GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators checked off the first task on their to-do list toward Omaha. They defeated Georgia Tech 10-1 Sunday night to win the Gainesville Regional title.
Ranked No. 1 in the country most of the season and projected by many as the favorite to win the College World Series, the Gators looked the part against a Georgia Tech team that defeated UConn earlier in the day to remain alive in the regional.
"The first thing I told the team after the game is that I want them to understand that getting to this stage of the season is not easy,'' Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "It's a heck of an accomplishment. I'm proud of the way they played. They kind of had a bull's-eye on their back the whole year and they have handled the adversity all the way through from the beginning of the season to this point."
The No. 1-seed Gators played their most complete game of the weekend behind an outstanding outing from sophomore right-hander Alex Faedo, who allowed only four hits in eight shutout innings and removed any sting the Yellow Jackets' lineup had left by consistently throwing first-pitch strikes (22 to the first 25 batters he faced). Faedo didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning and faced little trouble on the way to his team-leading 13th win. He struck out 10 and walked one.
Florida (50-13) advanced to host next weekend's Super Regional, where they will face Florida State for the second consecutive season. The Gators swept the Seminoles in last year's Super Regional -- outscoring FSU 24-9 at McKethan Stadium -- to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 2012. FSU advanced Sunday by defeating South Alabama 18-4 to win the Tallahassee Regional title.
Gainesville Regional MVP Peter Alonso went 8-for-14 with three homers and eight RBI in the tournament. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA)
As good as Faedo was Sunday, he received ample support from the lineup as the Gators pounded 12 hits and broke open a 1-0 game with three runs in the fifth and four in the sixth.
In the breakout fifth inning, the Gators chased Georgia Tech starter Cole Pitts with a two-out rally. Jonathan India's RBI single off Pitts made it 2-0, and Gators slugger Peter Alonso greeted reliever Keyton Gibson with an RBI double for a 3-0 lead. JJ Schwarz capped UF's outburst in the fifth with an RBI double.
The Gators struck again in the sixth, highlighted by a two-run single from Alsono that gave UF a 7-0 lead. Alonso earned Gainesville Region MVP honors by going 8-for-14 with three home runs and eight RBIs in his return from a broken left hand that sidelined him for three weeks.
Florida avoided a potential rematch with the Yellow Jackets on Monday night by playing sharp in its 50th win of the season, marking the first time in program history the Gators have won 50 games in back-to-back seasons. This is the fastest the Gators have reached 50 wins, and the third time under O'Sullivan in his nine seasons.
"Alex Faedo was the story of the game,'' O'Sullivan said. "He made a lot of big pitches early in the game."
Faedo was dominant from the start, striking out six of the first 12 batters he faced and keeping Georgia Tech hitless until Kel Johnson's one-out single in the fifth.
"He commanded both sides of the plate really well. His breaking ball stuff was unbelievable,'' Yellow Jackets shortstop Connor Justus said. "You just have to get in there and battle and he got ahead of pretty much all of our hitters. It is tough when you are facing a guy like that and he obviously is going to do very well for himself. He is a very good player with a very bright future."
Faedo closed out Florida's Gainesville Regional-clinching victory for the second consecutive season. He defeated Florida Atlantic a year ago as a freshman to put the Gators in the Super Regional.
"I had a good idea I was going to go against them,'' Faedo said. "It takes a lot of pressure off of us if we just got it over with and just win the first one. I'm just happy I got the opportunity to [clinch] again."
Georgia Tech didn't score until the ninth when Faedo was replaced by reliever Scott Moss. The Yellow Jackets loaded the bases and scored when Moss walked in a run before UF closer Shaun Anderson came in to record the final two outs.
"They have a really good team,'' Georgia Tech coach Dannny Hall said. "Probably one of the things that goes unnoticed is just how good they are on defense. They are going to be hard to beat."
The Gators have now advanced to a Super Regional in six of the last eight seasons. For more evidence of Florida's recent resurgence on the diamond: O'Sullivan has led Florida to six of the 12 regional titles in the program's history.
This will be the third meeting between the Gators and Seminoles in a Super Regional. The Gators won the previous two in 2005 and 2015.
First, the Gators will take a moment to reflect on where they are and how far they have come.
"I want our guys to appreciate what they did,'' O'Sullivan said.
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Postgame Notes: • The Gators improved to 72-42 all-time in NCAA Regional play • UF advanced to its eighth Super Regional appearance (2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015) • Sophomore Alex Faedo is now 2-0 in regional NCAA Appearances (beat FAU, 2-1, on May 31, 2015)
