Back in early June, the Florida Gators and Troy Trojans collided in an NCAA Super Regional that led to Troy’s historic first appearance in the Men’s College World Series.
The two teams play again Saturday at 1 p.m. at Blue Wahoos Stadium in a fall exhibition game matchup that features some of the nation’s top professional prospects. The game is set for nine innings. Both teams will use an array of pitchers.
Led by the Gators’ junior shortstop Brendan Lawson, a left-handed hitting native of Toronto, Ontario, who ascended this week into Baseball America’s No. 1-rated player for the 2027 Major League Baseball Draft, fans attending Saturday’s game will see a combined six players from the two teams rated among the nation’s Top 100 MLB draft eligible prospects.
Troy catcher Jimmy Janicki, a junior from Illinois and the 2026 Sun Belt Conference player of the year, is rated the nation’s top collegiate catcher and No. 5 overall prospect by D1 Baseball.com. He is one of 18 returning players for Troy.
Janicki helped lead the Trojans to their Super Regional win in early June against the Gators in Gainesville that sent Troy to the CWS.
“We played Florida no less than, what, four months ago? And those are the ones that really, really matter. This game is going to matter because it’s the most important day when we get to practice that day and the ability to compete,” said Troy coach Skylar Meade, speaking to media members following his team’s two-game sweep against Samford on Oct. 17 at Troy’s Riddle-Pace Field.
“And hopefully compete in front of a lot of people,” Meade said. “That will be exciting. Everybody is just improving a miniscule amount each day we get a chance to practice and obviously Saturday against Florida to actually compete.”
Troy pitcher Noah Thigpen, a righthander from Lake Park, Georgia, is Troy’s other Top 100 prospect, rated No. 95 overall.
Florida has four players rated among the Top 40 MLB prospects by Baseball America. In addition to Lawson, right handed pitchers Aidan King, Jackson Barberi and Joshua Whritenour are all ranked in the top tier of professional prospect talent.
King and Barberi both pitched in the Gators’ 10-6 fall exhibition victory against South Florida on Oct. 16 at Georgia Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the New York Yankees. The Gators hit five home runs in that game.
Lawson started 51 games last season at shortstop for the Gators, leading the team with extra base hits, home runs (19), run scored (68) and total bases.
He led the Southeastern Conference with a whopping 1.210 OPS (On base, plus slugging percentage).
This will be only the second time the Florida Gators have played at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The previous year was a March 4, 2014 regular-season game against Southern Mississippi.
Want to go?
WHAT: Fall Baseball Exhibition Game.
WHO: Troy Trojans vs. Florida Gators.
WHEN: Saturday 1 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
TICKETS: Available online at www.bluewahoos.com or by stopping by the Blue Wahoos ticket office on Friday during normal business hours and the box office will be open for walkup sales on Saturday.
Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida vs. Troy fall exhibition brings top MLB draft prospects to Pensacola