Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan seemed more confused than frustrated after the Gators went dormant offensively in three straight losses heading into Game 2 of their weekend series against rival...
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Florida carried a five-run lead into the bottom of the seventh inning against Texas Tech. Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan never let himself get comfortable.
"We knew they weren't going away," O'Sullivan said. "They hung in there with us, and we knew it would be a nine-inning ballgame."
It was every bit a nine-inning game Thursday night.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Jackson Kowar's first inning didn't portend the stellar afternoon he was about to have Tuesday. He didn't give up a run in the first, but he threw 25 pitches.
"Just reminded him he's going to have to be a little more economical," Gators coach Kevin O'Sullivan said.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Brady Singer knew the hook was coming. He paused behind the mound with two outs in the seventh inning and waited for Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jonah Girand's path to the NCAA baseball tournament had more movement than a knuckle ball.
The 23-year-old Florida catcher started at nearby Santa Fe College, left after one season, returned home and took a job in retail. He was away from baseball for a year before ending up at another junior college near Orlando.
He started playing again, got his associates degree and reached out to Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan last spring.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — With his baseball program mired in its worst slump in five years, Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan wanted a different voice to talk to his players.
Thumbing through his phone, one name stood out: Former Gators basketball coach Billy Donovan.
Donovan happened to be in town, too, so O'Sullivan lined up the high-profile guest to speak to the team Wednesday.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Losses in six of its last seven games didn't diminish defending national champion Florida's overall body of work when it came to seeding the NCAA baseball tournament.
The Gators (42-17) are No. 1, and there never was much doubt, NCAA Division I Baseball Committee chairman Ray Tanner said Monday after the 64-team field was unveiled.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The life-size picture is impossible to miss, a constant reminder of what Florida accomplished last year and the goal for this season.
The enlarged photo of the Gators celebrating their first baseball national championship in Omaha, Nebraska, adorns the lobby of the team facility. The championship trophy is there, too.
Players and coaches walk by them all the time. The Gators hope to add to the display in five months. No one would be surprised if they did.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Maybe this wasn't Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan's best team. It is, however, his first national championship team.
A year after the Gators went two games and out at the College World Series with a team seeded No. 1 and loaded with high draft picks, they won five of six in Omaha and completed a sweep of Southeastern Conference rival LSU in the finals with a 6-1 victory Tuesday night.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Florida got a dominant performance from Brady Singer, a big defensive play when LSU was threatening and just enough offense.
Now, after a 4-3 win in Game 1 of the College World Series on Monday night, the Gators are one win from their first national championship in baseball.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan stared at the stats in front of him and picked out the only number he wanted to talk about.
"The theme I keep hearing is about things we can't do," he said. "I'm sitting here and looking at our record, and we're 48-17. We do a lot of things well."
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — With a one-run lead and a spot in the College World Series at stake, Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan put an inconsistent freshman on the mound.
Tyler Dyson responded with the performance of his life, helping the Gators (47-18) return to Omaha, Nebraska, for the third consecutive season and for the sixth time in the past eight years.