Florida baseball: Everything to know about Stillwater Regional

Florida making it in the NCAA Tournament was one of Selection Monday’s biggest storylines.

The Gators had a rocky 2024 campaign. UF opened as a preseason top-5 team after finishing as the national runner-up last year.

Early rainouts threatened to cause the Gators to finish the regular season below .500, but on the final weekend before the SEC Tournament, Kevin O’Sullivan’s team managed to take 2-of-3 over Georgia, meeting recent NCAA Tournament requirements (over .500, 13 SEC wins, top-30 RPI).

After an early exit from Hoover, UF had to sweat out the NCAA Tournament bubble. Selection Monday allowed the Gators to exhale, but any feelings of joy may be short-lived.

Florida’s team ERA of 6.27 ranks No. 164 nationally and last among SEC squads. The Gators are used to slugging their way to victory, but pitching depth is traditionally a determining factor of a team’s postseason fate. Superstar Jac Caglianone leads Florida both at the plate and on the mound.

Caglianone broke the NCAA’s BBCOR-era record with 33 home runs in 2023 as a Golden Spikes finalist. While Georgia’s Charlie Condon, who broke Caglianone’s home run record appears more likely to win the Golden Spikes award, Caglianone is still having a strong junior season ahead of the MLB Draft.

A first baseman when he’s not pitching, Caglianone is slashing .415 AVG/.525 OBP/.844 SLG. He has 88 hits with 29 home runs for 179 total bases and 58 RBIs.

Caglianone is also Florida’s top pitcher. In 62 IP over 13 starts, Caglianone has an ERA of 4.35, allowing 49 hits while striking out 68 and walking 44. O’Sullivan has felt it best to pitch Caglianone in weekend finales. Last year, he pitched the opening game of the Gainesville Regional against Florida A&M and went 6 shutout innings.

Cags and the Gators head to Stillwater, Oklahoma this year. UF was 9-12 on the road and 0-2 in neutral-site games.

The Stillwater Regional is hosted by No. 11 national Oklahoma State. Florida is the regional’s 3-seed, and will first face 2-seed Nebraska. OSU opens against Niagara in the 1-4 matchup.

Here’s a rundown of the Stillwater Regional:

4. Niagara – 38-15 overall, 20-4 MAAC

RPI: 103 | Quad 1: 1-1  | Quad 2: 3-1  | Quad 3: 9-10  | Quad 4:  20-4

Niagara is enjoying its best season in program history. The Purple Eagles set program records with 38 wins overall and 20 conference victories. After winning its first MAAC championship, Niagara is now set to play its first NCAA Tournament game.

Maximilian Ramirez IV leads the Purple Eagles staff in starts with 15. In 55 IP, he holds an ERA of 6.38 and WHIP of 1.93. Reliever Zach Cameron is Niagara’s standout hurler. In 55 innings, Cameron has posted a 2.95 ERA and 1.11 WHIP logging a record of 8-1 with 11 saves.

The Purple Eagles have 6 batters with averages over .300. Eric Ratazak leads the team in home runs (16), RBIs (67) and batting average (.402).

2. Nebraska – 39-20 overall, 16-8 Big Ten

RPI: 28 | Quad 1: 3-1  | Quad 2: 15-12  | Quad 3: 15-5  | Quad 4: 6-2

Nebraska enters the NCAA Tournament as Big Ten Tournament champions. The Huskers were run-ruled in their first B1G tourney game, but battled back to win 5 straight, capped by a 2-1 victory over Penn State in the championship.

Considering the importance of going up 1-0 in an NCAA Regional, expect Nebraska to turn to standout hurler Brett Sears in Game 1.

Over 16 appearances (15 starts), Sears has a 2.00 ERA over 99 IP. Opponents are hitting just .176 against Sears, who has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 97-to-18. Sears is the first Husker to win Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.

At the plate, Nebraska has a team average of .289 with 66 home runs. Rhett Stokes has the top batting average, a .352 mark in 139 at-bats. Josh Caron leads the team in homers, with 16 in 228 at-bats, posting a .320 average.

1. Oklahoma State – 40-17 overall, 19-9 Big 12

RPI: 11 | Quad 1: 11-12  | Quad 2: 9-3  | Quad 3: 8-0  | Quad 4: 12-2

Oklahoma State heads into the NCAA Tournament with a 9-1 record over its last 10 games. The lone loss came in the Big 12 Tournament, but the Cowboys battled back to take the tourney crown, defeating Oklahoma in the championship game.

Nolan Schubart leads the Pokes in OPS (1.323), home runs (20) and RBIs (63). OSU’s pitching staff is led by Brian Holiday, who has a 3.12 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 104 IP. Sam Garcia, the staff’s other 15-game starter, has a 3.27 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 85 IP.

Stillwater Regional Schedule

All times ET

Friday, May 31

• Game One: 3 p.m.* – Florida vs. Nebraska (ESPN+)
• Game Two: 7 p.m.* – Niagara vs. Oklahoma State (ESPN+)

Saturday, June 1

• Game Three: 2 p.m.* – Loser Game One vs. Loser Game Two
• Game Four: 7 p.m.* – Winner Game One vs. Winner Game Two

Sunday, June 2

• Game Five: 2 p.m.* – Loser Game Four vs. Winner Game Three
  Game Six: 7 p.m.* – Winner Game Four vs. Winner Game Five

Monday, June 3

• Game Seven (if necessary): TBA* – Winner Game Six vs. Loser Game Six

*All times subject to change based on TV

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.