Florida begins SEC play against traditional SEC powerhouse Mississippi State in Gainesville tonight.

The Gators (13-3, No. 6 ranking) have played very well this season, losing to FSU, Miami and Charleston Southern. Miss State (11-6) has been up and down, including a 3-game sweep to Southeastern Louisiana and losing 3 of 4 games last weekend at a tournament in Texas. 

Tonight, Florida will run out sophomore southpaw Alex Panteliodis, who is 4-0 with an 1.10 ERA. He faces MSU's Kendall Graveman, who is making his first start. Graveman has allowed 20 hits and seven runs in 16.2 innings, with one win in five appearances. Saturday, Brian Johnson (1-1, 5.52) will look to improve his recent struggles against Miss State's Chris Stratton (2-2, 2.95). UF has not yet announced their Sunday starter as they deal with the loss of Tommy Toledo, who is out after a line drive broke bones in his face last weekend.

Miss State is allowing opponents to hit .271 and has a team ERA of 4.18. The Gators need to take advantage of this and get SEC play started on the right note. UF first baseman Preston Tucker is hitting well (.383) but his power numbers are too low for a guy of his ability; 2 HR, 4 doubles, .550SLG. Miss State may try to pitch around him as FSU and Miami have done, which means Tucker has to pound anything in the zone.

All three games will be on TV. Friday and Sunday will be on FSFlorida, Saturday will be on CSS.

Thanks to my Catholic and Irish heritage (no one does soul crushing guilt better!), St. Patrick's Day is always marked on the calendar well in advance. As always, be sure to celebrate responsibly; Guinness, Harp and Jameson. (Bushmills if you're Protestant or Evil Tim Tebow. Redbreast if you're rich.) If you're in an Irish bar, don't try to order a Black & Tan (Guinness & Bass). Black & Tans were the nickname given to British soldiers stationed in Ireland that were especially brutal prior to Irish independence. Black & Tan is still used as an insult for the English in Ireland. Instead of upsetting your bartender Kevin O'Brien, order a Half & Half, which is Guinness & Harp. Also, drink responsibly.

And, as always, I hope you find where the gold at.

Losing 5-2 after two innings, the Gators rallied Tuesday night, defeating Florida State 8-5. The teams have split the first two games of the season series, with games remaining at Tallahassee and Jacksonville.

The Gators (13-3) began their rally in third inning when Preston Tucker hit his second homer of the season. UF took the lead in the fourth inning when two singles and two sacrifice flies scored three runs. Tucker was 2 for 3 with 4 RBI, Josh Adams was 2 for 4 with 3 RBI including a 2-run homer in the first inning. 

FSU (13-3) had success against UF freshman Hudson Randall. He went four innings and allowed 5 runs on 6 hits. The Gator offense and pitchers Nick Maronde and Kevin Chapman picked him up. Maronde got his first win as he worked around 3 walks in two innings, not allowing a hit or run. Chapman earned his third save with three innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. 

Today's win is a lone bright spot this week as UF pitcher Tommy Toledo will have to undergo surgery to repair facial fractures after being hit with a line drive on Sunday. Toledo's face is still too swollen for doctors to perform any procedures. 

The Gators won their first two games this weekend against Charleston Southern with scores of 6-0 and 16-10. But today's 6-3 loss was marred by a scary incident regarding UF sophomore pitcher Tommy Toledo. 

With the Gators trailing 3-0, Toledo was struck in the back of the head by a line drive off the bat of CSU's Derek Smith. The Independent Florida Alligator's Anthony Chiang said that Toledo was woozy and needed help off the field. Speaking to UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan after the game, Chiang reported that Toledo was taken to the hospital and was bleeding.

It's hard to speculate on how long a player will be out, but the emotion of dealing with such a play lasts for a while. Toledo had pitched very well, going 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA and won the clincher of last week's series at Miami. 

UF moves to 11-3 and plays Army tomorrow. Army was added to the schedule to make up for losing a three game series earlier when LaSalle was snowed in Philadelphia.

It's not all doom and gloom for the Gators this week as Florida has won their first NCAA Indoor Track Championship. Not only did UF defeat traditional power Oregon (tied for second), they topped SEC powers LSU (fourth place) and Arkansas (fifth place and meet host). This was the 23rd team title won by the Gators Athletic Program.

Track meets are scored, so it's not who wins the most events but how well the team does as a whole. UF won behind the strength of Jeff Demps' winning 60m in 6.57 seconds, placing two in the 200m, 400m, triple jump (including first place), second in the shot put and long jump and fourth place in the 4X400m relay. Demps also ran a 6.56 in the qualifying heat.

Splitting the first two games of the series, Florida defeated Miami 4-2 in Coral Gables, taking the finale of the weekend series. The Gators' success this weekend came as a result of great pitching.

Florida (7-2) had two sophomores and a freshman pitching this weekend. Sunday, sophomore Tommy Toledo got the ball, his biggest start following shoulder surgery that caused a medical redshirt last season. Toledo was not dominant, but effective in going five innings and allowing five hits, two runs (1 ER), one walk and stroking out four. Toledo left the game with a 3-1 lead after 3B Bryson Smith hit a three-run homer in the fifth. It was Smith's second homer and sixth RBI of 2010.

Kevin Chapman followed with four innings in relief, keeping the Hurricanes (7-3) off-balance and creating ground ball outs. Chapman allowed one hit and struck out two for his second save this season. Toledo moves to 2-0 in three starts.

Saturday evening's 9-6 loss to the Canes was the only bump for UF, as freshman Brian Johnson allowed six hits and five runs (2 ER). He did show flashes of brilliance by striking out five in 4.2 innings. UF had a 3-2 lead after scoring three in the fifth, but Miami scored six in the next two innings to ice it.

Sophomore southpaw Alex Panteliodis had the weekend's best performance Friday in UF's 7-1 win. Panteliodis held UM hitless in the first four innings, finishing with two hits, one earned run in 5.2 innings. He also had eight strikeouts and two walks. He moved to 3-0, but his first win as a starter in 2010. Sophomore Nick Maronde, who has struggled, earned the save with 3.1 IP scoreless.

The Gators have a pair of games against Illinois State this week, with Charleston Southern coming in on the weekend.

Tuesday night, the Gators were manhandled by FSU 10-5, with UF allowing seven runs in the first inning. Earlier that same night, Miami defeated USF 15-2. This weekend in Coral Gables, Florida (5-1) faces Miami (6-1) in another top-10 matchup for the Gators.

The series can be a good measure of how good the Gators will be. In 2005, UF won 2 of 3 in the series and finished second in Omaha. They swept the Canes in 2006 and missed the tournament. Last season, UF was swept in Gainesville, but won two against Miami in the regionals during a rebuilding season for UM. 

The Canes always seem to have a great catcher and Yasmani Grandal is carrying on that tradition. He had nine RBI and 10 hits in 26 at-bats. Grandal is supported by 3b Harold Martinez (10 RBI, 3 HR) and OF Chris Pelaez (13 hits in 20 AB). The Canes have an experienced staff, which they did not alway have last season. Friday night's starter is junior southpaw Chris Hernandez, who led UM in wins last season. Hernandez beat the Gators in the first meeting of 2009, but took the lost in the first regional game. UF sophomore Alex Panteliodis gets the ball on Friday. He was 0-1 in two appearances against UM in 2009, pitching 10.1 innings and allowing seven runs on 16 hits. 

Saturday, the Canes run out senior righty Jason Santana, who allowed two runs on four hits in four innings against UF in 2009. The Gators put stud freshman Brian Johnson on the bump, who pitched 5.2 innings of shutout ball in his only start on Feb. 20 against USF. 

Sunday starter, Tommy Toledo, faced the Canes in Coral Gables in 2008. He had a no decision, pitching five innings and allowing two runs on four hits. He faces UM's Eric Erickson, who like Toledo, missed all of 2009 with arm surgery.

As a team, the Gators are hitting well (.333). But Preston Tucker can make this lineup go and he hasn't done it yet. The sophomore has one RBI and zero extra base hits in 24 at-bats. Tucker needs to be the big bopper in the lineup. Perhaps Miami can be his tonic, as Tucker was 8 for 16 with four RBI against UM in 2009. 

The Gators' first of four games against the Seminoles begins tonight in Tampa as the second half of "The Florida Four." The doubleheader at Steinbrenner Field begins with Miami vs. USF at 4pm and UF vs. FSU following at about 7:30pm. Florida (5-0) and FSU (6-0) are each in college baseball's top-10 rankings.

The Gators are hitting well to start the season, while their pitching does enough to keep guys from scoring. Tonight's starter, RHP Anthony DeSclafani is an example. In his only start on Feb. 21 against USF, DeSclafani allowed four hits and a hit by pitch in 4.1 innings. But he had four strikeouts and no walks, not allowing a run. DeSclafani was the Sunday starter in the USF series and with the LaSalle series canceled last weekend, it makes sense for DeSclafani to get the ball.

As much as FSU is a rival, this is still a midweek game. Both UF and FSU have taken that approach in recent years. DeSclafani, as a sophomore, needs the experience. FSU sending RHP Geoff Parker to the mound is in the same mind set. Parker has given up five runs, five hits, three walks, three doubles and hit two batters in only 4 IP. He does have four strikeouts, a sign of a pitcher with a straight fastball; high speed and no movement.