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Ty Evans praised by Florida teammates for sparking 9th-inning comeback vs. Virginia
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Ty Evans did not quite have the season he was hoping for with the Florida Gators. However, he stepped up with some clutch hits late in Friday’s comeback win over Virginia.
After not starting in the College World Series opener, Evans was subbed into the game during the bottom of the 7th inning. He delivered a pinch-hit double that advanced Dale Thomas to 3rd base, a key hit with Thomas scoring on an RBI groundout by Cade Kurland.
Then, Evans led off the bottom of the 9th inning with a solo home run. That HR set the table for Wyatt Langford to tie things up 2 batters later as Florida staged a walk-off win after trailing 4-1 in the 6th inning.
Evans appeared in 44 games for Florida with 39 starts, but he batted just .228 with a .708 OPS this season. While the season has been disappointing on a personal level, Evans’ teammates praised him for continuing to grind all season long.
“Ty, he’s put in the work all year. Like Sully said, he’s probably disappointed with the amount of playing time, but he’s stuck it out. And he knew his time was going to come,” said Wyatt Langford. “That’s just how this game goes. We have so many guys on the bench that can perform. And he was the guy that got his number called tonight.”
Brandon Sproat also provided the insight of a pitcher watching Evans’ season as things went along. Sproat also said it was Evans’ HR in the 9th that provided the belief Florida would go on to finish the comeback.
“Being a pitcher, a guy looking outside/in, I noticed Ty — he’s put his head down and grinding,” Sproat said. “Even when he’s not playing he’s been being one of the best teammates in the dugout, and — being one of the best teammates in the dugout when his number is called. That swing there gave us so much momentum.
“I wasn’t in the lineup at that time and I mean I knew we were going to win that game. With that home run.”
BT Riopelle chimed in to call Evans “a fantastic person” while emphasizing Evans’ love for his teammates, coaches and the program. As for the clutch HR, Riopelle said Evans’ teammates were very excited to see him do well.
Though he had just 2 at-bats in the game, Evans was 1 of 2 Gators with 2 hits in Friday’s game. His late-inning spark was a reminder of just how deep this Florida lineup can be, even when other pieces of the lineup scuffle to get this going.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
