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Josh Rivera sets Florida baseball record with early HR in regional action
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Josh Rivera opened the scoring for Florida Friday evening as the Gators host the Gainesville Regional. In the process, he set a single-season record for the program.
Already this season, Rivera was sitting at 15 home runs. That mark was tied with Brady McConnell for the most home runs by a Gator shortstop in a single season.
In the bottom of the 1st inning against Florida A&M, Rivera broke the tie with his 16th home run of the season. He drilled a 2-0 pitch over the heart of the for a no-doubter.
THE. GRAND. RIVERA. ?
Most home runs (16) by a UF shortstop in a single season.#GoGators // ? https://t.co/7g2bgLZKsV pic.twitter.com/ZbuEwFk0OE
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 2, 2023
Rivera has been one of the leaders for Florida’s offense this season, batting .363 with a .637 slugging percentage and 60 runs to go with 130 total bases. He also has just 24 strikeouts to go with 39 walks on the year.
We’ll see how the rest of the game and the regional round shape up, but Rivera has Florida off to a hot start Friday evening.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
