Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan and LSU coach Paul Mainieri at Sunday's CWS press conference. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Staff Photographer)
CWS Primer: Gators vs. LSU Championship Series
Monday, June 26, 2017 | Baseball, Scott Carter
Two SEC rivals. Two rabid fan bases. One national title up for grabs.
OMAHA, Neb. – This one has the feel of a Yankees-Red Sox or Cubs-Cardinals matchup in the World Series if that were possible.
In college baseball, it is.
The College World Series opens Monday night at TD Ameritrade Park featuring two of the nation's elite programs, with fan bases that aren't particularly fond of one another, especially when comparing weather forecasts.
In some ways, the Florida-LSU matchup for the national championship seems like a key Southeastern Conference series at either McKethan Stadium or Alex Box Stadium. But this series just means more. A lot more.
The winner takes home college baseball's top prize and settles everything in the 2017 season, a campaign that saw the Gators and Tigers share the SEC regular-season title.
"They are great competitors and so are we,'' Gators CWS hero Alex Faedo said. "This is probably what both teams wanted, to see who really is the champion. We know a lot about them and they know a lot about us."
Gators sophomore right-hander Brady Singer (8-5, 3.18 ERA) gets the start in Game 1 against LSU senior right-hander Russell Reynolds (1-1, 8.59 ERA).
For a closer look at the Gators-Tigers matchup, here is our CWS Primer:
*****
FLORIDA
Record: 50-19
Regular Season: 40-15 (first in SEC East)
Record vs. Top 25: 22-7
Coach: Kevin O'Sullivan, 10th year (446-208, .682)
All-Time CWS Record: 17-22
CWS Appearances: 11 (1988, '91, '96, '98, 2005, '10, '11, '12, '15, '16, '17)
CWS Titles: None
Road to Omaha: Gainesville Regional – W vs. Marist 10-6; W vs. USF 2-1 (12); L vs. Bethune-Cookman 6-2; W vs. Bethune-Cookman 6-1. Gainesville Super Regional – W vs. Wake Forest 2-1 (11); L vs. Wake Forest 8-6 (11); W vs. Wake Forest 3-0.
In Omaha: Florida opened with wins against Texas Christian and Louisville to stay in the winners bracket and earn a two-day break between games. The Gators lost a rematch against TCU on Friday, but on Saturday, facing their third elimination game of this NCAA Tournament, they rebounded to defeat the Horned Frogs and advance to the championship series behind another spectacular start from Alex Faedo. In two starts against TCU, Faedo threw 14 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out 22.
Player to Watch: Singer is on the mound for UF in Game 1 and if he pitches like he did against the Tigers in March at McKethan Stadium – he tossed a complete-game six-hitter in Florida's 3-1 win – Florida should have a great chance at taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Singer delivered seven strong innings in his first career start in the CWS, striking out nine in a 5-1 win over Louisville.
Gators win if … Their pitching can overmatch LSU's talented lineup. It starts with Singer on Monday night, and O'Sullivan said either Tyler Dyson or Michael Byrne will start Game 2. If it comes down to Game 3 on Wednesday, don't rule out an appearance by Faedo, who would be pitching on three days' rest. Oh, and it won't hurt if the offense can pick up the pace. The Gators are hitting just .203 (26-for-128) in the CWS, led by Christian Hicks (.313, 3-for-9) and Nelson Maldonado (.286, 4-for-14).
Quote of Note: "I think our league gets the best players in the country and I think that's why we're sitting here." – O'Sullivan on the All-SEC matchup in the CWS, only the fifth meeting between schools from the same conference in CWS history
*****
LSU
Record: 52-18
Regular Season: 39-17 (first in SEC West)
Record vs. Top 25: 18-10
Coach: Paul Mainieri, 11th year (512-200-3, .719)
All-Time CWS Record: 40-25
CWS Appearances: 18 (1986, '87, '89, '90, '91, '93, '94, '96, '97, '98, 2000, '03, '04, '08, '09, '13, '15, '17)
CWS Titles: Six (1991, '93, '96, '97, 2000, '09)
Road to Omaha: Baton Rouge Regional – W vs. Texas Southern 15-7; W vs. SE Louisiana 11-6; W vs. Rice 5-0. Baton Rouge Super Regional – W vs. Mississippi State 4-3; W vs. Mississippi State 14-4.
In Omaha: The Tigers opened with a 5-4 victory against Florida State after falling behind early to the Seminoles, and then got crushed 13-1 by No. 1-ranked Oregon State. However, LSU hasn't lost since. The Tigers rebounded from the loss to Oregon State by eliminating FSU, and then facing their most difficult challenge of the season, beat the Beavers on back-to-back days. Oregon State had lost four games all season prior to dropping two in a row to LSU.
Player to Watch: Freshman reliever Zach Hess has opened eyes in Omaha with some of the nastiest pitches ever thrown at TD Ameritrade Park. If the Gators are down late and Mainieri calls Hess from the bullpen, that could spell trouble. Hess has tremendous late movement on his pitches and has struck out 82 in 58 1/3 innings.
Tigers win if … They get early leads and force the Gators to play catchup. The Tigers are hitting .241 as a team in Omaha, so they aren't exactly ripping through opposing pitchers. However, they have come up with some clutch hits, including seven home runs in their five games here, including two from Michael Papierski in their clinching win over Oregon State to advance to the championship series.
Quote of Note: "We've seen him two years now and haven't had a lot of success off of him. Not many people have. We know we're going to have our hands full.'' – LSU shortstop Kramer Robertson on facing Singer in Game 1
In college baseball, it is.
The College World Series opens Monday night at TD Ameritrade Park featuring two of the nation's elite programs, with fan bases that aren't particularly fond of one another, especially when comparing weather forecasts.
In some ways, the Florida-LSU matchup for the national championship seems like a key Southeastern Conference series at either McKethan Stadium or Alex Box Stadium. But this series just means more. A lot more.
We had some fun with the ??, but two more wins and we can bring it back to Gainesville!#GoGators pic.twitter.com/mAclJqoIeH
— Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 26, 2017
The winner takes home college baseball's top prize and settles everything in the 2017 season, a campaign that saw the Gators and Tigers share the SEC regular-season title.
"They are great competitors and so are we,'' Gators CWS hero Alex Faedo said. "This is probably what both teams wanted, to see who really is the champion. We know a lot about them and they know a lot about us."
Gators sophomore right-hander Brady Singer (8-5, 3.18 ERA) gets the start in Game 1 against LSU senior right-hander Russell Reynolds (1-1, 8.59 ERA).
For a closer look at the Gators-Tigers matchup, here is our CWS Primer:
*****
FLORIDA
Record: 50-19
Regular Season: 40-15 (first in SEC East)
Record vs. Top 25: 22-7
Coach: Kevin O'Sullivan, 10th year (446-208, .682)
All-Time CWS Record: 17-22
CWS Appearances: 11 (1988, '91, '96, '98, 2005, '10, '11, '12, '15, '16, '17)
CWS Titles: None
Road to Omaha: Gainesville Regional – W vs. Marist 10-6; W vs. USF 2-1 (12); L vs. Bethune-Cookman 6-2; W vs. Bethune-Cookman 6-1. Gainesville Super Regional – W vs. Wake Forest 2-1 (11); L vs. Wake Forest 8-6 (11); W vs. Wake Forest 3-0.
In Omaha: Florida opened with wins against Texas Christian and Louisville to stay in the winners bracket and earn a two-day break between games. The Gators lost a rematch against TCU on Friday, but on Saturday, facing their third elimination game of this NCAA Tournament, they rebounded to defeat the Horned Frogs and advance to the championship series behind another spectacular start from Alex Faedo. In two starts against TCU, Faedo threw 14 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out 22.
Player to Watch: Singer is on the mound for UF in Game 1 and if he pitches like he did against the Tigers in March at McKethan Stadium – he tossed a complete-game six-hitter in Florida's 3-1 win – Florida should have a great chance at taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Singer delivered seven strong innings in his first career start in the CWS, striking out nine in a 5-1 win over Louisville.
Gators win if … Their pitching can overmatch LSU's talented lineup. It starts with Singer on Monday night, and O'Sullivan said either Tyler Dyson or Michael Byrne will start Game 2. If it comes down to Game 3 on Wednesday, don't rule out an appearance by Faedo, who would be pitching on three days' rest. Oh, and it won't hurt if the offense can pick up the pace. The Gators are hitting just .203 (26-for-128) in the CWS, led by Christian Hicks (.313, 3-for-9) and Nelson Maldonado (.286, 4-for-14).
Quote of Note: "I think our league gets the best players in the country and I think that's why we're sitting here." – O'Sullivan on the All-SEC matchup in the CWS, only the fifth meeting between schools from the same conference in CWS history
*****
LSU
Record: 52-18
Regular Season: 39-17 (first in SEC West)
Record vs. Top 25: 18-10
Coach: Paul Mainieri, 11th year (512-200-3, .719)
All-Time CWS Record: 40-25
CWS Appearances: 18 (1986, '87, '89, '90, '91, '93, '94, '96, '97, '98, 2000, '03, '04, '08, '09, '13, '15, '17)
CWS Titles: Six (1991, '93, '96, '97, 2000, '09)
Road to Omaha: Baton Rouge Regional – W vs. Texas Southern 15-7; W vs. SE Louisiana 11-6; W vs. Rice 5-0. Baton Rouge Super Regional – W vs. Mississippi State 4-3; W vs. Mississippi State 14-4.
In Omaha: The Tigers opened with a 5-4 victory against Florida State after falling behind early to the Seminoles, and then got crushed 13-1 by No. 1-ranked Oregon State. However, LSU hasn't lost since. The Tigers rebounded from the loss to Oregon State by eliminating FSU, and then facing their most difficult challenge of the season, beat the Beavers on back-to-back days. Oregon State had lost four games all season prior to dropping two in a row to LSU.
Here. We. Geaux.
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) June 26, 2017
LSU vs. Florida
6 p.m. CT | ESPN
Wear PURPLE pic.twitter.com/ofEh312AO8
Player to Watch: Freshman reliever Zach Hess has opened eyes in Omaha with some of the nastiest pitches ever thrown at TD Ameritrade Park. If the Gators are down late and Mainieri calls Hess from the bullpen, that could spell trouble. Hess has tremendous late movement on his pitches and has struck out 82 in 58 1/3 innings.
Tigers win if … They get early leads and force the Gators to play catchup. The Tigers are hitting .241 as a team in Omaha, so they aren't exactly ripping through opposing pitchers. However, they have come up with some clutch hits, including seven home runs in their five games here, including two from Michael Papierski in their clinching win over Oregon State to advance to the championship series.
Quote of Note: "We've seen him two years now and haven't had a lot of success off of him. Not many people have. We know we're going to have our hands full.'' – LSU shortstop Kramer Robertson on facing Singer in Game 1
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