Gator Country

Florida junior right-hander Hudson Randall will likely earn the starting nod on Saturday when the Gators begin College World Series play against the South Carolina Gamecocks. / Gator Country photo by Mike Capshaw

South Carolina has won 21 straight games in the NCAA Tournament. That’s not a typo.

Florida knows it all too well, unfortunately. The Gators were victims No. 15 and 16 in last year’s College World Series championship series, with the Gamecocks winning their second straight national title at Florida’s expense.

The two teams will meet in Omaha again on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN after South Carolina polished off Oklahoma in two games in the Columbia Super Regional.

The Gamecocks dropped the Gators 2-1 in their first meeting in Omaha last season when the Gators blew a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity for a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth inning. Two Florida throwing errors in the 11th inning allowed South Carolina to come away with the win, and the Gators never recovered.

A sloppy showing in the second game ended Florida’s chances of winning its first national title, as South Carolina cruised to a 5-2 win.

The Gators have won three of the four games between the teams this season, including a 7-2 win a few weeks ago in the SEC Tournament.

Both teams are 5-0 in the NCAA Tournament so far this year. Florida beat N.C. State in the Gainesville Super Regional to advance to Omaha.

The other teams in Florida’s half of the bracket at the CWS will be the winners of the Arkansas-Baylor and the Oregon-Kent State super regionals.

About the author

Thomas Goldkamp

Thomas Goldkamp is the Gator Country beat reporter for football and basketball. He graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications and has been covering the Florida Gators since late 2009. He previously worked as a freelancer on the Rivals network, as well as at the Palm Beach Post. You can find his latest stories here.

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