Florida will host regional for 12th time

With a young roster and a predictably tough schedule, Kevin O’Sullivan was asked if he second-guessed himself by giving his team such a tough road. O’Sullivan brushed off the notion, noting that he prefers a tough schedule to get his ball club ready for SEC play.

It turns out O’Sullivan was right. His young ball club navigated the nations’ toughest schedule on their way to a regular season SEC Championship, runner up finish in the SEC Tournament and a No. 1 ranking in the RPI.

Even a disappointing 2-0 loss in the SEC Tournament final to LSU couldn’t derail Florida from hosting the school’s 12th regional.

Florida is one of 16 schools national — along with four other SEC schools — that will host a regional this season and the orange and blue are expected to earn a top eight national seed as well.

“We’re extremely happy about hosting games in Gainesville,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “It is great news for the program, our players, the University and the fans and we appreciate the support.”

McKethan Stadium has been the site of 11 NCAA Regionals during its existence, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The other 15 schools chosen as host venues include: Cal Poly, Florida State, Indiana, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisville, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Rice, South Carolina, TCU, Vanderbilt and Virginia.

The full field of 64 teams will be announced on ESPN this Monday at noon. Florida is expected to be a national seed, which means they would host a Super Regional if they advance past the regional stage.

Stay tuned to Gator Country as we will have coverage all day Monday previewing Florida’s region and their road to Omaha.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC