The goal all season was clear: The Florida Gators baseball team wanted the opportunity to have home-field advantage all the way until a potential berth in the College World Series.
Mission: Accomplished.
The Gators, the eighth seed in the 64-team NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, open their quest for a trip to Omaha, Neb., and the College World Series Friday night at McKethan Stadium in the second game of the Gainesville Regional.
Florida (39-20) draws Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Bethune-Cookman (32-26) in the 6:30 p.m. second game. In the opening game, Atlantic Sun Conference champion Jacksonville (36-20) meets Atlantic Coast Conference at-large team Miami (36-20) in the 1 p.m. opener of the double-elimination tournament.
The excitement in the locker room could have been heard across Gainesville when Florida found out it had received the No. 8 berth, thus assuring the Gators a Super Regional berth next weekend if they take care of business this weekend.
“For our players, we’re more comfortable at home,” said Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, who has engineered a quick turnaround of the program in his two seasons. “We’ve played a lot better at home.”
The meaning is a little different for some of the players. Senior left fielder Avery Barnes made it to campus as a freshman after the 2005 season, when the Gators finished runner-up to Texas under then coach Pat McMahon. Florida missed the postseason entirely in Barnes’ first two seasons, which got McMahon fired and O’Sullivan hired. Last season, the Gators made the postseason and were sent to Tallahassee, where they lost two straight.
This season Barnes has set the table for one of the most productive offenses in the Southeastern Conference. Barnes’ .360 batting average is the highest on the team, but he isn’t hesitant to admit this season has been a little different for him.
“It’s obviously a lot more exciting now,” Barnes said. “It’s the postseason. The atmosphere of the postseason is completely different from the regular season.”
The atmosphere in the clubhouse is something Barnes hasn’t seen in his four years on the team. There is a confidence around his teammates that is different from even last season.
“It’s kind of a calm before the storm,” Barnes said. “Right when we found out (about the No. 8 seed), we were excited. We’re just trying to stay extremely focused.”
Junior right-handed closer Billy Bullock is in a similar boat to Barnes. He has gone through the two previous seasons without any postseason success. Bullock has 11 saves this season, which is only two off the school record set by Danny Wheeler in 1994 and then tied by Josh Fogg in 1998.
The saves have actually been meaningful for Bullock.
“It’s a welcomed change, knowing that we have a shot at it,” Bullock said. “It’s a really different experience. Guys have a lot more confidence in each other. We know that if we play our game, we have a chance to beat anybody.”
Bullock, who is projected to be the second collegiate relief pitcher taken in the Major League Baseball Draft June 9, now sees that the past two seasons have been worth it. He struggled as a starting pitcher before finding his niche as the team’s closer just in time to have an impact on the team.
“It’s better late than never,” Bullock said. “I’d rather have it later in my time here than earlier because now I can actually contribute to the whole process.”
Sophomore second baseman Josh Adams may not have struggled through the years of losing like Barnes and Bullock have, but the sense of urgency remains the same with him. He comes into Friday night’s game on a career-high, eight-game hitting streak.
“We’re focused on Friday night,” Adams said. “We’ve been practicing hard, reading the scouting reports and preparing as hard as we can.”
The key in Adams’ mind is the Gators ability to play at home until a potential berth in the College World Series.
“We’re pretty much unbeatable here,” Adams said. “It’s one of those things we know in the back of our mind. When it comes down to the end of the game, we’re going to be the ones winning.”
While everyone may want to look forward to a potential matchup between Florida and Miami Saturday, the Gators’ focus is squarely on Bethune-Cookman. Most No. 1 seeds across the country open with a team that barely snuck into the tournament, but Wildcats’ ace pitcher Hiram Burgos (6-3, 3.73 ERA) will greet the Gators Friday night. Florida has not announced its starting pitcher.
“We’ll decide (Thursday night) after practice,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ve got a lot of options. We don’t have the type of staff where this guy has been our Friday night guy, this guy has been our Saturday guy and this guy has been our Sunday starter. We’ve kind of mixed and matched this year and played the hot hand. We’ll evaluate it based on the lineups Bethune-Cookman might throw out there.”
In 72.1 innings pitched, Burgos has struck out 88 batters while walking 22. The senior has given up a team-high nine home runs on the season and allows batters to hit .243 against him. He has also hit a team-high 10 batters. Against a dominant ace like Burgos, the Gators may try to steal some bases, and Burgos has allowed base stealers to go 5-for-9 when he is on the mound.
“Burgos has been under the spotlight quite a few times in his career and we haven’t,” O’Sullivan said. “A lot of our guys are only in their second regional, and for a lot of the others, this is their first regional. Regional and postseason experience is something Bethune-Cookman has going for it. Plus they have a No. 1 pitcher who has had some success against some really good teams this year.”
The Florida players have been looking at scouting reports on Burgos this week, trying to get a better feel for what to expect Friday night.
“He’s good,” Adams said. “It’ll be like every other pitcher we’ve faced this year in the SEC. In this conference we always face good pitching, so we’re used to it.”
C.J. Lauriello, who is batting .407 with three home runs and 34 RBI, leads the Bethune-Cookman offense. The left fielder has a team-high 18 doubles on the season. He went 4-foro-5 with one RBI when the Wildcats played Florida April 7.
The key to stopping the Bethune-Cookman offense is quieting Alejandro Jimenez. The first baseman hits third and has a .318 batting average. He has hit eight home runs, good for the second most on the team, as well as 31 RBI. He is also 21-for-26 in stolen bases this season. He went 1-for-5 against the Gators in April.
Right fielder Chris Brown gives the Wildcats a solid cleanup hitter. He has a .313 batting average with eight home runs and 28 RBI. The senior also has 16 doubles this season.
“They’re athletic and they can run,” O’Sullivan said. “They’ve got some power in the middle of their lineup.”
O’Sullivan knows the Wildcats will not be star-struck while playing in a postseason environment. They have a lineup full of seniors that will not be intimidated playing one of the big three schools in the state. They went to Coral Gables May 8-10 and took two out of three games against the Hurricanes.
“They might have more postseason experience on their roster than we do,” O’Sullivan said. “It seems like every year they’re in a regional.”
The matchup everyone in Gainesville hopes to see is Miami and Florida. The Hurricanes blew into town during the second week of the season and swept Florida. They are the No. 2 seed in the regional and most believe they are the team that can stand in Florida’s way.
“They’re a good club,” O’Sullivan said. “They’re very capable of beating anyone in this entire field. I’m looking forward to it, to be honest with you. Anytime you go through a regional there are going to be a few teams you have to get through. I look at all brackets, and there are two and three seeds and sometime four seeds that have a legitimate shot if things go their way.”
With so many teams in the regional capable of winning it, O’Sullivan doesn’t want to take anyone for granted. He knows that Bethune-Cookman is capable of pulling off the upset Friday night, so he won’t take anything for granted.
“To be honest with you, our focus is not on Miami at this point,” O’Sullivan said. “Our focus is on Bethune-Cookman. I knew that going in that everybody would focus in on a Miami game potentially Saturday and talk about the weekend from February. But I have made a huge point this week that we’re not worried about Miami. We’re worried about Bethune-Cookman.”
The last thing a regional host team wants to do is fall into the losers’ bracket. That’s not Kevin O’Sullivan signed up his team to do this season.
NCAA DIVISION I BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
REGIONALS
Double elimination
AUSTIN, TEXAS/TEXAS
At UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Texas State (41-15) vs. (3) Boston College (33-24), 2 p.m.
Game 2: (1/1) Texas (41-13-1) vs. (4) Army (34-19), 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 1 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 2 p.m.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS/TEXAS CHRISTIAN
At Lupton Field
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Texas A&M (36-22) vs. (3) Oregon State (35-17), 3 p.m.
Game 2: (1) Texas Christian (36-16) vs. (4) Wright State (33-28), 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 8 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 8 p.m.
ATLANTA, GA./GEORGIA TECH
At Russ Chandler Stadium
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Elon (40-16) vs. (3) Southern Mississippi (35-23), 3 p.m.
Game 2: (1) Georgia Tech (35-17-1) vs. (4) Georgia State (39-20), 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 7 p.m.
GAINESVILLE, FLA./FLORIDA
At McKethan Stadium
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Miami, Fla. (36-20) vs. (3) Jacksonville (36-20), 1 p.m.
Game 2: (1/8) Florida (39-20) vs. (4) Bethune-Cookman (32-26), 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 1 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 6:30 p.m.
TEMPE, ARIZ./ARIZONA STATE
At Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Oral Roberts (31-13) vs. (3) Cal Poly (37-19), 5 p.m.
Game 2: (1/5) Arizona State (44-12) vs. (4) Kent State (42-15), 10 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 5 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 10 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 4 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 9 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 9 p.m.
CLEMSON, S.C./CLEMSON
At Doug Kingsmore Stadium
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Alabama (37-19) vs. (3) Oklahoma State (32-22), 3 p.m.
Game 2: (1) Clemson (40-19) vs. (4) Tennessee Tech (30-22-1), 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 7 p.m.
GREENVILLE, N.C./EAST CAROLINA
At Clark-LeClair Stadium/Lewis Field
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) South Carolina (38-21) vs. (3) George Mason (42-12), 3 p.m.
Game 2: (1) East Carolina (42-17) vs. (4) Binghamton (29-20), 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 2 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 2 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 6 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 6 p.m.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C./NORTH CAROLINA
At Boshamer Stadium
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Coastal Carolina (46-14) vs. (3) Kansas (37-22), 2 p.m.
Game 2: (1/4) North Carolina (42-16) vs. (4) Dartmouth (27-16), 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 1 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 5 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 6 p.m.
FULLERTON, CALIF./CAL STATE FULLERTON
At Goodwin Field
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Georgia Southern (42-15) vs. (3) Gonzaga (35-16), 6 p.m.
Game 2: (1/2) Cal State Fullerton (42-14) vs. (4) Utah (26-29), 10 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 5 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 9 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 5 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 9 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 9 p.m.
LOUISVILLE, KY./LOUISVILLE
At Jim Patterson Stadium
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Middle Tennessee (43-16) vs. (3) Vanderbilt (34-25), 3 p.m.
Game 2: (1) Louisville (44-15) vs. (4) Indiana (32-25), 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 7 p.m.
TALLAHASSEE, FLA./FLORIDA STATE
At Dick Howser Stadium
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Georgia (37-22) vs. (3) Ohio State (40-17), Noon
Game 2: (1) Florida State (42-16) vs. (4) Marist (31-26), 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, Noon
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, Noon
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 4 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 7 p.m.
NORMAN, OKLA./OKLAHOMA
At L. Dale Mitchell Park
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Arkansas (34-22) vs. (3) Washington State (31-23), 2 p.m.
Game 2: (1/7) Oklahoma (41-18) vs. (4) Wichita State (30-25), 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 2 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 2 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 8 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 8 p.m.
IRVINE, CALIF./UC IRVINE
At Anteater Ballpark/Cicerone Field
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Virginia (43-12-1) vs. (3) San Diego State (40-21), 7 p.m.
Game 2: (1/6) UC Irvine (43-13) vs. (4) Fresno State (32-28), 11 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 11 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 7 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 11 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 11 p.m.
OXFORD, MISS./MISSISSIPPI
At Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Missouri (34-25) vs. (3) Western Kentucky (39-18), 4 p.m.
Game 2: (1) Mississippi (40-17) vs. (4) Monmouth (32-23), 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 2 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 2 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 6 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 8 p.m.
HOUSTON, TEXAS/RICE
At Reckling Park
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (2) Kansas State (41-16-1) vs. (3) Xavier, Ohio (38-19), 3 p.m.
Game 2: (1) Rice (39-15) vs. (4) Sam Houston State (36-22), 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 7 p.m.
BATON ROUGE, LA./LOUISIANA STATE
At Alex Box Stadium
Friday, May 29
Game 1: (1/3) Louisiana State (46-16) vs. (4) Southern (30-15), 2 p.m.
Game 2: (2) Minnesota (38-17) vs. (3) Baylor (29-24), 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 2 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3, 2 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7 p.m.
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, if necessary, 7 p.m.
SUPER REGIONALS
Host teams will be announced Monday, June 1 at 11 p.m. on http://www.NCAA.com
June 5-8 on campus
Best-of-three series
Austin Regional winner vs. Fort Worth Regional winner
Atlanta Regional winner vs. Gainesville Regional winner
Tempe Regional winner vs. Clemson Regional winner
Greenville Regional winner vs. Chapel Hill Regional winner
Fullerton Regional winner vs. Louisville Regional winner
Tallahassee Regional winner vs. Norman Regional winner
Irvine Regional winner vs. Oxford Regional winner
Houston Regional winner vs. Baton Rouge Regional winner
63rd COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES
June 13-24 at Omaha, Neb., Rosenblatt Stadium
Double elimination
First-round matches
Austin Regional/Fort Worth Regional winner vs. Atlanta Regional/Gainesville Regional winner
Tempe Regional/Clemson Regional winner vs. Greenville Regional/Chapel Hill Regional winner
Fullerton Regional/Louisville Regional winner vs. Tallahassee Regional/Norman Regional winner
Irvine Regional/Oxford Regional winner vs. Houston Regional winner/Baton Rouge Regional winner
CHAMPIONSHIP
June 22-24
Best-of-three series
Bracket One winner vs. Bracket Two winner