D1Baseball moved Florida (34-18, 15-12) into the No. 10 spot in its Field of 64 projections heading into the final weekend of the regular season. The Gators rank No. 12 in RPI as of Thursday.
After two straight SEC series wins, Florida is trending back toward a super regional hosting seed, but it will take a strong finish against LSU and a deep SEC Tournament run to cross the finish line. The Gators came close to a 1-2 weekend against the Kentucky Wildcats, but a walk-off win on Friday night made it a 2-1 series win instead. Florida is primed to host a regional, barring a total collapse over the next week and a half.
Right now, D1Baseball has Florida hosting the 10th-seed regional and grouped up with RPI No. 23 Wake Forest, Western Carolina and Saint Joseph’s. Seventh-seeded Alabama is the corresponding super regional matchup, but the Crimson Tide would have to make it through No. 28 Virginia, High Point and St. John’s.
D1Baseball’s projection is not an official bracket, but it offers a snapshot of where teams stand entering the final weeks. It is assembled by Mark Etheridge, Kendall Rogers and Aaron Fitt, who have a combined 60 years of experience covering college baseball.
Baseball America is more bullish on the Orange and Blue, putting Florida as the No. 8 seed in its latest playoff projections. No. 25 Oklahoma State, NC State and Florida Gulf Coast are the teams projected to play in that version of the Gainesville Regional. Florida would host a super regional against its in-state rival and No. 9 seed Florida State should both teams make it there.
Florida has one weekend series remaining in the regular season, at LSU, and the SEC Tournament begins on Tuesday.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida closing in on top-8 seed in latest NCAA Tournament projections
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
