Weekend Open Thread: Florida baseball series features premier pitchers

Home series and SEC title tournaments are on deck for the Florida Gators this weekend. Florida’s top-ranked baseball team is hosting No. 22 Auburn, and the series will feature two of the nation’s best pitchers and high-projected MLB Draft picks on Thursday in UF’s Brady Singer and and Auburn’s Casey Mize.

Gator softball also is hosting a ranked conference opponent for a series. Both lacrosse and softball will be holding Senior Day events as well. UF’s men’s golf and tennis teams are both on the road at their respective conference tournaments, while the track and field is at the National Relay Championships.

Below you’ll find what is happening in Gator sports this weekend, as well as how to follow along.

Thursday, April 26

Men’s golf
SEC Championship, All Day: For the 18th season, the men’s golf SEC Championship will be held in St. Simons Georgia on the Sea Island Golf Club Course. Thursday marks the second day of competition overall, and the second day of round play. Florida was tied for 12th place after Wednesday’s opening round.

Baseball
Florida vs. Auburn, 7:00 p.m.: The No. 1 Gators are at home hosting No. 22 Auburn this weekend and starting the series off on Thursday with a premiere pitching showcase. Auburn’s Casey Mize, projected by many to be the first pick in the upcoming MLB Draft, will be on the mound for the Tigers. Florida will start Brady Singer on Thursday and Jackson Kowar on Friday - both Gators are also projected among the top-ten prospects for the draft.

Friday, April 27

Men’s golf
SEC Championship, All Day: Florida continues competition in Georgia at the SEC Championship tournament. If the Gators hope to advance past round play to match play, they will need to finish in the top eight.

Men’s tennis
Florida vs. Vanderbilt / LSU (SEC Tournament), 1:00 p.m.: The No. 3 seeded Gators begin their time at the SEC Tournament on Friday, facing the winner of Thursday’s match between Vanderbilt and LSU.

Track and field
National Relay Championships, 4:00 p.m.: Florida enters competition with the No. 1 ranked men’s team and the No. 9 women’s squad. 20 ranked teams are in the field at the Arkansas-based event, taking place Friday and Saturday. Friday’s events include discuss throw, various meter races, hurdles, high jump, long jump, and relays.

Softball
Florida vs. LSU, 5:30 p.m.: After taking down the No. 8 Seminoles on Wednesday night, the No. 5 Gators continue competition at home, this time hosting No. 14 LSU for a three-game series. Coming into the weekend, Florida holds a record of 20-5 against top-25 competition and 19 wins over teams ranked inside the RPI top-25.

Baseball
Florida vs. Auburn, 6:30 p.m.: The top-ranked Gators continue their series with the Tigers. Auburn swept Florida when the two met during last year’s regular season, but the Gators defeated the Tigers in the SEC Tournament. Three of those four meetings last year were decided by one run.

Saturday, April 28

Men’s golf
SEC Championship, All Day: Should Florida be in the top eight teams after round play, the Gators will advance to Saturday’s match play. Both the quarterfinals and semi-finals will be held on Saturday.

Lacrosse
Florida vs. Butler, 12:00 p.m.: The Gators - who have already clinched the regular season Big East title - close out the regular season in Saturday’s home tilt with Butler. Florida will also be honoring their six seniors prior to the match.

Softball
Florida vs. LSU, 12:00 p.m.: This weekend, the Gators are honoring their softball seniors, and specifically doing so on Saturday. Florida’s senior class includes Aleshia Ocasio, Kayli Kvistad, Nicole DeWitt, and Janell Wheaton.

Baseball
Florida vs. Auburn, 2:00 p.m.: The Gators conclude their home SEC series with the Tigers. As announced by Kevin O’Sullivan earlier this week after Florida’s midweek loss to Mercer, freshman Jack Leftwich will get the start for the Gators instead of sophomore Tyler Dyson.

Men’s tennis
SEC Tournament Semifinals, 3:00 p.m.: Should the Gators advance in their quarterfinals match, Florida will be back on the court Saturday for the semifinals, with a shot at a conference title match appearance on the line.

Track and field
National Relay Championships, 8:00 p.m.: Florida concludes competition in Arkansas. Saturday’s events include hammer throw, javelin throw, triple jump, shot put, pole vault, and various relays. The events continue throughout the day, but the final events will be televised at 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 29

Men’s golf
SEC Championship, All Day: Should Florida make it to, and then through, Saturday’s match play rounds, the Gators would be in Sunday’s championship match, which will be televised on the SEC Network.

Softball
Florida vs. LSU, 12:00 p.m.: The Gators conclude their three-game home weekend series with LSU. Earlier this week, head coach Tim Walton was recognized for achieving his 800^th career win, and 700^th as the head coach of Florida Gators. Walton currently holds the highest win percentage among active NCAA Division I softball coaches.

Men’s tennis
SEC Tournament Final, 1:00 p.m.: If Florida advances to, and through, Saturday’s semifinals, the Gators will compete for the SEC Tournament title. That event will be televised on the SEC Network.

And here are your schedule tables for this weekend’s events.