Gators Baseball looks to strengthen resume in SEC tournament

The Florida Gators baseball season has had its share of ups and downs. Ever since winning the national title two years ago, the Gators have struggled in their attempts at returning to championship form.

The Gators finished the 2018 season just short of returning to the National Championship, as the Gators fell to the Razorbacks in the semifinals.

Unfortunately, the Gators have struggled to find consistency this season, and at times have fallen victim to the flaws of a young team. However, the Gators have been able to overcome recent adversity and swept the nationally ranked Missouri Tigers this past weekend, a huge triumph for a team looking to strengthen their standing in the College World Series, and hopefully clinch a spot in the big dance.

In the college world series, there are sixty-four teams that qualify for the tournament, thirty-one of which are automatic bids. That leaves 33 at-large bids to be handed out to remaining teams who did not win their conference tournament, but still present a compelling case for being a championship contender. The Gators are currently ranked twenty-fifth in Baseball RPI, thanks largely in part to the tough schedule they play every year, as well the in-conference gauntlet they face each season.

The Gators excelled in out of conference play, finishing with a record of 20-6, however struggled when it came to conference play, finishing with a league record of 13-17. In a previous interview, Head Coach, Kevin O’Sullivan mentioned:

"“We play a difficult schedule every year and I think you should be rewarded for that…It’s a very difficult league, and we’ve played some traditionally tough places: Missouri, LSU, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt. We’ve had to grow up this year, and I think we have. Like I said, everybody feels like they should be in, but I do believe the way we’re playing right now, if we can find our way into a Regional we’d be tough to handle.”"

The schedule for the tournament can be found below:

Key players to watch as the tournament approaches include Gator’s ace, Tommy Mace, who helped contribute to the Gator’s sweep over Missouri, and leads the team in strikeouts (67). Sophomore infielder, Brady McConnell, who leads the team in batting average will be looking to ignite the offense for the Gators in postseason play.