The Florida baseball team’s late-season surge to the East Division championship of the Southeastern Conference was certainly convincing evidence that second-year coach Kevin O’Sullivan has the Gators’ program back among the nation’s elite.
It obviously convinced the NCAA Baseball Committee enough over the weekend that the Gators Sunday were named as hosts of one of the 16 four-team regional sites next weekend that begin the 2009 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.
Three teams will join the Gators (39-20) for the double-elimination tournament that will begin with a pair of games on Friday, May 29. The team that survives will advance to a best-of-three Super Regional the following weekend. Eight Super Regional champions will make up the field at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
“We’re extremely excited about hosting games in Gainesville,” O’Sullivan said Sunday afternoon. “It is great news for the program, our players, the university and the fans.”
The division title was Florida’s first since 2005. That season, Florida won the Gainesville Regional and then captured the Gainesville Super Regional on its way to the College World Series, where the Gators finished second to eventual champion Texas. It’s the seventh time Florida has hosted an NCAA regional.
This year’s team has been led by three All-SEC players—sophomore second baseman Josh Adams, senior outfielder Avery Barnes and junior right-handed closer Billy Bullock. In addition, Florida has the SEC’s co-Freshman of the Year in Preston Tucker, the first baseman from Tampa Plant.
Florida, which was sixth in the latest RPI rankings of baseball teams, is one of three SEC teams (champion Louisiana State and Mississippi the others) to receive regional-hosting assignments for the 64-team tournament. The other 48 teams in the field and seedings for the regionals will be announced Monday at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN’s selection show, “The Road to Omaha,” and http://www.ncaa.com.
Four teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference – Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Clemson – also received regional-hosting duties. Three other conferences had two teams receive regional-hosting duties – the Big 12 (Oklahoma and Texas), the Big West (Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine) and Conference USA (East Carolina and Rice).
The final three regional-site hosts are Arizona State (Pacific-10), Louisville (Big East) and Texas Christian (Mountain West).
NCAA DIVISION I BASEBALL TOURNAMENTS
Last updated at 01:27 ET 05/25
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
At Regions Park, Hoover, Ala.
Seeds: (1) Louisiana State; (2) Florida; (3) Mississippi; (4) Alabama; (5) South Carolina; (6) Georgia; (7) Arkansas; (8) Vanderbilt.
Wednesday, May 20
Game 1: Arkansas 8, Florida 5
Game 2: Georgia (35-20) 6, Mississippi 3
Game 3: Vanderbilt 4, Louisiana State 1
Game 4: South Carolina 9, Alabama 5 (11)
Thursday, May 21
Game 5: Florida 12,Mississippi 2; Mississippi (40-17) eliminated
Game 6: Louisiana State 9, Alabama 2; Alabama (37-19) eliminated
Game 7: Georgia 2, Arkansas 1 (10 innings)
Game 8: Vanderbilt 5, South Carolina 4
Friday, May 22
Game 9: Arkansas 10, Florida 7; Florida (39-20) eliminated
Game 10: Louisiana State 4, South Carolina 1; South Carolina (38-21) eliminated
Saturday, May 23
Game 11: Vanderbilt 11, Arkansas 1 (7 innings); Arkansas (34-22) eliminated
Game 12: Louisiana State 16, Georgia 0
Game 13: Louisiana State 3, Georgia 2 (7 innings); Georgia (37-22) eliminated
Sunday, May 24
Game 14: Louisiana State 6, Vanderbilt 2; Louisiana State (46-16) champion, Vanderbilt (34-25) runner-up
AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE
At Pete Sylvester Field, Endicott, N.Y.
Seeds: (1) Binghamton; (2) Albany; (3) Stony Brook; (4) Vermont.
Saturday, May 23
Game 5: Albany 10, Vermont 9; Vermont (23-33) eliminated
Game 6: Binghamton 16, Albany 6; Binghamton (29-20) champion, Albany (26-31-1) runner-up
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
At Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham, N.C.
Pool records: Division A – Florida State 2-1, Boston College 2-1, Miami 1-2, Georgia Tech 1-2; Division B – Virginia 3-0, Duke 1-2, North Carolina 1-2, Clemson 1-2.
Sunday, May 24
Game 13: Virginia 6, Florida State 3; Virginia (43-12-1) champion, Florida State (42-16) eliminated
ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE
At Melching Field/Conrad Park, DeLand, Fla.
Seeds: (1) Jacksonville State; (2) Lipscomb; (3) Stetson; (4) Belmont; (5) Mercer; (6) East Tennessee State.
Sunday, May 24
Game 5: Jacksonville 7, Lipscomb 4; Jacksonville (36-20) champion, Lipscomb (24-32) runner-up
ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE
At Fifth Third Field, Dayton, Ohio
Seeds: (1) Dayton; (2) Rhode Island; (3) Xavier, Ohio; (4) Massachusetts; (5) (5) Fordham; (6) Charlotte.
Saturday, May 23
Game 10: Xavier, Ohio 9, Rhode Island 7
Game 11: Xavier, Ohio 10, Rhode Island 1; Xavier, Ohio (38-19) champion, Rhode Island (37-20-1) runner-up
BIG EAST CONFERENCE
At Bright House Field, Clearwater, Fla.
Seeds: (1) Louisville; (2) South Florida; (3) West Virginia; (4) St. John’s; (5) Notre Dame; (6) Connecticut; (7) Pittsburgh; (8) Cincinnati.
Sunday, May 24
Game 14: Louisville 11, Connecticut 3; Louisville (44-15) champion, Connecticut (36-24) runner-up
BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE
At McCormick Field, Asheville, N.C.
Seeds: (1) Coastal Carolina; (2) Winthrop; (3) Liberty; (4) Radford; (5) Gardner-Webb; (6) High Point; (7) Charleston Southern; (8) Virginia Military Institute.
Saturday, May 23
Game 12: Winthrop 6, Liberty 1; Liberty (33-21) eliminated
Game 13: Coastal Carolina 7, Winthrop 1; Coastal Carolina (46-14) champion, Winthrop (35-25) runner-up
BIG TEN CONFERENCE
At Huntington Park, Columbus, Ohio
Seeds: (1) Ohio State; (2) Minnesota; (3) Indiana; (4) Illinois; (5) Michigan State; (6) Purdue.
Saturday, May 23
Game 9: Minnesota 9, Ohio State 6; Ohio State (31-26) eliminated
Game 10: Indiana 13, Minnesota 2; Indiana (41-16) champion, Minnesota (38-17) runner-up
BIG 12 CONFERENCE
At AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Pool records: Division I – Texas 2-1, Kansas State 2-1, Baylor 2-1, Kansas 0-3; Division II – Missouri 2-1, Texas A&M 1-1, Texas Tech 1-1, Oklahoma 1-2.
Sunday, May 24
Game 13: Texas 12, Missouri 7; Texas (42-13-1) champion, Missouri (34-25) runner-up
BIG WEST CONFERENCE
Champion: UC Irvine (43-13)
COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
At Brooks Field, Wilmington, N.C.
Seeds: (1) George Mason, (2) Georgia State; (3) UNC Wilmington; (4) Old Dominion; 5. Northeastern; (6) Delaware.
Saturday, May 23
Game 10: Georgia State 12, UNC Wilmington 10; Georgia State (39-20) champion; UNC Wilmington (31-23) runner-up
CONFERENCE USA
At Pete Taylor Park, Hattiesburg, Miss.
Seeds: (1) East Carolina; (2) Rice; (3) Houston; (4) Tulane; (5) Southern Mississippi; (6) UAB.
Sunday, May 24
Game 15: Rice 8, Southern Mississippi 6; Rice (39-15) champion, Southern Mississippi (35-23) runner-up
HORIZON LEAGUE
At Pipe Yard Stadium, Lorain, Ohio
Seeds: (1) Illinois-Chicago; (2) UW Milwaukee; (3) Wright State; (4) Valparaiso; (5) Cleveland State; (6) Youngstown State; (7) Butler.
Sunday, May 24
Game 12: Wright State 6, Illinois-Chicago 2; Wright State (33-28) champion, Illinois-Chicago (29-23) runner-up
IVY GROUP
Champion: Dartmouth (27-16)
METRO ATLANTIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
At Waterfront Park, Trenton, N.J.
Seeds: (1) Manhattan; (2) Canisius; (3) Marist; (4) Rider.
Saturday, May 23
Game 6: Canisius 5, Marist 4
Game 7: Marist 13, Canisius 9; Marist (31-26) champion, Canisius (36-22) runner-up
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
At VA Memorial Stadium, Chillicothe, Ohio
Seeds: (1) Bowling Green; (2) Ball State; (3) Ohio; (4) Kent State; (5) Miami, Ohio; (6) Toledo; (7) Eastern Michigan; (8) Central Michigan.
Saturday, May 23
Game 13: Kent State 5, Toledo 3; Kent State (42-15) champion, Toledo (24-30) runner-up
MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Champion: Bethune-Cookman (32-26)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE
At Tyler Field/Eck Stadium, Wichita, Kan.
Seeds: (1) Missouri State; (2) Indiana State; (3) Wichita State; (4) Creighton; (5) Southern Illinois; (6) Illinois State.
Saturday, May 23
Game 10: Wichita State 4, Creighton 2; Wichita State (30-25) champion, Creighton (31-25) runner-up
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
At Lupton Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
Seeds: (1) Texas Christian; (2) New Mexico; (3) Brigham Young; (4) San Diego State; (5) UNLV; (6) Utah.
Saturday, May 23
Game 11: Utah 9, San Diego State 3; Utah (26-29) champion, San Diego State (40-21) runner-up
NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
At New Britain Stadium, New Britain, Conn.
Seeds: (1) Wagner; (2) Sacred Heart; (3) Central Connecticut State; (4) Monmouth.
Saturday, May 23
Game 5: Sacred Heart 5, Wagner 4; Wagner (31-21) eliminated
Game 6: Monmouth 14, Sacred Heart 8; Monmouth (32-23) champion, Sacred Heart (29-27-1) runner-up
OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE
At Brooks Stadium, Paducah, Ky.
Seeds: (1) Eastern Illinois; (2) Murray State; (3) Morehead State; (4) Southeast Missouri; (5) Tennessee Tech; (6) Jacksonville State.
Saturday, May 23
Game 9: Jacksonville State 9, Murray State 3; Murray State (34-21-1) eliminated
Game 10: Tennessee Tech 4, Jacksonville State 3 (10 innings); Tennessee Tech (30-22-1) champion, Jacksonville State (31-26) runner-up
PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE
Champion: Arizona State (44-12)
PATRIOT LEAGUE
Champion: Army (34-19)
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
At Fluor Field, Greenville, S.C.
Seeds: (1) Elon; (2) Georgia Southern; (3) The Citadel; (4) Western Carolina; (5) College of Charleston; (6) Appalachian State; (7) Davidson; (8) Furman.
Sunday, May 24
Game 14: Georgia Southern 7, Elon 3; Georgia Southern (42-15) champion, Elon (40-16) runner-up
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
At Whataburger Field, Corpus Christi, Texas
Seeds: (1) Texas State; (2) Southeastern Louisiana; (3) UT San Antonio; (4) Lamar; (5) UT Arlington; (6) Northwestern State; (7) Sam Houston State; (8) Stephen F. Austin.
Saturday, May 23
Game 13: Sam Houston State 7, Texas State 1; Sam Houston State (36-22) champion, Texas State (41-16) runner-up
SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
At Lee-Hines Field, Baton Rouge, La.
Seeds: East, (1) Mississippi Valley State, (2) Jackson State; (3) Alcorn State, (4) Alabama A&M. West, (1) Southern; (2) Arkansas-Pine Bluff; (3) Grambling State; (4) Texas Southern.
Saturday, May 23
Game 14: Southern 10, Grambling State 9; Grambling State (17-36) eliminated
Sunday, May 24
Game 15: Southern 12, Alcorn State 10; Southern (29-15) champion, Alcorn State (29-19) runner-up
SUN BELT CONFERENCE
At Riddle-Pace Field, Troy, Ala.
Seeds: (1) Middle Tennessee State; (2) Western Kentucky; (3) Troy; (4) Florida International; (5) Louisiana-Lafayette; (6) South Alabama; (7) Louisiana-Monroe; (8) Florida Atlantic.
Sunday, May 24
Game 15: Middle Tennessee State 3, Louisiana-Monroe 1; Middle Tennessee State (42-16) champion, Louisiana-Monroe (32-27) runner-up
THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
At J.L. Johnson Stadium, Tulsa, Okla.
Seeds: (1) Oral Roberts; (2) Southern Utah; (3) South Dakota State; (4) Centenary.
Saturday, May 23
Game 6: Oral Roberts 6, South Dakota State 2; Oral Roberts (31-13) champion, South Dakota State (26-30) runner-up
WEST COAST CONFERENCE
At Patterson Baseball Complex, Spokane, Wash.
Seeds: (1) Gonzaga; (2) Loyola Marymount.
Saturday, May 23
Game 2: Gonzaga 14, Loyola Marymount 3; Gonzaga (35-16) champion, Loyola Marymount (30-29)
WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Seeds: (1) San Jose State; (2) Louisiana Tech; (3) Fresno State; (4) New Mexico State; (5) Hawai’I; (6) Nevada.
At Les Murakami Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
Saturday, May 23
Game 7: San Jose State 14, Louisiana Tech 3; Louisiana Tech (29-22) eliminated
Game 8: Fresno State 10, Hawai’i 3; Hawai’i (32-26) eliminated
Game 9: New Mexico State 10, San Jose State 9; San Jose State (41-20) eliminated
Sunday, May 24
Game 10: Fresno State 9, New Mexico State 7
Game 11: Fresno State 5, New Mexico State 3; Fresno State (32-28) champion, New Mexico State (44-17) eliminated