Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan is making fairly drastic pitching changes after the rough week in South Carolina.
The Gamecocks swept the Gators in Columbia a week after Florida started SEC play with a sweep of Texas A&M. O'Sullivan, in response, has pulled two of his weekend starters for the Ole Miss series in Gainesville that starts at 7 p.m. CT Thursday. Games two and three are at 5:30 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday.
Ole Miss (20-4, 6-0) is has won its first six SEC games for the first time since the 1960s. The Gators (16-8, 3-3) swept the series the last time the two teams met in Gainesville in 2018, and Ole Miss took all three in Oxford in 2019.
Ace Tommy Mace had started every weekend series since the beginning of 2019 and every opening game of each series since 2020 but instead Florida is handing the ball to right-handed reliever Franco Aleman tonight.
Instead of Jackson Leftwich on Friday, the Gators are going with right-hander Christian Scott. Left-hander Hunter Barco remains in the third rotation spot after giving up four runs in five innings against South Carolina.
ESPN's Kylie McDaniel reported on Tuesday the Gators are likely using openers, hoping Aleman and Scott can get through the lineup once before going to Mace and Leftwich, respectively, to, in theory, finish the games.
Mace got touched for four runs in five innings against Carolina but gave up just two runs in seven innings with 11 strikeouts the week before versus Texas A&M. Leftwich gave up three runs in 4.2 innings against the Gamecocks and one run in seven innings to the Aggies.
Aleman, normally a rubber-arm reliever, has gone three innings just once this season. Scott didn't allow a run in four innings against Carolina last week and also has a three-inning shutout against Miami this season.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
THURSDAY
Ole Miss: RHP Gunnar Hoglund - 3-0, 2.27 ERA, 55 K, 7 BB
Florida: RHP Franco Aleman 0-1, 4.58 ERA, 22 K, 8 BB
FRIDAY
Ole Miss: LHP Doug Nikhazy 1-1, 4.15 ERA, 22 K, 7 BB
Florida: RHP Christian Scott 0-1, 1.35 ERA, 18 K, 3 BB
SATURDAY
Ole Miss: RHP Derek Diamond 2-2, 3.96 ERA, 29 K, 6 BB
Florida: LHP Hunter Barco 3-2, 5.58 ERA, 43 K, 6 BB
