The Florida Gators begin their bid for a second NCAA Division I Baseball Championship in an unfamiliar underdog role as they travel to Regional play in Conway, S.C., to face East Carolina (33-25-0).
After a rather dismal start in SEC play – they could only muster two wins in their first 12 games – the Gators caught fire and won 17 of their last 22 regular-season games (14-4 in conference play).
During the 22-game turnaround (17-5) to end the season, Florida registered eight comeback victories and outscored its opponents by a 173-to-95 margin.
Florida Baseball got hot and stayed hot
The Gators (38-20-0) went from being a “bubble team contender” right up to the threshold of hosting a Regional. They were bumped out of the SEC Tournament by Ole Miss after losing 3-1, and many believe that cost the Gators a shot at hosting Regionals.
“It’s nothing to hang our heads about, but the couple of mistakes we made cost us a couple of runs, and there was the difference in the game, simple as that,” said UF Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
Despite that setback, Florida received a tournament invitation – its 17th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The SEC is no ordinary conference. At the starting line of the NCAA Tournament, Baseball America's rankings show the top 4 teams nationally are from the Southeastern Conference, while six of the Top 10 teams in the poll hail from the SEC. Florida is listed 22nd in these rankings.
“Well, every year I say the same thing,” said O’Sullivan. “How could the league get any better?”
Florida is one of those teams opposing coaches fear the most, a team that caught fire at the end of the season against quality competition; a squad ready to steamroll its way to the College World Series at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
Step one is to survive double elimination play at the Conway Regional. The Gators open the tournament against East Carolina Friday night. The first pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The winner will play the winner of Coastal Carolina (48-11) and Fairfield (39-17).