Rankings Mixed on Gators Baseball's Recent Surge

Florida Gators baseball has convinced some their top-25 worthy with a recent surge, but others still need some convincing

Some rankings are bigger on Florida's latest surge than others / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gators baseball has found themselves back in Baseball America’s top 25 this week following an impressive stretch that began in the second week of April. The Gators come in at No. 22 in their rankings. 

However, despite grabbing wins over multiple top-25 teams along the way, Florida didn’t do enough convincing to land inside D1Baseball’s most recent top-25 list. 

Nonetheless, the Gators have been scorching hot ever since April 8. 

From this point, they’ve won 13 of their last 15 contests. Additionally, they’ve taken down No. 2 Florida State and No. 7 Arkansas. 

This turnaround for the Gators, who started conference play 1-11, all started with a win over the Seminoles on April 8. Following this matchup, the Gators have won four straight series in the SEC. That includes two on the road against Mississippi State, South Carolina and home wins over Missouri and Arkansas. 

Leading the way for the Gators has been starting catcher/first baseman Luke Heyman. He’s been tearing it up at the plate. He’s tallied 16 hits — seven of them home runs — and 23 RBIs in these last 15 games. 

In addition to Heyman, outfielder Ty Evans has come back to life for the Gators. Evans is currently on a four-game hitting streak that started in the series-clinching win over Arkansas. He has six hits and nine RBIs since then. Moreover, he’s hit all three of his homers on the season during this stretch. 

Outside of the bats, right-handed pitcher Jake Clemente has been shutting down the opposing offenses when he walks onto the mound. In 17 innings of work, Clemente has struck out 29 batters compared to five walks, only given up 10 hits and allowed one earned run. 

The Gators will need these three, along with the rest of the squad, to continue what they’re doing going into this week. 

They’ll start it off on Tuesday hosting USF at Condron Family Ballpark at 6:30 p.m. Then, Florida will travel to Austin, Texas, for the weekend to take on the No. 1 Longhorns. Game One of that series will begin on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

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