College World Series Primer: Gators vs. Arkansas

Junior right-hander Brady Singer, in blue jacket, gets second start of CWS on Friday night when the Gators face Arkansas at TD Ameritrade Park. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

College World Series Primer: Gators vs. Arkansas

Friday, June 22, 2018 | Baseball, Scott Carter

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

OMAHA, Neb. -- The College World Series is down to four teams.

Washington, Texas, North Carolina and Texas Tech have departed. In fact, it's starting to feel like the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Florida, Arkansas and Mississippi State are joined by Oregon State among the four teams left standing, marking only the second time in CWS history that three of the final four remaining teams are from the same conference.

The Gators face Arkansas on Friday night in search of a third consecutive victory in Omaha while staring elimination in the face. If the Gators win, the two teams will meet again Saturday night for a berth in the CWS final.

Let's take a closer look at Friday night's matchup:

FLORIDA

Record: 49-20, 20-10 in Southeastern Conference

Coach: Kevin O'Sullivan, 11th year (497-228, .686)

NCAA Tournament: 34th appearance all-time (11th consecutive)

Tournament record: 115-75 (12 trips to College World Series)

CWS record: 21-23 (one national title, 2017)

#Gators vs. #Hogs

8 p.m. | @ESPN pic.twitter.com/wScqRPZ1mB
— Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 22, 2018

How they got here: The Gators fought off elimination for the second time in three days on Thursday with a 9-6 victory over Texas Tech, eliminating the Red Raiders. The Gators beat Texas 6-1 on Tuesday afternoon to eliminate the Longhorns. The defending national champion Gators dropped their first game in Omaha, 6-3, to Texas Tech on Sunday.

Player to watch: As soon as Florida walked off the field late Thursday night, attention turned to junior ace Brady Singer, who will start against the Razorbacks. Singer (12-2, 2.33 ERA) suffered only his second loss of the season in Florida's first game of the CWS, giving up nine hits and five runs (two earned) against Texas Tech. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter in a 99-pitch outing. Singer threw the ball well but was victimized by some shaky defense and timely hits. In his only start of the season against Arkansas, Singer suffered his first loss of the season March 23. In that outing, Arkansas hit a pair of home runs and touched Singer for seven hits and six runs over seven innings.

Quote of note: "We played Gator baseball. We hit like we know how to hit and we pitched like we know how to pitch. That was good to see. We need to carry that into the next few games." -- Florida third baseman Jonathan India after Thursday's win

Buzz: The Gators are now 7-0 in elimination games the past two seasons following the victory over Texas Tech ... JJ Schwarz's home run Thursday was UF's 100th of the season, second-best in the NCAA this season ... Schwarz is set to become the school's all-time career leader in games played (266) on Friday ... Freshman catcher Brady Smith replaced struggling Jonah Girand in the lineup and went 1-for-4 with an RBI triple Thursday ... If the Gators win Friday, freshman right-hander Tommy Mace (5-0, 4.45 ERA) or sophomore Tyler Dyson (5-3, 4.47 ERA) is likely to start on Saturday. Mace faced two batters in relief on Thursday and Dyson has not pitched since May 8 due to shoulder and control issues ... Singer and fellow starters Jackson Kowar and Jack Leftwich each has pitched at least 6 1/3 innings in Omaha. Among the rest of the field, only four starters have gone six or more innings ... Second baseman Blake Reese went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and a stolen base on Thursday. Reese is hitting a team-high .417 (5-for-11) with three doubles and three runs in the CWS.

ARKANSAS

Record: 46-19, 18-12 in SEC

Coach: Dave Van Horn, 16th year (640-402, .614)

NCAA Tournament: 30th appearance all-time (15 times in last 16 seasons)

Tournament record: 81-64 (nine trips to CWS)

CWS record: 13-16 (no national titles)

Not done yet. #OmaHogs pic.twitter.com/ojoWIqZ6Em
— Razorback Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 21, 2018

How they got here: The Razorbacks opened their trip to Omaha with an 11-5 victory over Texas on Sunday. They then knocked off Texas Tech 7-4 on Tuesday to stay in the winners bracket and get two days off before facing the Gators. Arkansas is hitting a CWS-high .360 (27-for-75) with three home runs.

Player to watch: Razorbacks center fielder Dominic Fletcher is batting .667 in two games in the CWS, going 6-for-9 with a home run, double and six RBI. Fletcher's two-run double on a ball that dropped between a pair of Texas Tech outfielders ignited Arkansas in its win on Tuesday.

Quote of note: "Like I told the team, been here before and didn't go very good. We haven't really done anything yet. We're 2-0. It's a great feeling. What it gets us is a day off so you can rest some guys. And maybe that's it. You've still got work to do." -- Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn on playing from winners bracket

Buzz: Redshirt sophomore right-hander Isaiah Campbell is set to start against the Gators for the second time this season. Campbell lasted only an inning in the Gators' 17-2 victory on March 24 at McKethan Stadium, allowing four hits and six runs. India's first-inning grand slam did the most damage ... Arkansas' 46 victories are tied for sixth-best in program history (51 in 1985, 1987, 1989; 49 in 1979; 47 in 1990; 46 in 2012, 2018) ... The Razorbacks have 10 or more hits in seven of eight NCAA Tournament games and scored seven-plus in a game six times ... First baseman Jared Gates has hit four home runs in 11 career NCAA Tournament games (eight in his other 68 other games) … Third baseman Casey Martin, who leads the Razorbacks with a .348 average, has 13 hits in the NCAA Tournament ... If Florida wins and forces another game Saturday, Razorbacks junior right-hander Blaine Knight will start. Knight is 13-0 with a 2.88 ERA on the season and has 98 strikeouts in 106 1/3 innings.