A 56-game schedule that features 27 games against teams that advanced last year to the NCAA Tournament was announced for the 2011 Florida Gators baseball team Thursday.
Coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s Gators, the reigning Southeastern Conference champions and 2010 College World Series qualifier, will play 35 of those games in McKethan Stadium at Perry Field, where Florida was a program-best 33-3 last season and is 90-19 since O’Sullivan became the coach in 2008.
“We are looking forward to the upcoming season and are counting on our Gator fans’ continued support,” O’Sullivan said. “We made a lot of great progress last spring, return a strong group and have several new players that we will be looking to have an immediate impact.”
Florida returns 22 letterwinners from last year’s 47-17 squad, including eight position starters and 11 pitchers, and also had another top-5 recruiting class. The Gators return a solid nucleus that includes two-time, first-team All-SEC senior second baseman Josh Adams, 2010 second-team All-SEC first baseman Preston Tucker and five sophomores who were Freshman All-Americans last season: shortstop Nolan Fontana, left-hander/designated hitter Brian Johnson, infielder Austin Maddox, right-hander Hudson Randall and catcher Mike Zunino.
The Gators began preparations for the 2011 season with the opening of fall practice last Friday. O’Sullivan will send his team through its paces on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 3 p.m., Thursdays at 2:15, Fridays at 3, Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Sundays at noon. The fall practice session will end with a pair of nine-inning squad games on Saturday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Nov. 7.
For the 11th straight season and the 23rd time in 25 years, Florida will open its season at home with a three-game series against South Florida Feb. 18-20. Florida’s first road game will come Feb. 22 against NCAA qualifier Florida Atlantic at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, the spring training home of the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins.
The Gators play their first 17 games against non-SEC competition, with additional home three-game series against Boston College (Feb. 24, 25 and 27), NCAA qualifier Miami (Fla.) (March 4-6) and Rhode Island (March 11-13).
As they did a season ago, the Gators will play four games, two home-in-home, against NCAA qualifier Florida State, which ousted Florida from the College World Series last June. The first game against the Seminoles takes place at 4 p.m. at Tampa’s George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring home of the New York Yankees, as part of the Florida Four Tournament (with South Florida and Miami). Florida State visits Florida on Tuesday, March 15, the teams meet at Jacksonville’s Baseball Grounds March 29 and FSU plays host to Florida April 12.
In addition to the games with state rivals South Florida (the Gators also visit USF March 9), Florida Atlantic, Miami and Florida State, Florida also plays a home-and-home series with UCF (April 5 in Gainesville; April 20 in Orlando) and home contests with NCAA qualifier Bethune-Cookman (May 3), North Florida (May 11) and Jacksonville (May 17).
The Gators, who were 22-8 in league play a year ago, begin defense of their SEC championship on the road at 2009 NCAA champion and ’10 qualifier Louisiana State March 18-20. The following weekend, March 25-27, the Gators play the first three of 15 SEC home games against defending NCAA champion South Carolina. The Gators have home series against NCAA qualifiers Alabama (April 22-24), Mississippi (April 29-May 1), away series with NCAA qualifiers Arkansas (May 6-8) and Vanderbilt (May 13-15).
The regular season concludes with a three-game home series with SEC rival Kentucky (May 19-21).
Florida will be seeking a league-best 31st berth in the eight-team SEC Tournament May 25-29 at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala. The Gators also will be seeking a 27th NCAA tournament appearance (regional hosts will be announced May 29; the 64-team bracket is released May 30) and hope to eventually qualify for their seventh appearance in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., June 18-29. In addition to last year’s appearance at the last CWS played at Rosenblatt Stadium, the Gators have made appearances in 1988, 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2005.
2011 FLORIDA BASEBALL SCHEDULE
Home games in CAPS, McKethan Stadium at Perry Field
FEBRUARY
18 (Friday): SOUTH FLORIDA, 7 p.m.
19 (Saturday): SOUTH FLORIDA, 4 p.m.
20 (Sunday): SOUTH FLORIDA, 1 p.m.
22 (Tuesday): Florida Atlantic at Jupiter, 6:30 p.m.
24 (Thursday): BOSTON COLLEGE, 7 p.m.
25 (Friday): BOSTON COLLEGE, 5 p.m.
27 (Sunday): BOSTON COLLEGE, 1 p.m.
MARCH
1 (Tuesday): Florida State at Tampa, 4 p.m.
4 (Friday): MIAMI (FLA.), 7 p.m.
5 (Saturday): MIAMI (FLA.), 4 p.m.
6 (Sunday): MIAMI (FLA.), 1 p.m.
8 (Tuesday): GEORGIA SOUTHERN, 7 p.m.
9 (Wednesday): at South Florida, 7 p.m.
11 (Friday): RHODE ISLAND, 7 p.m.
12 (Saturday): RHODE ISLAND, 4 p.m.
13 (Sunday): RHODE ISLAND, 1 p.m.
15 (Tuesday): FLORIDA STATE, 7 p.m.
18 (Friday): at Louisiana State (SEC), 8 p.m.
19 (Saturday): at Louisiana State (SEC), 7:30 p.m.
20 (Sunday): at Louisiana State (SEC), 2 p.m.
22 (Tuesday): WINTHROP, 7 p.m.
23 (Wednesday): WINTHROP, 7 p.m.
25 (Friday): SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC), 7 p.m.
26 (Saturday): SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC), 7 p.m.
27 (Sunday): SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC), 1 p.m.
29 (Tuesday): Florida State at Jacksonville, 7 p.m.
APRIL
1 (Friday): TENNESSEE (SEC), 7 p.m.
2 (Saturday): TENNESSEE (SEC), 7 p.m.
3 (Sunday): TENNESSEE (SEC), 1 p.m.
5 (Tuesday): UCF, 7 p.m.
8 (Friday): at Mississippi State (SEC), 7:30 p.m.
9 (Saturday): at Mississippi State (SEC), 3 p.m.
10 (Sunday): at Mississippi State (SEC), 2:30 p.m.
12 (Tuesday): at Florida State, 6 p.m.
15 (Friday): at Georgia (SEC), 6:30 p.m.
16 (Saturday): at Georgia (SEC), 2 p.m.
17 (Sunday): at Georgia (SEC), 2 p.m.
20 (Wednesday): at UCF, 6:30 p.m.
22 (Friday): ALABAMA (SEC), 7 p.m.
23 (Saturday): ALABAMA (SEC), 7 p.m.
24 (Sunday): ALABAMA (SEC), 1 p.m.
29 (Friday): MISSISSIPPI (SEC), 7 p.m.
30 (Saturday): MISSISSIPPI (SEC), 7 p.m.
MAY
1 (Sunday): MISSISSIPPI (SEC), 1 p.m.
3 (Tuesday): BETHUNE-COOKMAN, 7 p.m.
6 (Friday): at Arkansas (SEC), 7:35 p.m.
7 (Saturday): at Arkansas (SEC), 3:05 p.m.
8 (Sunday): at Arkansas (SEC), 2:05 P.M.
11 (Wednesday): NORTH FLORIDA, 7 p.m.
13 (Friday): at Vanderbilt (SEC), 7 p.m.
14 (Saturday): at Vanderbilt (SEC), 3 p.m.
15 (Sunday): at Vanderbilt (SEC), 2 p.m.
17 (Tuesday): JACKSONVILLE, 7 p.m.
19 (Thursday): KENTUCKY (SEC), 7 p.m.
20 (Friday): KENTUCKY (SEC), 7 p.m.
21 (Saturday): KENTUCKY (SEC), 4 p.m.
25 (Wednesday): SEC Tournament at Hoover, Ala.
26 (Thursday): SEC Tournament at Hoover, Ala.
27 (Friday): SEC Tournament at Hoover, Ala.
28 (Saturday): SEC Tournament at Hoover, Ala.
29 (Sunday): SEC Tournament at Hoover, Ala.
JUNE
3 (Friday): NCAA Regionals (4 teams, double-elimination) (16 sites)
4 (Saturday): NCAA Regionals
5 (Sunday): NCAA Regionals
6 (Monday): NCAA Regionals
10 (Friday): NCAA Super Regionals (best-of-3 series) (8 sites)
11 (Saturday): NCAA Super Regionals
12 (Sunday): NCAA Super Regionals
13 (Monday): NCAA Super Regionals
18-29: College World Series/8 teams, double-elimination, at Omaha, Neb.
27-29 (Monday through Wednesday) College World Series/Championship Series (best-of-3), at Omaha, Neb.