Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C., site for this weekend's Clemson Super Regional. [Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports]

NCAA Clemson Super Regional: Florida Ready For Next Step

derekwingo June 8, 2024 Baseball, College Baseball, Gators Baseball 2,429 Views

The Florida Gators will be in South Carolina this weekend for the sold-out Clemson Super Regional at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Going head-to-head with the No. 6 national seed Clemson Tigers, the Gators look to secure a series win to send them to the College World Series for a second straight season and 14th in program history.

Florida finished 28-26 in the regular season to narrowly make it into the NCAA Tournament. The Gators made a statement at the Stillwater (Okla.) Regional last weekend by pulling off numerous upsets to stay alive.

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“I did feel like we belonged. I did trust our team and we got rewarded for playing a very difficult schedule,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said after Florida’s Monday victory against Oklahoma State.

O’Sullivan has confidence in his players. The veteran skipper understands that as the season goes on, the team’s gameplan needs to continue adjusting if the Gators (32-28) want to continue their success. This will be Florida’s 12th Super Regionals appearance in program history.

Florida Gators baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan. [Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports]
Pitchers Liam Peterson, Jake Clemente, Frank Menendez, Fisher Jameson and Brandon Neely stepped up for the Gators in these past few games. Florida advanced after knocking off the No. 11 national seed Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Stillwater Regional.

Jac Caglianone earned a nod as a John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award finalist. Throughout the season, Caglianone, the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2024 MLB draft, has excelled both at the plate and on the mound. The junior has compiled a .410 batting average with 31 home runs, 63 RBIs and a 4.57 ERA entering Super Regionals.

Game 1

Clemson (44-14) went 3-0 in the Clemson Regional to advance to a super regional for the first time in 14 seasons. The Tigers are expected to start left-hander Tristan Smith (2-0, 3.88 ERA) Saturday, while UF will go with Peterson (3-4, 5.61 ERA).

Saturday’s Super Regional opener will start off at 2 p.m. EDT. You can catch the game on ESPN or tune in to listen on ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF. Game 2 is Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN, 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF) with the If Necessary Game scheduled for Monday (time TBA).

Clemson will open McWhorter Stadium, home of the softball team, on Saturday and Sunday so fans can view the games on the video board.

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