Starter Hunter Barco, left, receives a visit from catcher Mac Guscette and head coach Kevin O'Sullivan in the first inning of Saturday's 19-1 loss to South Alabama at Florida Ballpark. (Photo: Carla Kakouris/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: Putting a Wrap on a Slipshod Finish
Monday, June 7, 2021 | Baseball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – There was a championship game Monday at Florida Ballpark.
Most assumed when the Gainesville Regional began that if the winner wasn't decided by Sunday night, that meant a coveted Florida-Miami showdown on Monday for the regional title.
If you haven't heard, South Alabama and USF told everyone what we can do with our assumptions. Especially the Bulls, who advanced to the first super regional in school history by beating the Jaguars in the final.
USF beat the Gators on Friday and beat the Hurricanes on Saturday, the same day South Alabama turned into the '27 Yankees and ended Florida's season in a 19-1 romp. Meanwhile, the Jaguars ousted Miami on Sunday to advance to face the Bulls. Needing a win against USF to force a rematch for the regional championship, South Alabama led USF 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth Sunday night when Mother Nature had seen enough for the weekend. The game resumed Monday afternoon with South Alabama winning, hence the winner-take-all game a couple of hours later – after another weather delay, of course.
The Gators showed up at their home ballpark Tuesday morning to clear out lockers, share goodbyes and ponder the highs and lows of the past four months. UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan appeared ready to take a breath following the disappointing finish.
"I'll take some time Sunday and Monday to kind of reflect on things,'' O'Sullivan said following his worst postseason loss in 14 seasons at UF. "There's not much to say. It's just one of those days. Unfortunately, it's the last game of the year for us. It's something we've got to live with, but the sun will come up tomorrow and we've got to move forward. We have a lot to be proud of."
Florida opened the season as the consensus No. 1 team in the country, which had everything to do with what the Gators did in the COVID -shortened 2020 season. Florida won 16 of 17 games before the season was canceled. In hindsight, the small sample size against nonconference opponents proved a decidedly inaccurate gauge for the 2021 Gators. They were a good team, but far from a great one or within reach of O'Sullivan's best.
Florida lost two of three to the Hurricanes in the season-opening series – the first games in the program's splendid new $65 million ballpark – and struggled to play well consistently for much of the first half of the season.
"Maybe we could have done a better job of handling the expectations at the start of the year,'' O'Sullivan said. "That falls on me. I'm really proud of the way they battled and got through it."
The Gators' best stretch started with a comeback win at Tennessee on April 11 that ignited a seven-game win streak, including a dramatic walk-off victory against Florida State two days later on Kendrick Calilao's 10th-inning home run. The Gators won 15 of 19 over that span and took two of three at home from Vanderbilt in late April. However, over the final five weeks of the season, the Gators went 8-9 and bottomed out with Saturday's deflating 18-run loss to the Jaguars that included a 10-run sixth inning in which South Alabama strung together 10 consecutive hits.
How bad was it? South Alabama hit three home runs the next inning and the rare feat barely registered on the radar. By that time, the Gators were dazed and about to endure a nearly two-hour weather delay.
"Sat there in your own thoughts," outfielder Jacob Young said of the time spent in baseball purgatory. "You're not doing much when you're down 19-1 in a must-win game."
Immediately after the game, renewed speculation bubbled about O'Sullivan's future. It's not the first time O'Sullivan's name has been linked to other openings during his successful stint in Gainesville. O'Sullivan became the program's all-time winningest coach this season and has led the Gators to seven trips to the College World Series. The Gators won the program's only national title in 2017 and have been to the NCAA Tournament each full season O'Sullivan (585-278, .678 winning percentage) has manned the dugout.
LSU coach Paul Mainieri has announced his retirement after the season and reports surfaced that O'Sullivan was LSU's leading target to replace him. O'Sullivan recently addressed the rumors and has been operating business as usual, gathering the team on Tuesday for a standard end-of-season meeting.
O'Sullivan signed a 10-year, $12.5 million contract extension in 2016 and for now, with or without speculation brewing about his future, O'Sullivan has one of the best jobs in the country.
"This is a dream come true for me,'' O'Sullivan, who grew up in South Florida, said when hired in June 2007. "I plan to start and end my career here."
Fourteen years later, the 52-year-old O'Sullivan is considered among the elite college baseball coaches in the country.
The 2022 Gators will have a different look with the expected departure of some key draft-eligible mainstays, including All-Southeastern Conference outfielder Jud Fabian and starting pitchers Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich. The Gators also lose third baseman Kirby McMullen. What ailed the Gators most this season is a part of the game O'Sullivan's teams have been known for over the years: pitching depth.
Tyler Nesbitt and Nick Pogue missed the season due to arm injuries and right-hander Ben Specht, projected to be a key piece of the bullpen, struggled to get hitters out and missed long stretches. The Gators finished with a 4.38 team ERA, nearly two runs higher than the abbreviated 2020 season (2.41) and the third-highest mark for the program under O'Sullivan (5.37 in 2019; 4.39 in 2008).
The Gators have another strong recruiting class and plenty of returning talent to stay among the country's top programs in 2022, while other players will move on for different opportunities, a staple of O'Sullivan's tenure. Infielder Cory Acton, outfielder Brock Edge and pitcher/first baseman Jordan Butler have entered the transfer portal according to reports Tuesday.
For now, the end of 2021 will sting for a while as 16 teams continue their quest for a berth in the College World Series. That includes USF, which late Monday afternoon, became the first team to swarm the mound and dogpile at Florida Ballpark.
"Not what we expected,'' Young said.
Most assumed when the Gainesville Regional began that if the winner wasn't decided by Sunday night, that meant a coveted Florida-Miami showdown on Monday for the regional title.
If you haven't heard, South Alabama and USF told everyone what we can do with our assumptions. Especially the Bulls, who advanced to the first super regional in school history by beating the Jaguars in the final.
USF beat the Gators on Friday and beat the Hurricanes on Saturday, the same day South Alabama turned into the '27 Yankees and ended Florida's season in a 19-1 romp. Meanwhile, the Jaguars ousted Miami on Sunday to advance to face the Bulls. Needing a win against USF to force a rematch for the regional championship, South Alabama led USF 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth Sunday night when Mother Nature had seen enough for the weekend. The game resumed Monday afternoon with South Alabama winning, hence the winner-take-all game a couple of hours later – after another weather delay, of course.
The Gators showed up at their home ballpark Tuesday morning to clear out lockers, share goodbyes and ponder the highs and lows of the past four months. UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan appeared ready to take a breath following the disappointing finish.
"I'll take some time Sunday and Monday to kind of reflect on things,'' O'Sullivan said following his worst postseason loss in 14 seasons at UF. "There's not much to say. It's just one of those days. Unfortunately, it's the last game of the year for us. It's something we've got to live with, but the sun will come up tomorrow and we've got to move forward. We have a lot to be proud of."
Florida opened the season as the consensus No. 1 team in the country, which had everything to do with what the Gators did in the COVID -shortened 2020 season. Florida won 16 of 17 games before the season was canceled. In hindsight, the small sample size against nonconference opponents proved a decidedly inaccurate gauge for the 2021 Gators. They were a good team, but far from a great one or within reach of O'Sullivan's best.
Florida lost two of three to the Hurricanes in the season-opening series – the first games in the program's splendid new $65 million ballpark – and struggled to play well consistently for much of the first half of the season.
"Maybe we could have done a better job of handling the expectations at the start of the year,'' O'Sullivan said. "That falls on me. I'm really proud of the way they battled and got through it."
Thank you for all your support this past season, Gators.#GoGators // 🐊⚾ pic.twitter.com/RvBeVdJ83W
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 5, 2021
The Gators' best stretch started with a comeback win at Tennessee on April 11 that ignited a seven-game win streak, including a dramatic walk-off victory against Florida State two days later on Kendrick Calilao's 10th-inning home run. The Gators won 15 of 19 over that span and took two of three at home from Vanderbilt in late April. However, over the final five weeks of the season, the Gators went 8-9 and bottomed out with Saturday's deflating 18-run loss to the Jaguars that included a 10-run sixth inning in which South Alabama strung together 10 consecutive hits.
How bad was it? South Alabama hit three home runs the next inning and the rare feat barely registered on the radar. By that time, the Gators were dazed and about to endure a nearly two-hour weather delay.
"Sat there in your own thoughts," outfielder Jacob Young said of the time spent in baseball purgatory. "You're not doing much when you're down 19-1 in a must-win game."
Immediately after the game, renewed speculation bubbled about O'Sullivan's future. It's not the first time O'Sullivan's name has been linked to other openings during his successful stint in Gainesville. O'Sullivan became the program's all-time winningest coach this season and has led the Gators to seven trips to the College World Series. The Gators won the program's only national title in 2017 and have been to the NCAA Tournament each full season O'Sullivan (585-278, .678 winning percentage) has manned the dugout.
LSU coach Paul Mainieri has announced his retirement after the season and reports surfaced that O'Sullivan was LSU's leading target to replace him. O'Sullivan recently addressed the rumors and has been operating business as usual, gathering the team on Tuesday for a standard end-of-season meeting.
O'Sullivan signed a 10-year, $12.5 million contract extension in 2016 and for now, with or without speculation brewing about his future, O'Sullivan has one of the best jobs in the country.
"This is a dream come true for me,'' O'Sullivan, who grew up in South Florida, said when hired in June 2007. "I plan to start and end my career here."
Fourteen years later, the 52-year-old O'Sullivan is considered among the elite college baseball coaches in the country.
The 2022 Gators will have a different look with the expected departure of some key draft-eligible mainstays, including All-Southeastern Conference outfielder Jud Fabian and starting pitchers Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich. The Gators also lose third baseman Kirby McMullen. What ailed the Gators most this season is a part of the game O'Sullivan's teams have been known for over the years: pitching depth.
Tyler Nesbitt and Nick Pogue missed the season due to arm injuries and right-hander Ben Specht, projected to be a key piece of the bullpen, struggled to get hitters out and missed long stretches. The Gators finished with a 4.38 team ERA, nearly two runs higher than the abbreviated 2020 season (2.41) and the third-highest mark for the program under O'Sullivan (5.37 in 2019; 4.39 in 2008).
The Gators have another strong recruiting class and plenty of returning talent to stay among the country's top programs in 2022, while other players will move on for different opportunities, a staple of O'Sullivan's tenure. Infielder Cory Acton, outfielder Brock Edge and pitcher/first baseman Jordan Butler have entered the transfer portal according to reports Tuesday.
For now, the end of 2021 will sting for a while as 16 teams continue their quest for a berth in the College World Series. That includes USF, which late Monday afternoon, became the first team to swarm the mound and dogpile at Florida Ballpark.
"Not what we expected,'' Young said.
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