Florida bubble watch: Gators pick up much-needed win to close midweek slate
Florida bounced back from its crushing run-rule loss to Tennessee with a 4-1 win over USF on Tuesday. While defeating USF in a midweek game isn’t usually a big deal, it was important for a UF club that needs to stay above .500 to make the NCAA Tournament.
UF is now 25-23 overall heading into its final two weekend series of the season. To make the field of 64, the Gators need to finish the regular season above .500. While Florida still has to fight to get in, every win helps at this point.
After the late collapse against Tennessee, coach Kevin O’Sullivan should be pleased with Tuesday night’s pitching. It was a Charlie Wholestaff game, as 6 hurlers with a combined ERA of 6.11 allowed just 1 earned run on 5 hits, striking out 7 while issuing just 3 walks.
The Florida skipper wasn’t taking chances in the last midweek contest. Liam Peterson (1 IP, 2 H, BB), Cade Fisher (2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K) and Brandon Neely (1 IP, K) all pitched in the Tuesday contest.
At the plate, Jac Caglianone showed once again that he is not human going oppo taco on the most improbable of home-run swings.
BAHAHAHA ?
Jac Caglianone hits HR #27 on this…swing…? pic.twitter.com/Zphc9o8icg
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) May 7, 2024
Caliagnone, Colby Shelton and Tyler Shelnut all finished 2-for-4 on an 11-hit night for the Gator batters. Florida left 8 men on base. UF was only .182 (2-of-11) with runners on scoring position on a night it hit .314 overall, .308 with 2 outs and .267 with runners on.
Gators need at least 3 to feel NCAA Tournament safe
Florida is currently No. 23 in WarrenNolan.com’s Live RPI. The Gators’ worry is having a record that qualifies for the NCAA Tournament.
In recent years, 13 regular-season SEC wins have been needed to make the field of 64. UF is at 10-14 in SEC play with two SEC series to go.
The Gators will host Kentucky, which currently has the best SEC record at 18-6 and the No. 2 RPI, Friday-Sunday. After the UK series, it’s off to Athens to face a Georgia team that is on a 5-game winning streak and has the No. 5 RPI. UGA is 28-3 at home in 2024.
If UF is going to get 3 more regular-season SEC wins, it will have to win an SEC series, something it hasn’t done since March. The only positive for Florida in a 5-series losing streak, the Gators have only been swept once in a weekend series.
While 13 or better is the desired SEC win total when regular-season action comes to a close, the door may not be completely shut for an at-large bid if the Gators finish 12-18.
The 2021 Alabama team notably made the NCAA Tournament with a 12-17 record in conference play (a road game against Vanderbilt was canceled). The ’21 Tide added SEC Tournament wins over South Carolina and Tennessee, and landed a spot in the Ruston Regional.
While 3-3 against Kentucky and Georgia feels like a tall order, the Gators will hope to go to Hoover without the pressure of needing multiple victories.
This is a tough road ahead for the Gators as these are two excellent opponents. Beating either one of these in a series while not getting swept in the other should get them in. Before conference play started, people were talking about LSU and UF meeting again in the CWS final. Now it’s very possible that neither will even make the post season.
before the season started, i’d say that there were a # of people talking about a good chance of uf and lsu meeting again in omaha, but not right before conf play started.
to uf’s credit, they had a really tough ooc sched, but they essentially proved who they were back then. they went roughly .500 in ooc and they’ve been under .500 in conf play
The Gators are in control of their own destiny now. The Kentucky series will be exciting to watch. If Sully can get solid pitching out of these freshman we have a chance. Cags will do his part but I am in wait and see mode. Next year will be definitely better but it’s still this year. Go Gators!
” If Sully can get solid pitching…”, that my friend is the problem. Outside of Cags he hasn’t been able to get that. It is wishful thinking to assume he will all of a sudden get it in the last 6 games
Realism is frowned upon here…switching gears, hey, did you see where Charlie Condon was ranked most likely to be drafted numero uno? And just when I was going to retire my “and yet 1906” banner…I still hold out hope that Cags will get ‘er dunn.
Enjoy Charlie’s last season, once the face of Georgia baseball is gone later this year where will you be.
The answer reminds me of a Billy idol song
I happen to think I dance very well with myself, can I get a rebel yell? Hell yeah
Big midweek wins for both Florida and LSU. Ridiculous to see how vital and monumental those wins over middling teams were for both teams to even stay in the conversation for the field of 64.
LSU has the easier path ending the regular season, but that means nothing. Both teams will need to be at least 13-17 going into SEC Tournament play. Winning one game there should cement both teams in.
Much like the lack of defense in both bball and football has been the gators undoing, pitching travels. Last year the Gator bats made up for it but this year that strategy has not worked outside of Cags. I don’t follow Gator baseball quite as closely as football or even basketball but seems like something structural may have changed in Sully’s organization around pitching talent evaluation and development. Hope he makes the necessary structural changes offseason to get the Gators back to the top.