Florida junior pitcher and first baseman Jac Caglianone tied an NCAA record on Friday night after homering for a ninth-straight game.
Caglianone hit his 23rd blast of the season for the Gators (19-9) in the top of the sixth inning during their 5-2 loss to Vanderbilt (29-10).
Caglianone’s 401-foot blast tied the NCAA record set by Nevada’s Tyler Bosetti, who homered in nine consecutive games in 2021.
That home run also extended Caglianone’s on-base streak to 24 games and his hitting streak to 17 games.
“It’s something we’ve never seen before, honestly,” said Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan. “And we’ve had some really good hitters over the last 16 or 17 years.”
Caglianone, a product of Tampa’s Plant High School, which also produced Wade Boggs, Pete Alonso and Kyle Tucker, is now one home run behind Georgia first baseman Charlie Condon for the NCAA lead.
During the 2023 season, Caglianone, a preseason first-team All-American, set a school record with 33 homers.
Caglianone, who is No. 5 on MLB.com’s top 2024 draft prospects, can break the NCAA record on Saturday when the Gators wrap up their series against the 13th-ranked Commodores.
It’s not just at the plate where Caglianone makes an impact. As a pitcher the 21-year-old has a 4-0 record this season with 49 strikeouts in 39.1 innings.
As he tries to set the NCAA consecutive games with a home run record, Caglianone will also be looking to get it done on the mound as he’s Saturday’s expected starter for the Gators.
Source Agencies
