Gator Baseball Releases 2008 Schedule
Wednesday, August 22, 2007 | Baseball
2008 University of Florida Baseball Schedule
The University of Florida baseball program and first-year head coach Kevin O'Sullivan announced its 2008 schedule Tuesday night. The Gators' 56-game schedule features 35 games within the friendly confines of McKethan Stadium at Perry Field and 30 games versus opponents who advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season.
For the eighth-consecutive season and the 20th time in 22 years, the Gators will open their season at home, hosting a three-game series against Siena from Fri.-Sun., Feb. 22-24. Florida will be tested by the rugged 30-game Southeastern Conference schedule and will also face traditional Sunshine State rivals Florida State, Miami, Jacksonville, Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Florida Gulf Coast, North Florida and USF.
"We are excited to begin the school year and have the chance to begin working toward the season," O'Sullivan said. "Getting to know the players and laying the foundation for our club during the fall practices is a top priority. As a coaching staff, we look forward to the challenge of competing in the SEC."
UF visits the Hurricanes in Coral Gables for three games over Feb. 29-March 2 and will clash with the Seminoles in three mid-week affairs, hosting FSU on March 18, facing their archrivals on April 1 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and visiting Tallahassee on April 15. Last year's contest in Jacksonville, a 16-7 Gator victory over the top-ranked Seminoles, drew 12,280 fans, the second-largest in the facility's existence. An assortment of national foes will visit McKethan Stadium, including Brown, Campbell, Eastern Michigan and Siena.
Florida will be seeking its league-best 28th appearance at the eight-team SEC Tournament at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala., to be held from May 21-25. The Gators were 29-30 overall last year and placed third in the SEC East with a 15-15 mark. The Orange and Blue return five players who saw the majority of time at their position last season, bring back nine pitchers who lettered and welcome nine players into the program.
Following the SEC's postseason event, the Orange and Blue will be seeking its 24th NCAA Tournament appearance. Regionals will take place at 16 campus sites between May 30-June 2, followed by the best-of-three Super Regionals spread out among eight venues over June 6-9. Soon after, the eight survivors will advance to the 62nd College World Series at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb., from June 14-25. UF has reached the CWS five times in school history, most recently in 2005, when it was the national runner-up.
The five, three-game SEC home series pit the Gators against Auburn (March 14-16), LSU (March 28-30), defending Western Division champion Arkansas (April 11-13), Georgia (April 25-27) and defending league, Eastern Division and SEC Tournament champion Vanderbilt (May 15-17). Florida will open the league schedule in Gainesville on March 14 against Auburn and is not slated to face West rival Mississippi State during the regular season. For the third straight year, the final weekend of the SEC regular season will be contested from Thursday-Saturday to provide an extra day off before the start of the league's tourney.
Stops on the Gators' road itinerary include trips to Ole Miss (March 21-23), Tennessee (April 4-6), Kentucky (April 18-20), South Carolina (May 2-4) and Alabama (May 9-11). UF's 2008 schedule boasts 18 games against squads that finished among the top-25 in the final version of the RPI.
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