Florida vs. Marshall: Opening Weekend Series Info and Preview

After falling a hair short of the College World Series with a loss in the 2019 Lubbock Regional tournament, the Florida Gators are ready to kick off their 2020 season with a common goal: Get back to Omaha.

In order to achieve that goal, manager Kevin O'Sullivan spent the offseason putting together a group of hitters that he's confident will not only fill the lineup, but provide Florida will a bit of seasoned depth after a youthful core emerged in 2019.

"We've got, about 13 to 14 hitters that we like, we'll have a rotation early on," O'Sullivan said prior to Tuesday's practice.

"I don't think it's going to be a bad thing to give some guys some days off, from time to time. We've just got to pick our spots, but we've got some depth as far as position players goes."

And of course, pitching will need to take a step forward. The additions of freshman Hunter Barco and USC Upstate graduate transfer Trey Van Der Weide should help shore up Florida's bullpen issues from a year ago as the team gels, while Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich should improve upon their up-and-down sophomore campaigns.

O'Sullivan has liked what he's seen out of his group this spring, but admits that everything is different when the lights go on. That's especially the case this year, as it hails as the final season at McKethan Stadium before the Gators move to the new Florida Ballpark in 2021.

Here is all of the information you need to know regarding Florida's opening weekend series against Marshall.

Florida vs. Marshall Series Information

Schedule

Game 1: Friday, 2/14/2020, at 6:30 P.M.

Game 2: Saturday, 2/15/2020, at 4 P.M.

Game 3: Sunday, 2/16/2020, at 1 P.M.

Projected starters:

Game 1:

Florida - Junior RHP Tommy Mace (8-5, 5.31 ERA in 2019)

Marshall - Redshirt senior RHP Wade Martin (0-4, 7.88 ERA in 2019)

Game 2:

Florida - Junior RHP Jack Leftwich (6-5, 5.31 ERA in 2019)

Marshall - Sophomore RHP Brady Choban (0-1, 17.47 ERA in 2019)

Game 3:

Florida - Sophomore RHP Nick Pogue (1-1, 4.15 ERA in 2019)

Marshall - Redshirt junior RHP Jeffrey Purnell (8-0, 2.43 ERA in 2019 at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois)

Where to watch: SEC Network+, which requires a subscription to ESPN+.

Series info: This is the first meeting between Florida and Marshall.