Why Florida baseball can – and can’t – return to Omaha?
It’s been two years since Florida baseball last hosted a regional or earned a national seed.
The Gators (39-19) will host an NCAA Regional in Gainesville and would host a Super Regional should they advance as the No. 8 overall seed.
Florida opens the regional against the MAAC champion, Rider, on Friday, May 29 (1 p.m., ESPN+). A win would set up a matchup against Miami or Troy the following day.
The Gators are seeking their 10th trip to the Men’s College World Series under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan and first national title since 2017.
Here’s why Florida can – and can’t – reach the CWS.
Florida baseball features strong pitching staff
To make any type of postseason run, a team needs depth in its pitching staff.
The Gators have solidified the starting weekend rotation with SEC Pitcher of the Year Aidan King and Liam Peterson, along with Russell Sandefer.
More importantly, Florida’s bullpen is fully healthy, with long reliever Jackson Barberi finally back in the fold after missing nearly a month. Barberi, who touched 100 mph during the SEC Tournament, has recorded 11 strikeouts, two walks and allowed three runs from four hits in 6⅔ innings of work in three appearances.
Along with Barberi, the core of the bullpen ― which primarily consists of Caden McDonald, Ernesto Lugo-Canchola, Luke McNeillie, Joshua Whritenour, and Ricky Reeth ― holds a combined earned run average of 3.81 in relief appearances.
As a team, Florida’s pitching numbers rank as some of the best in the country. Its 4.16 ERA is ranked No. 14, a 10.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio is ranked No. 12 and 602 strikeouts are ranked No. 8.
Florida baseball has defensive issues
It’s no secret that Florida’s fielding has been a struggle this season.
The Gators hold a .971 fielding percentage, its lowest since 2021. Florida has committed 58 errors in 58 games this season.
The majority of the early errors came from PFPs, pitcher fielding plays, which have mostly been cleaned up.
However, the left side of the infield continues to struggle.
Brendan Lawson has shown improvement at shortstop but still leads the team with 12 errors. UF had a rotation at third base before settling on Ethan Surowiec, who was swapping between third and first base. Surowiec has made 10 errors.
In the last five games of Florida’s win streak, which was spoiled by Georgia in the SEC Tournament semifinals, the Gators played clean defense. Yet the loss to the Bulldogs could be partially blamed on infield defense as Surowiec made an error to lead off an inning, which set up the go-ahead run for the Bulldogs.
Florida’s pitching staff fell victim to the errors early in the season, as they prolonged outings. During postseason baseball, the need for efficiency on the mound is at its highest.
Florida baseball is hitting its offensive stride
In the last month, the Gator bats have ignited.
The emergence of hot bats for Caden McDonald and Hayden Yost has given a needed boost to the lineup.
McDonald received occasional pinch hits early in the season, but became an everyday starter in UF’s final series of April against Texas A&M. In 17 starts and 36 appearances, McDonald has batted .316 with eight doubles, six home runs and driven in 24 runs.
In May, Yost is 18-for-46, with a .391 batting average,, including 17 runs driven in and 17 runs scored, helped by seven home runs.
Yost’s ability has allowed the Gators to more effectively turn the lineup over and create more opportunities for sluggers Brendan Lawson, Ethan Surowiec and Blake Cyr, who have accounted for 40 home runs.
In the last 12 games, the Gators have averaged 11.5 hits and 9.75 runs, and have totaled 30 doubles and 32 home runs.
Florida baseball struggles at home
As rewarding as it is to have the road to Omaha be played in one’s own stadium, oddly, Florida might disagree.
The Gators have suffered 13 home losses this season, the most among host teams.
Those losses have come against UAB, High Point, Jacksonville, Ole Miss, Bethune-Cookman, Texas A&M, and Kentucky.
Despite Florida wining 10 of its last 12 games, the Gators played only four of those in Gainesville, against North Florida and Kentucky. UF dropped one game to the Wildcats in the final regular-season home series.
Notably, Florida has swept only two teams at home this season: Kennesaw State and South Carolina.
In 2022, the Gators also had 13 home losses when they hosted a regional and failed to beat Oklahoma in the regional final.
Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at AAbadie@usatodayco.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Why Florida baseball can, and can’t, win regional and return to MCWS
Reporting by Andrew Abadie, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
