Previewing Florida baseball weekend series at Georgia

Florida baseball heads to Athens this weekend for a three-game series with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Kevin O'Sullivan has changed his starting rotation, putting Aidan King in the Friday night slot and dropping Liam Peterson to the Saturday slot. The hope is that it will help the Gators manage the bullpen better and lead to more success in SEC play.

Florida is getting some players back from injury this weekend. Reliever Ricky Reeth and outfielder Blake Cyr are off the injury report, and the team's best hitter, Brendan Lawson, is expected to return from illness, despite being listed as questionable coming into the series. Cash Strayer and Jackson Barberi are both out for multiple weeks, however, hurting the Gators on both sides of the ball.

The Bulldogs are one of the top teams in the country this season, checking in at No. 4 on the USA TODAY Sports Baseball Coaches Poll and the D1Baseball rankings. A series win would go a long way for the Orange and Blue, but it won't be easy.

Projected Starting Lineup: Florida Gators

Probable Starters: Game 1 - Friday (6 p.m. ET)

**NOTES:**Aidan King is the new Friday night guy for Florida, but he's pitched like a No. 1 all year. Last week's seven shutout innings against Ole Miss was just the latest in a series of high-level performances from the sophomore. The idea with moving King into the Friday slot is to keep Florida's bullpen fresh for the rest of the series. Liam Peterson wasn't getting deep enough into games, which led to some uncomfortable relief outings. King doesn't need to go seven, but getting through six feels like the norm for him. However, Georgia is liable to knock even the best arms out of the game earlier than expected.

Joey Volchko, a Stanford transfer, has looked the part of a top SEC arm this year for Georgia. While he can struggle with command at times, he's typically good for five or six innings of two-run ball or better. Florida needs to do what Texas A&M did and get him out of the game early — although a five-out night is a bit extreme. His fastball will run up to the upper 90s, even touching 100 mph at times, and he has a true 88-92 mph sweeper. His changeup checks in around the same velocity. Volchko will also mix in a low-90s cutter.

Probable Starters: Game 2 - Friday (12 p.m. ET)

NOTES: Liam Peterson has had good stuff all year, but he's lacked some consistency with control. That's led to deep counts and early hooks thanks to a rising pitch count. The key is to go right at batters and not give up free passes. He's good enough for double-digit strikeouts each time out, but it comes at the expense of his stamina. Losing his No. 1 spot in the rotation should spark a change, hopefully for the better and not worse.

Dylan Vigue, a Michigan transfer, has worked a 2.83 ERA through 35 innings this year. He threw a seven-inning shutout against Queens at the beginning of March, allowing just one hit, but SEC play has been a bit of a different story. Vigue only recorded one out in his scheduled start against South Carolina, getting the hook after walking four batters, but he returned for two frames of two-run ball the following day in relief. His 28.2% strikeout rate is impressive, but a 14.1% walk rate is slightly elevated.

Vigue is another guy Florida is going to have to try and knock out early. He has a mid-90s fastball and a low-90s cutter. His best pitch is a slider with a 2,700-plus spin rate.

Probable Starters: Game 3 - Sunday (12 p.m. ET)

NOTES: Russell Sandefer looked great in his first weekend start against Ole Miss. He went seven shutout innings while allowing just three baserunners — two hits and a walk. He struck out 11 in that outing, so it's premier stuff in the Sunday slot. He doesn't need to change much right now, but some more run support would be nice.

Georgia has a TBA listed in the series finale. It could be Kenny Ishikawa, who has five starts, including all four SEC Sunday matchups, but he's really struggled in those outings. An 11.12 ERA tells the story here. Zach Brown (4.30 ERA, 14.2 IP) has the next most starts on the team with four, and Matt Scott (1.78, 25.1) and Caden Aoki (2.78, 32.1) each have a pair. It'll depend on usage over the first two games, but expect a bullpen day from the Bulldogs on Sunday.

Other Players to Watch

All of them... Georgia leads the nation in home runs with five players in double figures and one more nearing that threshold. Tre Phelps looks like a potential SEC Player of the Year and is on the Golden Spikes watch list. Phelps has a team-high 1.354 OPS with 14 home runs and 39 RBIs. He's one of those guys who always gets on base, including a bizarre 20 hit-by-pitches this year. Some guys have a knack for that.

Catcher Daniel Jackson is only five points behind him in OPS (1.349) and leads the team with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs. First baseman Brennan Hudson's 12 home runs over 109 plate appearances give him the best ratio on the team, and his 1.237 OPS ranks third on the roster. Jordy Oriach, Rylan Lujo, Micahel O'Shaughnessy, and Kolby Branch all have an OPS above 1.000 and more than 80 plate appearances. This team just hits up and down the lineup.

Series History

Notes: Florida has won eight of the last 11 series against Georgia, backed by an 18-15 record during that span.

Follow the Action

FRIDAY (6 p.m. ET)

• Watch: SEC Network+
• Listen: ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF
• Live Stream: ESPN+

SATURDAY (12 p.m. ET)

• Watch: ESPN2
• Listen: ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF
• Live Stream: Fubo (with free trial)

SUNDAY (12 p.m. ET)

• Watch: SEC Network
• Listen: ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF
• Live Stream: Fubo (with free trial)

* Watch links go directly to game feed

Predictions

GAME 1: Florida, 8-7

GAME 2: Georgia, 9-2

GAME 3: Florida, 7-5

PREDICTION: Georgia is one of the best teams in the country, and it won't be easy to take a series on the road against them. Florida has to bank on Aidan King shoving Friday night and Russell Sandefer handling the pressure on Sunday. Saturday is a toss-up with Liam Peterson on the mound, and Georgia's going to hit in all of these games. Still, the Gators have played up to their competition all year long. Facing a top-five team should bring out the best in this group.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida baseball at Georgia Bulldogs series preview