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The Florida Gators baseball team has reached the Super Regionals of the NCAA tournament. They’ll host South Carolina, a team that swept them earlier this season. It’s a chance at a redemption for Florida and an opportunity to advance to their first College World Series since 2018.
The series is set to begin Friday with first pitch set for 6 p.m. Game 2 will be played on Saturday at 3 p.m., and if necessary, a third game will be played on Sunday.
Super Troopers.#GoGators pic.twitter.com/rAmFKLFRZm
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 8, 2023
Gators Come from Behind
Florida earned the No. 2 national seed at the end of the season, earning the opportunity to host a Regional and Super Regional.
In the Gainesville Regional, the Gators took care of Florida A&M in their first game. However, they were matched with two solid teams in Texas Tech and UConn. The Red Raiders defeated Florida on Saturday and forced the team to win three straight games to advance to the super’s.
Surprisingly, this added pressure was great for the team. Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan joined Sport Scene with Steve Russell to rave on just how much heart this team has.
Pitching Depth was Huge
A major reason for the Gators success in the regional final was their pitching depth. Brandon Sproat and Jac Caglianone pitched at the beginning of the weekend. Additionally, the team had a doubleheader on Sunday, forcing the staff to rely on pitchers who hadn’t seen as much action in the regular season.
A terrific closeout game against the Red Raiders on Monday proved the team may have the deepest pitching staff in the country. In fact, it was a big part in the Gators dominating from first pitch. O’Sullivan feels the defense and pitching was huge in the team’s success this past weekend.
Gators First Matchup with the Gamecocks
The series with South Carolina earlier this season was rough for Florida. Coming into that series, the Gators had yet to lose an SEC series and had high expectations. Therefore, a sweep was unexpected and a tough blow for the Gators and their fans.
Though, Florida took this embarrassing performance and built on it. They used it as motivation for the rest of the season and closed out on a very high note.
Moreover, the series with the Gamecocks is now in Gainesville, which completely changes the playing field. O’Sullivan has harped on his team’s leadership and experience throughout the lineup.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Condron Family Ballpark pending weather.
