Jac Caglianone ties NCAA record with ninth home run in consecutive games
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With a powerful swing in the sixth inning, Florida first baseman Jac Caglianone cemented his place in NCAA baseball history. Caglianone turned around an 86-MPH offering on a 2-0 count sending it over the wall in right-center field for his 23rd home run of the season and his ninth home run in the Gators’ last nine games, tying Nevada’s Tyler Bosetti, who homered in nine straight games during the 2021 season.
Over the NCAA record stretch, Caglianone is slashing .441/.548/1.235 with 16 RBI and 13 runs scored.
Caglianone has 23 home runs and 45 RBI this season while boasting a .403 batting average. The Florida native is nearing Florida’s career record for home runs. With 63 homers, Caglianone is just 11 off of the program record owned by Matt LaPorta, who knocked out 74 home runs while spending four seasons in school.
Caglianone’s homer on Friday puts him one off the pace of Georgia’s Charlie Condon, who leads the nation with 24. Caglianone set a program record and NCAA BBCOR Era record with 33 home runs during the 2023 season.
Caglianone has also been Florida’s best and most consistent pitcher on the mound this season. Caglianone is 4-0 with a 3.89 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 39.1 innings pitched.
Gators struggling despite Jac Caglianone’s record streak
Despite Caglianone’s hot streak, the Gators haven’t found ways to win baseball games. Florida dropped a third consecutive SEC series with a 5-2 loss to Vanderbilt on Friday and are just 2-7 during Caglianone’s record-setting streak.
“It’s something we’ve never seen before, honestly. And we’ve had some really good hitters over the last 16 or 17 years. I think that’s one of the most disappointing things as well. Jac’s having an incredible year and we’re just, like I said, we don’t have enough guys behind him,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We’re not playing good, sound, fundamental baseball. It’s been frustrating that we’re letting the season he’s put together kind of slip away from us.We’ve just gotta come out tomorrow and we’ve gotta figure out a way to get a win tomorrow with Jac on the mound and then just battle all the way back. We were close. We said that last night and said it again today. If we figure out a way to win this one we’d have a good chance tomorrow. They used Carter last night and they used him again tonight. We can’t do anything about the first two games. What we can do is win tomorrow, get back home to Gainesville and get ready for Tuesday.”
