Sully and Slick Billy D are my two favorite Gator coaches ever. Gotta give Mike Holloway and Spurrier some props too! And as a minority opinion I still think Urban should be on the Wall.
I'm starting to worry about the reading comprehension level of some of the folks on GC. You won't find one post of mine where I even hint that 7 should be fired or be gone. None, zero, nada. But, he shouldn't be above reproach. Further, he has the best head coaching job in college baseball. In the first or second best state for top notch HS baseball talent. The same state with no state income tax. And last, but not least, in a city that's a great place to raise a family. That's why I said it's a win win for him and UF.
Maybe it was a reading comprehension matter. I responded very specifically to your comment that "almost no one is irreplaceable." I didn't claim you hinted Sully should be fired, but I did discuss the dilemma UF would face in trying to replace him with a coach who could produce as well as he. If you threw that remark into your post and meant it to be unrelated to the rest of your post and to the theme of the thread, then you're right, I couldn't comprehend that purpose.
I think a hard look needs to be taken at certain areas of the program and any weak links. The college baseball landscape is a lot different than 10 years ago, in particular with other SEC programs like Tennessee, Kentucky, and UGA investing in the sport any flaws are amplified. Sully needs to hold everyone involved to an elite standard.
Being realistic, you can’t expect to go to the CWS every year. Look at Vandy, bounced out of this tourney by two teams most folks have never heard of. LSU, the 2023 CWS champs, is struggling too. The true test for Sully begins when the Gators are eliminated from this tourney. What can and will he do to avoid a repeat of the soon to be over season. Gator fans knew we had trouble rather early this season. I agree that the failure to move base runners with something other than HR is a problem, but that was not our Achilles heal. This pitching staff would have trouble putting out a small fire in a wastebasket. Sully loves winning; I’m confident he’ll make the necessary adjustments between now and February.
There is the hope of going to the college World Series but most fans understand the difficulty to achieve such a feat. And, I am not sure this thread is about such expectations. This thread was started over the concern of coaching and the perception that there are obvious shortcomings within the program. Every top team loses players each year. The Gators have been losing top talent since Sully arrived. I personally do not remember seeing a Gator team dead last in the SEC in Team ERA. In addition this team has 5 batters in the top 10 in strikes for the conference. The roster fielded 3 prior year Freshmen All-Americans(Heyman, Kurland and Shelton) each of which digressed. Throw in Cade Fisher, Ryan Slater and others in the digression pile. No one can deny that there are issues. It always starts at the top. Most intentions are not a blame game but a hope that Sully can sort it out and make the necessary adjustments. He is a top 3 earner in all of college baseball so it is His Job to make adjustments. Not discussing an annual trip to the CWS but rather the Job of coach and CEO.
Seems to me they are representing themselves pretty fairly going into today’s final against the Cowboys
Gonna be uphill against the Cowboys but UF got it to the final game of the regional. That kid pitched lights out to close em out last night. Hope UF has another arm that steps up. Keep the thunder sticks banging away!
Happy for them.. I still root for the Gators regardless. But entering the tournament they had lost 6 or their last 7 weekend series and was nearly a .500 team. Add a first round exit in the SEC tournament where it looked like they were sleep walking. Ole Miss and Virginia proved anything can happen in post season play. Who ever gets hit at the right time. Arky on the other hand was number 1 in the country for a fair part of the season and went 0-2 in regional play.
Just want to add my “thanks” to the coaches (players, too, of course). Regardless of what happens today, this has been an outstanding regional. Will remember this for a long time! Go GATORS! ,WESGATORS
Choosing style over substance certainly is a popular option. Arkansas, for example, has much more attractive stats, especially pitching and dominance in home games and midweek games. While they had a Two-and-BBQ Regional, they certainly performed above the Gators in the standards you mention. Nebraska was far above the Gators in raw stats, including an unbeaten (before facing the Gators) Big 10 Pitcher of the Year, and a guy who threw a pretty no-no this season. They ripped Niagra in their Regional win and looked very stylish doing it. The Gators season was a mess, especially in raw stats. On the other hand, maybe slogging through midweek losses, injuries to players who were making contributions and- worst of all IMHO-three one-run losses to Mizzou- really did prepare them for postseason success. I doubt they'll win today, but they're still playing while 280+ D1 teams are watching on TV. That sort of substance appeals to me.
That’s actually a really good thing.. It means the Coach has His team playing up to its potential at the right time.
