Only one player in school history has hit more career home runs than Florida slugger Jac Caglianone following a solo blast to start off a game against Florida State on Tuesday night.
Caglianone went yard to right-center field in the opening frame, his 17th home run of the season and the 57th of his career.
The hit came right after leadoff hitter Cade Kurland launched a solo shot on the opening pitch to start the game. Caglianone faced a 1-1 pitch and took it over the upper middle part of the plate, launching a high drive to right-center field.
The ball cleared the fence, tying Caglianone with Preston Tucker for second in the school record books with 57 career home runs.
Only one player remains ahead of Jac Caglianone at this point, and it’ll likely take some serious movement to catch him. That’s slugger Matt LaPorta, who knocked out 74 home runs while spending four seasons in school (Caglianone will almost certainly only play three).
In recent weeks, Caglianone has passed several other Gators greats: Jud Fabian (56), Brad Wilkerson (55), JJ Schwarz (50), Wyatt Langford (47) and Mike Zunino (47).
Caglianone is also making a go at being the back-to-back home run champion after leading the nation with 33 dingers a year ago. He entered the night trailing the national lead (held by Georgia‘s Charlie Condon at 20) by just four. He’s one closer now.
Unfortunately for Florida, the team’s play hasn’t always matched Jac Caglianone’s.
The program was swept by Missouri over the weekend, adding insult to injury for a team that has had inconsistent pitching throughout the year. And even the hot start against the Seminoles faded quickly.
After Kurland and Caglianone put the Gators on top 2-0 in the first inning at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla., the Seminoles plated six runs in the bottom half of the first inning to take a 6-2 lead.
At the time of this writing Florida had clawed one back, with the score 6-3 Florida State in the top of the second inning.
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