Who is pitching for Florida today? All eyes on Gators in 2024 College World Series game - June 19
The Florida Gators picked up a 15-4 win earlier this afternoon against the Kentucky Wildcats and advanced to tonight's game in the College World Series. After the victory in the elimination game against the Wildcats, the Gators announced that freshman right-hander Liam Peterson will get the ball against the Texas A&M Aggies tonight.
Peterson last pitched on Saturday in the opening game of the 2024 College World Series against this same Texas A&M lineup. He wound up receiving the loss as he only pitched 2.1 innings and gave up three runs on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
The only two pitchers that are unavailable for this game are the other two starters: Jac Caglianone and Pierce Coppola.
Coppola had a massive workload in his last start a few days ago, while Caglianone saw severe fatigue, and the team pulled him from the mound after only 33 pitches. Every other pitcher on the roster is otherwise expected to be available for coach Kevin O'Sullivan's team.
What would a win for the Florida Gators tonight mean for the 2024 College World Series?
If the Florida Gators win this game tonight against the Texas A&M Aggies, they will make things a lot more interesting in their bracket. With a Florida victory tonight, they will force a win-or-go-home situation on Thursday against Texas A&M.
However, if the Aggies win tonight, the Gators will be eliminated from the 2024 College World Series and send Texas to the 2024 College World Series Finals.
What should people expect out of Liam Peterson in tonight's game?
The Florida Gators have seen Liam Peterson pitch on shorter rest than a typical week at multiple points throughout the season. Peterson only threw 64 pitches on Saturday and had three days of rest between games. While starting pitchers are not typically asked to pitch on three days rest, he was able to provide a few innings in the next start.
With the bullpen getting to rest their key relievers from being used against the Kentucky Wildcats in the earlier game, Kevin O'Sullivan may only need Peterson to work through the Texas A&M lineup one time before taking the ball from him and calling the bullpen.