The NCAA Baseball Tournament Selection Committee kept Florida Gators baseball waiting for its name to be called for a regional. Thirty minutes into the selection show, the Gators still hadn’t heard their name called for a postseason spot.
But just a minute later, they could take a deep breath. The Gators were selected for a tournament spot, and are now heading to Stillwater, Okla. for the Stillwater Regional. And although there was some controversy among “X” users, Florida earned its 16th-straight tournament berth.
They’re one of 11 SEC teams to make the tournament, marking the most ever bids given to a conference. The top three overall seeds are also SEC teams, the first time in NCAA baseball tournament history the top three seeds are from the same conference.
Finishing the season 28-27, the Gators earned a No. 3-seed in the Stillwater Regional and will face the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the No. 2-seed, at 3 p.m. Friday.
Oklahoma State, the hosts and No. 11 national seed, will face Niagra Friday night.
Despite all of the ups and downs throughout UF’s season, they find themselves in the tournament with a chance to make it back to Omaha.
But for the first time since 2019, the Gators will face their regional opponents on the road. The last time they were in this situation, they won just one game in the Lubbock Regional before losing to Dallas Baptist twice.
Now, they face a Cornhuskers team that is coming off of winning the Big Ten Tournament. Despite losing their first game of the tournament, they went on to win five straight games to clinch the Big Ten Title.
Nebraska went 39-20 overall and 16-8 in the Big Ten during the regular season. If there’s a statistic that stands out, it’s the home run differential. The Cornhuskers only hit 66 home runs on the year compared to Florida’s 116. Seven Gators hit more than 10 home runs during the year. Nebraska only had one double-digit home run hitter in Josh Caron (16).
If there’s an aspect Nebraska has the advantage over the Gators in, its pitching. Florida’s staff struggled all year against opponents. Jac Caglianone was UF’s leading starter, but he accumulated a 4.35 ERA in 13 starts. UF’s team ERA was a poor 6.27.
Nebraska’s ace is Brett Sears, and coming into the regional he has a record of 9-0 with a 2.00 ERA. He has the most strikeouts on the team with 97 in 99 innings pitched. The Gators will most likely face him on Friday.
Although the Cornhuskers may not have the power Florida has, they have six players batting over .300. Rhett Stoeks leads Nebraska hitting .353, and Case Sanderson is close behind batting .340.
The Gators only had two players with an average of .300 or better in Caglianone and Evans, but Evans is out for the rest of the season.
Florida’s pitching may have its hands full with a Nebraska lineup that can get on base and loves to run. The Cornhuskers stole 91 bases this season. Florida only stole 34.
On paper, Nebraska may be the stronger team. They have a better team ERA and batting average, along with a better on-base percentage, And with the Gators’ inconsistencies throughout the year, getting the wins they need hasn’t been easy.
But Florida has a history of success in the tournament, as well as experience.
Nebraska hasn’t advanced to a super regional since 2005, and this is the Cornhuskers’ first tournament appearance in three years. This is also their 17th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Florida is making its 16th consecutive appearance, the second-longest streak in the country.
Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan has a history of advancing in the tournament. Under O’Sullivan, Florida has gone to Omaha eight times, winning the title in 2017. The Gators are most recently coming off of a runner-up finish to LSU last season in the CWS.
If there’s one thing the head coach knows how to do, it’s win in the postseason.
Expect O’Sullivan to hand the ball to freshman Liam Peterson. He’s been UF’s best starter since returning to the role, and he’s posted two-straight starts with five or more innings pitched. He deserves to have the ball, and a Game 1 win would be massive to open the regional.
First pitch against the Cornhuskers is set for Friday, 3 p.m. EST on ESPN+.
