For the first time since 2005, the Florida Gators are hosting a Super Regional and that means they’re only two games away from a trip to Omaha for the College World Series. The Gators will play host to Southern Mississippi in a best two of three series that begins Saturday afternoon at McKethan Stadium.
Florida’s road to the Super Regional had a Friday night bump when Bethune-Cookman ace Hiram Burgos handcuffed them for more than seven innings but once into the bullpen, the Gator bats erupted. A three-run ninth, capped off by a two-run single by Teddy Foster gave the Gators an 8-7 win in the first round of the Gainesville Regional.
The Gators (42-20) had no problems with Miami, winning 8-2 on Saturday and 16-5 on Sunday to set up this weekend’s Super Regional. As the eighth seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Gators were guaranteed to host if they simply got through the regional.
In Saturday’s game, the Gators jumped on Hurricanes ace Chris Hernandez with a four-run third inning for all the offense they needed. Lefty Stephen Locke took care of the pitching, taking the Gators into the eighth before Nick Maronde and Billy Bullock took over the rest of the way to seal the win.
Sunday’s blowout featured a five-run first inning and a seven-run fifth that featured seven straight hits.
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History is on the side of the Gators this weekend. Out of six times the Gators have hosted a regional in Gainesville, they’ve advanced five times. Every Florida team that has won the Gainesville Regional has also advanced to Omaha.
The Gators will be going against a Southern Miss team that is a bit of a surprise. Atlantic Coast Conference champ Georgia Tech was a heavy favorite to win the Atlanta Regional but the Golden Eagles from Hattiesburg sprung the upset and they come to Gainesville with plenty of confidence.
The Golden Eagles were a three-seed in Atlanta but they are doing their best to send Coach Corky Miller out in style. Miller announced earlier in the season that he would retire whenever the season comes to an end.
It’s obvious that the Golden Eagles are motivated for Miller. They’ve won 10 of their last 13 games and they’ve pulled off the improbable by eliminating higher seeds Elon and Georgia Tech at the Atlanta Regional.
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Pitching is handled by committee for the Gators but Coach Kevin O’Sullivan is hoping the starters can give him some innings this weekend. In the last eight games, Florida has only had two starting pitchers go five innings or longer. Anthony DeSclafani went 5-2/3 innings while Florida beat Ole Miss 12-2 in the SEC Tournament and Stephen Locke went 7-1/3 innings Saturday night when Florida beat Miami 8-2.
When the Gators get good starting pitching, they can match up and beat any team in the country. When they don’t, any team in the country can beat them.
Southern Miss comes into the Super Regional with a struggling pitching staff. Starting pitchers J.R. Ballinger (6-3, 3.92) and Todd McInnis (9-4, 3.21) have anchored the staff, but neither has been unhittable. The key for the Florida offense will be to get into the Eagles’ bullpen early in the game.
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There should be no concerns about over-confidence for the Gators. They’ve taken their lumps a few times this season against teams from leagues that don’t have the same reputation as the mighty SEC and that have prepared them for this moment. The goal since practice began has been getting to Omaha and the Golden Eagles are simply the next obstacle in the way.
While Omaha is the goal, the Gators aren’t about to overlook Southern Miss. The team won’t even answer a question about Omaha. They’re totally focused on getting two more wins.
Last weekend, O’Sullivan made sure the Gators stayed in the moment and kept their focus on the game at hand. With Miami part of the Gainesville Regional, it would have been easy to overlook Bethune-Cookman but the Gators played it a game at a time. Miami didn’t become part of the equation until the Gators disposed of Bethune-Cookman in game one.
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With two wins, the Gators can schedule a flight to Omaha for their first College World Series since 2005 and the first ever for O’Sullivan, in his second year as Florida’s head coach. O’Sullvan inherited a team that hadn’t made the postseason two straight years but he has the team ahead of schedule since this young team is not one anybody expected to be hosting a Super Regional.
Because they’re so young and staring down a trip to Omaha, this season is an unqualified success. Regardless of what happens this weekend, the Gators are back into national prominence. For the players and coaches this is just the beginning. There is much more to be accomplished.