Gators Head to Omaha for College World Series
On Sunday, the Florida Gators baseball team defeated NC State 9-8 in 10 innings of play that lasted a total of 6 hours, 8 minutes including a 2 1/2 hour rain delay!
This win placed the Gators into the College World Series for an impressive third season in a row.
Coach O’Sullivan said, “It was one of those back-and-forth games, one that I know I won’t forget. The momentum swings back and forth. Our guys battled. It may not have been our best day on the mound. But each guy did enough. It’s not easy to get to Omaha.”
The College World Series will be played in Omaha, Nebraska beginning this Friday. Florida will face the winner of the S. Carolina-Oklahoma series in a double-elimination tournament.
In Sunday’s game, right fielder Preston Tucker set a school record by hitting his 11th leadoff home run in the NCAA tournament.
Pitcher Jonathon Crawford, who threw 17 pitches over two prior to the delay, returned, throwing 62 over 3 2/3 innings. Coach O’Sullivan said he is extremely protective of his pitchers’ arms. But he felt with so few pitches, Crawford, who threw a no-hitter in the opener of the region tournament, could handle returning.
With that said, all things appeared to go the Gators’ way on Sunday opening up the door for another trip to the CWS. The team will receive a slight rest this week to prepare mentally for the upcoming battle in the Series, but O’Sullivan and his boys have already proven to themselves and the nation that they deserve to be there. The rest is living up to the hype.
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