Game Preview: Florida hoping to take Game 1 of College World Series Finals against LSU

There are only two teams left standing in all of college baseball.

Florida and LSU, the two best teams in the SEC this season, are set to open a three-game national championship series on Saturday night. The Gators will enter the game well-rested and ready to go with the same three-man rotation they’ve used all year — Brandon Sproat, Hurston Waldrep and Jac Caglianone.

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Sproat gets the ball first, and he won’t be going up against LSU’s ace, Paul Skenes. The Tigers had to burn him in the semifinals, and it’s quite possible that Florida avoids the future top-three draft pick entirely. Although the Tigers have yet to announce a starter, most are expecting to see LSU’s No. 2, Ty Floyd, who hasn’t thrown since Monday.

All eyes won’t be on the defense, though. This game features the other two college players likely to be taken within the first three picks of the draft, Wyatt Langford and Dylan Crews. Langford has been one of the best stories in Florida’s history, going from a third-string catcher to an All-American outfielder in one offseason. In any other year, he would be the consensus top pick in the draft class.

But Crews exists, and he’s been the top dog for over a year now. He’s slashing .423/.563/.715 with 18 home runs and 69 runs batted in. Crews is also a bit faster than Langford and has a better shot at staying center field. Both clubs will be looking to neutralize the others’ best bat, but these are strong lineups up and down.

Plenty of people proclaimed LSU-Wake Forest as the true national championship, but this matchup is the one SEC fans have been waiting for all year. Plus, it’s a rematch of the 2017 College World Series Finals. What more could you ask for?

Here’s everything you need to know about Florida-LSU in the College World Series Semifinals on Saturday.

Behind Enemy Lines: Talking College World Series with LSU Wire

Betting Odds: BetMGM’s lines for Florida vs. LSU in College World Series finals

Pos. Player Name AVG OBP SLG AB R H HR RBI C BT Riopelle .249 .381 .542 225 55 56 17 66 1B Jac Caglianone .325 .391 .735 268 71 87 31 84 2B Cade Kurland .290 .394 .544 252 68 73 16 48 3B Colby Halter .253 .362 .407 162 27 41 3 29 OR Dale Thomas .234 .410 .426 47 11 11 1 4 SS Josh Rivera .361 .461 .647 241 68 87 19 71 LF Tyler Shelnut .284 .379 .494 162 28 46 7 27 CF Wyatt Langford .363 .493 .758 226 78 81 19 49 RF Ty Evans .225 .293 .424 151 25 34 6 37 DH Luke Heyman .330 .379 .587 179 29 59 12 39 Team Pitcher Record ERA FLORIDA RHP Brandon Sproat 8-3 4.66 LSU TBD TBD TBD

NOTES: Brandon Sproat will take the mound for Florida one final time Saturday night, and he enters the game riding a three-game streak of quality starts. Sproat’s best game of the season came against Alabama on March 16, a complete-game one-hitter.

The goal is to repeat that effort against another SEC team. It won’t be an easy task, but Sproat is a big-game pitcher. It’s time to show up.

LSU has not announced their pitcher yet, but most are confident it will be Ty Floyd. His fastball can get up to 97 mph, but it’s almost certainly his best pitch. The knock has always been that he needs to develop his breaking stuff, and he has, but these things take time.

Florida can look for his slider more often than the curve and spit on the changeup that rarely gets thrown to righties.

We already talked about Dylan Crews, but don’t forget about Tommy White, the NC State transfer that came in and delivered 100 RBIs, including a walk-off to get the Tigers to the Finals. Pitch around both of those dudes and you’ll get first baseman Tre’ Morgan, who is third on the team with 50 RBIs and 80 hits.

Our friends over at LSU Wire told us to watch out for Gavin Dugas and Cade Beloso as well. Both have more than 15 homers this season.

OVERALL 52-66-1 AT HOME 27-20 AWAY 15-31-1 NEUTRAL 10-15

NOTES: LSU has the all-time lead in the series and is 15-10 against Florida at a neutral ballpark. The last time they met in Omaha was in 2017, and Florida swept the series, winning 4-3 and 6-1.

I have rarely picked against the Gators this season, and there is no reason to change up now. LSU is an incredibly talented team, and that Wake Forest series was a thing of beauty to watch. But Florida just finds a way. Langford and Caglianone will have monster series. Both homer tonight and knock Floyd out by the fourth.

Sproat shoves and throws at least seven innings. Florida stuns LSU to take a convincing lead in the series.

Prediction: Not a close game. Florida wins, 8-3, and most of LSU’s runs come late.

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