A Gators-Florida A&M primer for Friday's matchup in the Gainesville Regional
Friday, May 29, 2015 | Baseball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators open the NCAA Tournament at home against Florida A&M on Friday night at 7 (SEC Network) in the Gainesville Regional.
Florida earned a No. 4 national seed after winning the SEC Tournament last week in Hoover, Ala. The Gators stormed back to win four consecutive games after losing their opener to Arkansas.
Meanwhile, FAMU made history by earning its first trip to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament. The Rattlers, the No. 4 seed in the Gainesville Regional, defeated rival Bethune-Cookman in the championship game.
FAMU enters the postseason playing its best of the season, riding a season-high six-game win streak under second-year coach Jamey Shouppe. The longtime Florida State pitching coach took over a program that was 14-90 in the two seasons prior to his arrival and changed the culture. The Rattlers (23-23) have won nine of 10 overall.
The Gators (44-16) are favorites to advance from the Gainesville Regional, which also includes No. 2-seed Florida Atlantic and No. 3-seed USF.
However, they want to get off to a good start against FAMU and snap a six-game NCAA Tournament losing streak that started in the 2012 College World Series.
“That's always in the back of our minds and that gives us a chip on our shoulder in a sense,'' sophomore outfielder Buddy Reed said. “We went 0-4 in the past two regionals. That definitely gives us an edge. We are definitely not going to come out flat this time around.”
This is Florida's eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, which is a school record.
Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, who led the Gators to three consecutive trips to Omaha from 2010-12, anticipates the Rattlers to arrive at McKethan Stadium charged up for their first NCAA Tournament game.
He wants his team to continue playing like it did in Hoover.
“I think they are enjoying the moment. They are enjoying their teammates. They are having fun,'' he said.
Let's take a look at the Florida-Florida A&M matchup:
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PLAYER TO WATCH: FAMU senior first baseman Ryan Kennedy leads the team with six home runs and 34 RBIs. From Merritt Island, Kennedy started his career at Wake Tech (N.C.) Community College before returning to his home state to finish his final two seasons.
Kennedy anchors a lineup that hit only 20 home runs this season. Kennedy was a member of the MEAC Preseason All-Conference Team and is hitting .273 (44-for-161) with more walks (30) than strikeouts (26).
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PITCHING MATCHUP: Florida sophomore right-hander Logan Shore (7-6, 2.79 ERA) faces FAMU left-hander Ricky Page (2-0, 1.32).
Shore earned a victory in the SEC Tournament by limiting Auburn to six hits and two runs in 7 2/3 innings. Over his last three starts, Shore has pitched at least seven innings in each outing and has not allowed more than two runs.
Page pitched a career-high seven innings in a victory over Delaware State in the MEAC Tournament. Page grew up in Ocala and played at College of Central Florida before transferring to FAMU. He has made eight starts and eight relief appearances, allowing 26 hits, 19 walks and striking out 28 in 34 innings.
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COACH CHATTER
Florida's Kevin O'Sullivan: “Our guys are motivated. They are coming off such a good week. We've got a very good feel for our club right now. I think everybody's in a good place. I think our guys are confident. That's pretty much what we're going with right now.”
Florida A&M's Jamey Shouppe: “It's so gratifying to see their success. And it's been so fun for me. When we got here the program needed to improve. And now here we are looking at a chance to play for the first time in an NCAA regional tournament.'' – Via the Tallahassee Democrat
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NOTABLES: The Gators are 18-1 all-time against FAMU … The Rattlers' only win in the series came in the schools' last meeting, a 4-3 win at McKethan Stadium last season … In his eighth season, O'Sullivan has a 21-14 record in the NCAA Tournament, including a 12-6 record in regional play … Gators OF Harrison Bader went 4-for-9 in the final two games of the SEC Tournament after starting 0-for-8 … FAMU had 38 hits and scored 26 runs in three games at the MEAC Tournament … Former FSU pitcher Bryan Henry, the 2007 ACC Pitcher of the Year at Florida State, is the Rattlers' pitching coach.
