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The Florida Gators baseball team will host the Gainesville Regional tournament this weekend. Miami, South Alabama, and South Florida (USF) have qualified for the tournament. The Gators will face the USF Bulls at noon for the first game. Following this game will be the Miami Hurricanes versus the South Alabama Jaguars at 5 p.m.
South Alabama’s Road to Gainesville
The Gators go into the Gainesville Regional ranked number one above the other teams, followed by Miami, South Alabama and South Florida. South Alabama is the 2021 Sun Belt champions, punching their ticket to the 2021 NCAA baseball tournament.
The Jaguars went 33-20 in the regular season and 15-9 in the Sun Belt conference.
Jags starting practice at Florida Ballpark in Gainesville, Fla.!#Something2Prove pic.twitter.com/bLHXGS7zlO
— South Alabama Baseball (@SouthAlabamaBSB) June 3, 2021
Number three, South Alabama, has the best fielding percentage (.979) of the teams in this regional. Some of their key players include third baseman Cameron Tissue and shortstop Santi Montiel.
.@Montiel_Santi6 taking ground balls in today’s practice!#Something2Prove pic.twitter.com/OfOVjzTOzL
— South Alabama Baseball (@SouthAlabamaBSB) June 3, 2021
The Jaguars’ standout player, leftfielder Ethan Wilson, is projected to be drafted in the first round in July. Additionally, two other players in the regional, Florida’s Jud Fabian and Miami’s Adrian Del Castillo, are also projected first-round draft picks.
South Alabama must replace true freshman righthander Jeremy Lee due to forearm tightness that forced him to sit the rest of the season out. Lee made second-team All-Sun Belt with a fastball up to 95 mph. The Jaguars managed to claim the Sun Belt tournament without Lee. However, the Gainesville Regional will showcase tough competition, testing their pitching depth.
Ethan Wilson
Wilson currently has a .980 OPS and has a .319 batting average with eight homers. Wilson earned the 2021 Preaseason Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. He also earned a 2021 Baseball America Preseason First-Team All-America title and a 2021 D1 Baseball Preseason Third-Team All-America title.
Wilson is one of the top prospects in the MLB draft. Wilson is projected to be drafted in first round as the 26th pick in by the Minnesota Twins. However, while this is not a guarantee it shows the talent Wilson brings into the tournament.
He currently has eight homeruns and nine stolen bases. Wilson’s teammate Michael Sandle leads South Alabama with nine homeruns and 14 stolen bases. Additionally, Sandle is batting an average of .300, right behind Wilson’s .319.
Preparing for the Hurricanes
Neither South Alabama or Miami have announced their starting pitcher for tomorrow’s game. They will face off at 5 p.m. at the Florida Ballpark.
