Gator Baseball to Play in NCAA Regional at Miami
Monday, May 21, 2001 | Baseball
Florida will appear in its 19th NCAA Regional this week at the University of Miami's Mark Light Stadium, the NCAA announced Monday on ESPN.
The Gators will enter the four-team regional as the No. 2 seed and will face No. 3 seed Stetson Friday in the regional opener at 3:30 p.m. No. 1 seed and host Miami (44-12) will open play against No. 4 seed Bucknell (31-17) Friday at 7 p.m. Bucknell earned an automatic bid as the Patriot League champion and is making its first NCAA Regional appearance since 1996. Stetson and Florida both earned at large bids.
The winner of the double elimination regional advances to a best two-of-three weekend NCAA Super Regional, pitting two regional winners. The Miami Regional winner has been paired with the Clemson Regional winner consisting of host Clemson, South Alabama, William & Mary and Seton Hall.
"We are happy and looking forward to going down there and competing," Florida head coach Andy Lopez said. "Once you're in a regional setting it doesn't matter what you've done. Whoever's hot will be successful. I think we're playing as good as we can play right now."
Florida will enter regional with a 34-25 overall record. The Gators have won 23 of their final 35 games and eight of their last 13 games. Upon entering the SEC Tournament, the Gators had a ratings percentage index of No. 15 nationally. In addition, the Southeastern Conference was ranked No. 1 among college conferences.
All eight SEC teams that advanced to the SEC Tournament received NCAA Regional berths, the most of any conference. Auburn was sent to Florida State's regional as the No. 2 seed, Ole Miss will play as the No. 2 seed in the Tulane regional and Mississippi State earned a No. 1 seed at the Ohio State Regional. Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and South Carolina all were selected last week as host sites.
"Having eight clubs get in from the SEC, I think is very just," Lopez said. "It really helps to be in the conference we're in especially at this time during the season."
Florida has now been selected to compete in five of the last six NCAA Baseball Tournaments. The Gators have advanced to the College World Series two times during that period- 1996 and 1998. The Gators will appear in their 19th all-time NCAA Regional and have appeared in four College World Series. UF is 46-38 in NCAA postseason play.
FLORIDA NCAA POSTSEASON NOTES
*The regional berth is Florida's 19th all-time berth.
Florida will appear in an NCAA Regional in Miami for the sixth time in the program's history (1981, 1982, 1985, 1994, 1997 and now 2001).
*The Gators have advanced to the College World Series four times (1988, 1991, 1996, 1998).
*Florida is 46-38 overall in 18 NCAA Regionals.
*Head coach Andy Lopez now has had nine teams earn NCAA Regional berths.
*Lopez is one of only eight coaches to guide two different schools to the College World Series.