The UF baseball team opens the postseason on Wednesday night at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA)
Gators Gear Up For SEC Tournament Grind
Tuesday, May 24, 2016 | Baseball, Scott Carter
Seven of the nation's top 10 teams are in Hoover for this week's tournament
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The defending SEC Tournament champions arrived in Hoover, Ala., earlier this week a bit weary.
Not so much from the six-hour bus trip from Baton Rouge, where the Gators lost two of three at LSU over the weekend, but from a season-ending stretch in which they played eight of their final 13 games on the road. Would have been nine of 14 if not for a rainout at South Carolina on May 1.
"It hasn't been easy, but I think we're a better team now than we were five weeks ago,'' Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "Our team is battle-tested. It will give us a good chance to be successful but it doesn't guarantee anything."
Ranked No. 1 for nearly the entire regular season, the Gators went 8-5 in the final month of the regular season, splitting a pair of games at South Carolina, winning two of three at Tennessee, winning two of three at home against Vanderbilt, and losing two of three at LSU. They won a pair of midweek home games against Bethune-Cookman and USF.
In what the Gators hope is their final stint on the road until the College World Series in Omaha, they face Tuesday night's Tennessee-LSU winner on Wednesday in their SEC Tournament opener. Junior left-hander A.J. Puk (2-3, 2.93 ERA) is expected to start. Puk pitched only two innings in his start at LSU due to an upset stomach.
Florida rebounded from a loss to Arkansas in their first game at the SEC Tournament last season to win four in a row, defeating Vanderbilt in the championship game for the program's first tournament title since 2011. The Gators carried that momentum into the NCAA Tournament, winning their first six games until losing to eventual national champion Virginia in Omaha.
Despite leading the SEC with 44 regular-season wins, the Gators enter as the No. 4 seed behind No. 1 Mississippi State, No. 2 South Carolina and No. 3 Texas A&M.
The formula to win in Hoover is simple to explain but difficult to pull off in the deepest conference in the country. In the final USA Today Coaches Poll released Monday, Florida (1), Texas A&M (2), Mississippi State (3), Vanderbilt (6), LSU (7), South Carolina (9) and Ole Miss (10) form 70 percent of the top 10.
"I think it's probably as difficult to win this tournament as it is to win the College World Series in Omaha,'' LSU coach Paul Mainieri said.
How do you do it?
"The key for this tournament is to get good starting pitching and timely hitting, because everybody is pretty good,'' O'Sullivan said. "You certainly don't want to get in the loser's bracket early."
Regardless of what they do in Hoover, the Gators are expected to receive a national seed and have an opportunity to host regional and super regionals at home.
While fans and pundits debate the significance of the tournament for the top-tier teams, O'Sullivan's attention is directed at the field. He wants the Gators to enter the NCAA Tournament confident and playing well.
"I've never coached a team that didn't try to win a game,'' he said. "I don't how you approach it other than trying to win. I want us to have a good feeling going into regional. We're here to play the best we can. It's just that simple."
*****
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
1. PUK ON POINT: The Gators could use a dominant start from Puk to get out of the gate fast. The 6-foot-7 left-hander has the potential to shut down any opponent he faces, but he has been inconsistent and won only two of 13 regular-season starts.
2. GLOVE MAGIC: The Gators are first nationally in fielding percentage (.986) and need to maintain their excellence in the field if they are going to win the tournament.
3. START ME UP: The team that wins in tournament play is often the one with the best starting pitching. The Gators have Puk, Logan Shore, Alex Faedo and Dane Dunning to match any team in the country. If the foursome pitches well and deep into games, the Gators' chances increase significantly.
4. SURPRISE, SURPRISE: This is the time of year role players such as Nick Horvath, Ryan Larson, Christian Hicks and Scott Moss must be on high alert since you never know when you might have a chance to play hero after sitting on the bench for 12 innings.
5. POWER UP: Florida's power numbers are down from a season ago, and with the absence of injured first baseman Peter Alonso, there is a significant hole in the middle of the lineup. Now is a good time for JJ Schwarz, Buddy Reed, Michael Rivera and Nelson Maldonado to carry the offense.
Not so much from the six-hour bus trip from Baton Rouge, where the Gators lost two of three at LSU over the weekend, but from a season-ending stretch in which they played eight of their final 13 games on the road. Would have been nine of 14 if not for a rainout at South Carolina on May 1.
"It hasn't been easy, but I think we're a better team now than we were five weeks ago,'' Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "Our team is battle-tested. It will give us a good chance to be successful but it doesn't guarantee anything."
Ranked No. 1 for nearly the entire regular season, the Gators went 8-5 in the final month of the regular season, splitting a pair of games at South Carolina, winning two of three at Tennessee, winning two of three at home against Vanderbilt, and losing two of three at LSU. They won a pair of midweek home games against Bethune-Cookman and USF.
In what the Gators hope is their final stint on the road until the College World Series in Omaha, they face Tuesday night's Tennessee-LSU winner on Wednesday in their SEC Tournament opener. Junior left-hander A.J. Puk (2-3, 2.93 ERA) is expected to start. Puk pitched only two innings in his start at LSU due to an upset stomach.
Florida rebounded from a loss to Arkansas in their first game at the SEC Tournament last season to win four in a row, defeating Vanderbilt in the championship game for the program's first tournament title since 2011. The Gators carried that momentum into the NCAA Tournament, winning their first six games until losing to eventual national champion Virginia in Omaha.
Despite leading the SEC with 44 regular-season wins, the Gators enter as the No. 4 seed behind No. 1 Mississippi State, No. 2 South Carolina and No. 3 Texas A&M.
The formula to win in Hoover is simple to explain but difficult to pull off in the deepest conference in the country. In the final USA Today Coaches Poll released Monday, Florida (1), Texas A&M (2), Mississippi State (3), Vanderbilt (6), LSU (7), South Carolina (9) and Ole Miss (10) form 70 percent of the top 10.
"I think it's probably as difficult to win this tournament as it is to win the College World Series in Omaha,'' LSU coach Paul Mainieri said.
How do you do it?
"The key for this tournament is to get good starting pitching and timely hitting, because everybody is pretty good,'' O'Sullivan said. "You certainly don't want to get in the loser's bracket early."
Regardless of what they do in Hoover, the Gators are expected to receive a national seed and have an opportunity to host regional and super regionals at home.
While fans and pundits debate the significance of the tournament for the top-tier teams, O'Sullivan's attention is directed at the field. He wants the Gators to enter the NCAA Tournament confident and playing well.
"I've never coached a team that didn't try to win a game,'' he said. "I don't how you approach it other than trying to win. I want us to have a good feeling going into regional. We're here to play the best we can. It's just that simple."
*****
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
1. PUK ON POINT: The Gators could use a dominant start from Puk to get out of the gate fast. The 6-foot-7 left-hander has the potential to shut down any opponent he faces, but he has been inconsistent and won only two of 13 regular-season starts.
2. GLOVE MAGIC: The Gators are first nationally in fielding percentage (.986) and need to maintain their excellence in the field if they are going to win the tournament.
3. START ME UP: The team that wins in tournament play is often the one with the best starting pitching. The Gators have Puk, Logan Shore, Alex Faedo and Dane Dunning to match any team in the country. If the foursome pitches well and deep into games, the Gators' chances increase significantly.
4. SURPRISE, SURPRISE: This is the time of year role players such as Nick Horvath, Ryan Larson, Christian Hicks and Scott Moss must be on high alert since you never know when you might have a chance to play hero after sitting on the bench for 12 innings.
5. POWER UP: Florida's power numbers are down from a season ago, and with the absence of injured first baseman Peter Alonso, there is a significant hole in the middle of the lineup. Now is a good time for JJ Schwarz, Buddy Reed, Michael Rivera and Nelson Maldonado to carry the offense.
Players Mentioned
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