 30 HR this season. pic.twitter.com/r7UMKui6FN
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 4, 2023
The No. 1 seed Gators would go on to beat the Huskies 8-2 in Sunday’s elimination game in the Gainesville regional, with Caglianone’s five RBIs accounting for much of their offense. They’re now 46-15 on the year, and will face the Texas Tech Red Raiders (41-21) Sunday night at 6 p.m. Eastern. Texas Tech beat Florida 5-4 Saturday, so the Gators would need to win Sunday to force a game for the regional championship Monday. We’ll see if Caglianone (seen at right in the top photo celebrating a home run Saturday) can add to his home run total Sunday evening.
[The Comeback on Twitter, Baseball Reference; photo from Cyndi Chambers/Gator Sports, via USA Today Sports]
