Florida Gators' Jac Caglianone, Josh Rivera added to Golden Spikes Award Watch list
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Two Florida Gators are being looked at for college baseball’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. Wednesday Florida pitcher/first baseman Jac Caglianone and shortstop Josh Rivera were added to the midseason Golden Spikes Award watch list.
Jac Caglianone has taken the college baseball world by storm as a two-way player. On the season, Caglianone leads the country with 18 home runs. He’s also batting an impressive. Caglianone has 50 hits on the season (eighth most in the country). 28 of those 50 hits (56%) are extra base hits. Caglianone has more home runs, doubles, and triples, than singles (28 to 22) on the year, which fuels his .935 slugging percentage, second best in the country. Caglianone also boasts a 3-0 record in seven starts on the mound. The left-hander has a 4.18 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched.
Rivera is enjoying a renaissance season in his fourth year with the Gators. Rivera leads Florida with a .411 batting average and has an OPS of 1.270. He also has 11 home runs, 21 walks, 85 total bases, and 41 RBI, all second-best on the Gators.
Two Gators added, two drop off
Outfielder Wyatt Langford and pitcher Hurston Waldrep were named to the Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List. However, neither was on the midseason Award watchlist.
Waldrep, a transfer from Southern Mississippi, has complied a 5-1 record with a 4.74 ERA in seven appearances.
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The Gators left fielder has played in and started 23 games this season. He missed seven games in the middle of the season after an injury. He started slightly slow when worked back into the lineup (2-12 in his first 12 at-bats) but appears to be back. In his last 12 at-bats, he’s 6-12 (.500) with a home run, two RBI, and several loud outs. While he isn’t on the midseason list, it would be a shock if he isn’t included later on in the season.
“There was a couple of games there that looked like he had just missed a couple of pitches,” Kevin O’Sullivan said of Langford. “The hang time on some pop-ups or fly balls was seven seconds, seven and a half seconds, so you could tell he was getting close. Which you’re right, there’s no substitute for live ABs and honestly, he had a great day today.”
Prior to the injury, Langford was slashing .431/.557/.931 with six home runs and six more walks (14) than strikeouts in 16 games. Langford was named the SEC Player of the Week on March 6.
