Gators News: Weekend roundup for Florida sports during football bye

It was a bit of a slow weekend around the Swamp as the Gators football team had a bye and only four teams were in action. However, for those programs that did compete, it was a winning one for Florida sports. Both the men’s and women’s teams had student-athletes perform well while the soccer team scored a shutout win and the baseball team split an exhibition doubleheader. Here is a look at the latest from the Gator Nation.

Women's tennis

The women’s tennis team saw freshman Bente Spee finishing the weekend at the Georgia Invitational in Athens with a perfect 3-0 record. Spee improved to 9-5 for the fall campaign in singles competition. Next up is the ITA Fall National Championships in San Diego, California, starting on Nov. 4.

Men's tennis

The men’s tennis team wrapped up play at the ITA Southeast Regional tournament on Sunday, earning a total of 20 wins over the weekend, seven of which were earned by graduate Mattias Siimar. Like the ladies, the men return to play on Nov. 4 at the ITA Fall National Championships in San Diego.

Soccer

The soccer team scored a win this weekend at home for Senior Day against LSU, shutting out the Tigers 4-0 in its penultimate home match of the fall season. The four goals were a season-high and most since their 5-1 win over College of Charleston on Feb. 20 in the extended 2020-21 season. Florida faces the South Carolina Gamecocks at home to wrap up the season this Thursday.

Baseball

The baseball team hosted the Georgia Southern Eagles on Saturday for an exhibition doubleheader, splitting a pair of games with the visiting team in the process. The Eagles took the opening game by a score of 3-1 before the Gators responded in the second with a 7-6 victory. Freshman Deric Fabian homered in both games, ultimately 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored.

Around the Swamp

• Kyle Trask ‘learning so much’ despite inactivity on Sundays: Trask didn’t play right away in Gainesville, but he set records when he got his shot.

• Former Gator named MLB’s 2021 Rookie of the year by Baseball America: India made his debut for the Reds in 2021, and he had a spectacular season.

• Colin Castleton named to preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list: The senior was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list on Friday.

• SEC Nation heading to Florida-Georgia next week: This is the second time SEC Nation has covered a Florida game this season.

• Florida’s offensive line named to Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll: The Joe Moore Award is given annually to the best offensive line in college football.

• Are the Gators still the best team in Florida?: The good news is that UF is still the best college football team in the state.

• Florida looking to flip this LSU commit after tight end flipped to Stanford: With the announcement of Ed Orgeron and LSU separating at the end of the season, the Tigers are a natural target to try and flip recruits from.

• Latest AP Top 25 even more bearish on the Gators than coaches poll: No one expected Florida to be ranked in the Week 8 update to the AP Top 25.

• A run-down of the men’s basketball team for the upcoming season: This could be a really interesting team.

• SEC Report Card: Tennessee gives Alabama a small scare in an overall quiet Week 8: The most exciting game of the weekend was surprisingly Tennessee at No. 4 Alabama.

• Kyle Pitts brings in two spectacular catches in breakout win over Dolphins: He led the Falcons in receptions with seven and yards with 163.

• Gators still on the outside of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll looking in: If the Gators wish to return to the top 25, it will likely take a win over the nation’s top team in Jacksonville next weekend.

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