Santa Fe College coach Johnny Wiggs glad to share spotlight at top with Gators
Friday, March 4, 2011 | Baseball, Men's Golf, Scott Carter
Former UF left-hander Johnny Wiggs recalled Friday how the 1989 Gators opened the season 11-0, including a sweep of Florida State to earn the No. 1 ranking in the country.
The game after they became No. 1, the Gators lost 16-3 to USF. Wiggs experienced a flashback of sorts on Wednesday – the day after his Santa Fe College Saints took over the No. 1 spot in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll for the first time.
Santa Fe (17-4-1) lost its Mid-Florida Conference opener to Daytona State College 8-5. The Saints have a rematch with Daytona State on Friday afternoon in their second game as the nation's No. 1 team.
Wiggs wouldn't mind another flashback to that 1989 Gators season. Florida quickly rebounded with a pair of wins over San Diego State following the loss to USF. In a twist to this story, Wiggs' alma mater is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation by Baseball America, meaning the nation's top Division I team and top-ranked junior-college team call the same town home.
The top-ranked Gators open a three-game series with Miami on Friday night at McKethan Stadium.
“It's a neat thing,'' Wiggs said. “I got a text the other day from a longtime baseball guy and he was like, 'What are the odds of having the two No. 1 baseball teams in the country in the same town?' If you're ranked No. 1 in the country, it's a neat thing, but our goal is to hopefully be playing in the postseason for a long time with a chance to play for No. 1 at the end of the year.''
During his two seasons at UF – he transferred from Santa Fe – Wiggs went 23-6, and his .793 winning percentage still ranks second in school history. As a junior in 1988, Wiggs won 11 games and helped the Gators advance to the College World Series for the first time in school history.
He played professionally for five seasons – making it to Triple-A – before retiring to pursue a coaching career. Wiggs is now in his fifth season as Santa Fe's head coach.
Since he once again lives in Gainesville, Wiggs follows Florida's program closely and stays in touch with Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan. Florida junior infielder Jeff Moyer played for Wiggs last season at Santa Fe.
His favorite memory of his time in orange and blue was making it to Omaha in 1988, teaming with fellow starting pitcher Jeff Gidcumb (16 wins) to combine for 27 of Florida's 48 victories that season.
Wiggs has been successful as a coach as well, winning three conference titles and one state title in his first four seasons at Santa Fe. He expected a good season from this year's club, but didn't see a national No. 1 ranking so quickly coming out of non-conference play.
“The goal is to play a lot of different people [out of conference],'' he said. “This year, we've found a way to win. We've still got to get a lot better. Because we play in the state of Florida and because we've put up a pretty good record, that's why we're No. 1 in the country.''
