Florida P Russell Sandefer exits SEC Tournament semifinal against Georgia after taking comebacker off arm
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Florida was dealt a significant blow early in Saturday’s SEC Tournament semifinal against Georgia. UF starting pitcher Russell Sandefer has exited the game in the 2nd inning due to injury.
Georgia left fielder Kenny Ishikawa led off the top of the 2nd inning. Sandefer took a 105 mph comebacker off his arm, resulting in a single for Ishikawa. After evaluation, Sandefer left the game.
Scary scene here in Hoover as Russell Sandefer (@GatorsBB) is hit on the pitching arm with a 105 EV comebacker…walked off under his own power but the welt on top of his forearm was evident…that is three pitchers in the last three games that have gotten hit by 100+ mph… pic.twitter.com/E6jIkWxAE7
— PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 23, 2026
Speaking to reporter Kris Budden on the SEC Network broadcast, Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan shared good news that Sandefer’s X-rays came back negative. O’Sullivan added that Sandefer’s arm had swollen “not that much.”
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Sandefer pitched a scoreless first inning. His line for the day is 1+ IP, 2 H, 1 K on 25 pitches, facing 5 batters. Florida’s No. 3 weekend starter, Sandefer has a 4.38 ERA over 51.1 IP on the season.
O’Sullivan turned to Jackson Barberi out of the bullpen. The unexpected pitching change delayed the game 12 minutes. Barberi had a smooth frame, retiring UGA’s next 3 batters in order.
In the top of the 3rd inning, No. 5 seed Florida has a 6-0 lead on No. 1 seed Georgia. The Gators were the only team to win a regular-season conference series against the Bulldogs, taking 2-of-3 in Athens.
Saturday’s winner advances to Sunday’s SEC Tournament championship game.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
