![]() ![]() The Gators would appear to be a lock for one of the Eight National Seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Chapman came on in the eighth for a two inning save and the celebration was on! Then the Gators won on Friday 5-2 scoring four runs with two outs. The Gators beat Carolina's Blake Cooper on Thursday, who was 10-0 on the season, 3-2. Which set the stage for the South Carolina showdown. But the Gators hung in with two walk off wins on Friday and Saturday and then a blowout on Sunday for the sweep. ![]() Beating the arch rival Gators would make their year. The Gators won Friday and Saturday to take two of three.Īnd then it was Georgia. But this year, Florida swept the Tigers for the first time since 1996. Then it was defending champ LSU in for three. #ALL TIMELY GATOR TIME SERIES#The Hogs won the Friday night game and I thought "here it comes." But the Gators then took the series winning on Saturday and Sunday. If the Gators make a strong showing in the SEC, look out.Įvery weekend I kept thinking "is this the weekend where we wake up?" First it was No. Of course, that means an opening round game against defending National Champion LSU. They go into this tournament as the number one seed. The last time the Gator team won it was 1991. The SEC Tournament has not been kind to the Orange and Blue in recent history. Maddox leads with 17 and den Dekker has 11. The Gators also have two home run threats with den Dekker and Austin Maddox. Between catcher Mike Zunino, shortstop Nolan Fontana, second baseman Josh Adams and centerfielder Matt den Dekker, the lowest fielding percentage is Adams'. To be a good defensive team it is widely known that you have to be good "up the middle". The Gators went in and took the series the first two nights behind great pitching and timely hitting. The 'Cocks fans were out in force too drawing over 8,000 fans per game. The two teams went in tied for first place in the SEC. That includes a three game series at South Carolina to end the season with everything on the line. After dropping the first two road games of the year at Ole Miss, this Gator team never lost another road series. Typical Gator baseball teams also do not play well on the road in the SEC. And oh by the way, he also took a line drive to the head while standing in the dugout. Kevin Chapman is lights out as a closer posting a 3 -0 record with 10 saves and a 1.14 ERA. In fact, Florida is 33-0 in games they have led after the fourth inning. The bullpen also had to pick up the slack when Johnson moved into the rotation. These guys all stepped it up when Toledo went down. Johnson, who is also a good hitter that will often DH, is 5-3 with a 3.62 ERA. ![]() Alex Panteliodis, Hudson Randall and Brian Johnson have given the Gators a stellar three man weekend rotation. 1 starter Tommy Toledo took a vicious line drive to the face early in the season, the Gator's pitching staff has been rock solid. ![]() But get into the bullpen and the Sunday starter and the bats better be hot. They will usually have a great starting pitcher they can count on to win on Saturdays and a decent one to give them a chance on Fridays. Typically, the Gators are a bit short on quality pitching. This year's team went to Coral Gables and took two of three. Typically, the Gators have trouble beating Miami. This should bode well for the post season. This team has come up huge every time the pressure was ramped up a notch. ![]()
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