Gators Earn No. 3 National Seed

TICKET INFORMATION

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida baseball team learned on Monday afternoon that it was awarded the No. 3 national seed for the 2017 NCAA Baseball Tournament that begins on Friday at McKethan Stadium.

Making their 33rd Regional appearance and school-record 10th in a row under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, the third-seeded Gators (42-16) will face fourth-seeded Marist (32-21) to open the Regional on Friday. The Red Foxes won the MAAC Championship last week to earn an automatic bid into the tournament.

Second-seeded USF (41-17) will meet third-seeded Bethune-Cookman (33-23) in the other day one matchup in Gainesville. The Bulls earned an at-large bid with a 14-10 record in the American Athletic Conference. The Wildcats won the MEAC Championship last week to earn an automatic bid into the tournament.

"I think we've been a national seed eight of the last nine years, and that's probably been the most remarkable thing that we've been able to do here," said O'Sullivan. "We play a difficult schedule each year and to be able to be one of the top eight national seeds gives us a chance to stay at home for both the Regionals and Super Regionals."

This marks the eighth time under O'Sullivan that UF has been a national seed (No. 8 in 2009, No. 3 in 2010, No. 2 in 2011, No. 1 in 2012, No. 2 in 2014, No. 4 in 2015, No. 1 in 2016) – the highest amount in the country in that time frame.

The Regional continues through Sunday, with a final game to be played Monday night, if necessary. The Gainesville Regional winner will face the winner of the Winston Salem Regional in a Super Regional series next weekend. The eight Super Regional winners advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

Florida is 98-69 (.587) all-time in NCAA Tournament action and has reached the CWS 10 times: 1988, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016.

Two teams from the SEC - Florida and LSU - were selected as national seeds. The top eight national seeds are Oregon State, North Carolina, Florida, LSU, Texas Tech, TCU, Louisville and Stanford.

Each of the 16 Regionals features four teams, playing a double-elimination format. The Regionals are scheduled to be conducted from Friday, June 2, to Monday, June 5 (if necessary). Selection of the eight Super Regional Hosts will be announced on www.NCAA.com/cws, Monday, June 5 at approximately 11 p.m. (ET).

The 71st Men's College World Series begins play Saturday, June 17, at the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Neb.

2017 NCAA Gainesville Regional Schedule

Friday, June 2
Game 1: 1 p.m. - No. 3 Bethune-Cookman vs. No. 2 USF (ESPN3)
Game 2: 7 p.m. - No. 4 Marist vs. No. 1 Florida (SEC Network)

Saturday, June 3
Game 3: 12 p.m. - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (ESPN3)
Game 4: 7 p.m. - Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (ESPN3)

Sunday, June 4
Game 5: 1 p.m. - Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 (ESPN3)
Game 6: 7 p.m. - Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 (ESPN3)

Monday, June 5
Game 7: (if necessary) – 4 p.m. – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (ESPN3)

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