Florida Gators

Florida Notes | Texas A&M Notes

OMAHA, Neb. — It's rare for a Gators baseball team to be considered an underdog, and more unusual when you consider the Gators opened the season ranked second in the country.

But here they are, back in the heartland on college baseball's grandest stage.

"Every team is different, and obviously our road this year is different than in years past,'' UF head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "But I always felt like if we could stay above .500 and get in the tournament that we would have as good a chance as anybody."

The Gators have proven O'Sullivan's instincts correct, winning six of seven games in the NCAA Tournament to advance to the College World Series for the second consecutive season and ninth time in 17 seasons under O'Sullivan.

Florida (34-28) came back from the losers' bracket in the Stillwater (Okla.) Regional to win three consecutive elimination games. In last weekend's Clemson (S.C.) Super Regional, the Gators overcame deficits in both games to sweep the host Tigers when center fielder Michael Robertson stroked a walk-off, two-run double in the bottom of the 13th inning in Game 2.
 

Gator Nation in Omaha this one is for you!

Join your fellow Gators at Let It Fly Sports Bar (1080 Capitol Ave, Omaha, NE 68102) before each Gator game of the College World Series.

We kick it off tomorrow Saturday, June 15th: 3-5pm CT at Let It Fly before Gators vs Texas A&M… pic.twitter.com/kaW9liEzzB

— Florida Gators (@FloridaGators) June 14, 2024

It's been an unexpected trip and a fun ride for the Gators, who open the CWS on Saturday night against Southeastern Conference rival Texas A&M (49-13). The Gators took two of three at home against the Aggies in March.

Both teams have evolved over the past three months, and both have won five consecutive games heading into their matchup at Charles Schwab Field (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).

O'Sullivan said what happened in March has no bearing on Saturday night. That has been the case all postseason for these Gators.

"To get to this point, yeah, it's extremely rewarding," O'Sullivan said.

For a closer look at the Gators-Aggies matchup, here is our CWS Primer:
 
*****

FLORIDA

Record: 34-28
Regular Season: 28-27 (13-17 SEC)
Record vs. CWS Field: 4-8 (2-1 vs. Texas A&M, 1-2 vs. Kentucky, 1-2 vs. Tennessee, 0-3 vs. Florida State)
Coach: Kevin O'Sullivan, 17th year (715-347, .673)
All-Time CWS Record: 25-26
CWS Appearances: 14 (1988, '91, '96, '98, 2005, '10, '11, '12, '15, '16, '17, '18, '23, '24)
CWS Titles: 1 (2017)
Road to Omaha: Stillwater (Okla.) Regional — W vs. Nebraska 5-2; L vs. Oklahoma State 7-1; W vs. Nebraska 17-11; W vs. Oklahoma State 5-2; W vs. Oklahoma State 4-2. Clemson (S.C.) Super Regional — W vs. Clemson 10-7; W vs. Clemson 11-10 (13).
 
THE BUZZ: Few had the Gators in Omaha when the NCAA Tournament started but the Gators are here, winners of five consecutive games entering Saturday night's matchup against Texas A&M. The five-game win streak marks only the second time this season the Gators have strung together that many wins in a row, and the first time was in late February … Relievers Brandon Neely (3-4, 5.45 ERA, four saves) and Fisher Jameson (5-0, 4.35, three saves) have been crucial to Florida's postseason run. Both have delivered clutch performances behind starters Liam Peterson and Jac Caglianone when the Gators needed extended innings from the bullpen … Caglianone is college baseball's top two-way player and a powerful presence when he steps into the batter's box. Caglianone has 33 home runs and 73 for his career, one shy of matching Matt LaPorta (74) for the school record … Reserve outfielder Ashton Wilson has emerged as a postseason threat in place of injured Ty Evans, who remains unavailable in the CWS due to a broken wrist. Wilson is 12-for-29 in the NCAA Tournament with a pair of home runs … Reliever Ryan Slater (5-2, 6.70 ERA, 49 2/3 IP) did not pitch in the Clemson Super Regional after leaving an outing in the Stillwater Regional with an oblique strain, is available if needed in Omaha … Florida made it all the way to the CWS championship a year ago before losing Game 3 to LSU. The Gators enter this year's CWS as an underdog with the lowest team batting average (.272) and highest ERA (6.16) in the eight-team field. Still, with head coach Kevin O'Sullivan in the dugout, the Gators are rarely out of a postseason game. O'Sullivan improved to 9-1 all-time in super regionals and has guided the Gators to the championship series three times in Omaha, winning the program's only national title in 2017. QUOTE OF NOTE: "This is what you work for all year. Coming up one game short last year put a chip on our back, so we wanted to return. Having another shot at it is something we don't take for granted. We're thankful to be here and excited to play." – Gators junior Jac Caglianone on returning to the CWS
 
*****

TEXAS A&M

Record: 49-13
Regular Season: 44-13 (19-11 in SEC)
Record vs. CWS Field: 1-3 (1-2 vs. Florida, 0-1 vs. Tennessee)
Coach: Jim Schlossnagle, 3rd year (131-60, .686)
All-Time CWS Record: 4-14
CWS Appearances: 8 (1951, '64, '93, '99, 2011, '17, '22, '24
CWS Titles: 0
Road to Omaha: Bryan-College Station Regional — W vs. Grambling 8-0; W vs. Texas 4-2 (11); W vs. Louisiana 9-4. Bryan-College Station Super Regional — W vs. Oregon 10-6; W vs. Oregon 15-9. THE BUZZ: The Aggies are undefeated in the NCAA Tournament, winning their five games in the regional and super regional by a combined score of 46-21. The hot streak has not been without loss. Texas A&M star outfielder Braden Montgomery (.322, 27 HR, 85 RBI) is out with a broken ankle suffered in Game 1 against Oregon. Meanwhile, pitcher Shane Sdao (5-1, 2.96 ERA) left his start due to an arm injury after recording only one out in Game 2 … Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle led TCU to five trips to the CWS in 18 seasons before taking over the Aggies in 2022. He led Texas A&M to Omaha in his first season and has the Aggies back again behind a balanced lineup that hit 132 homers (fourth in Division I) and scored 546 runs (seventh) … The Aggies can pitch, too, and have a team ERA (3.94) that ranks in the top 10 nationally. Lefty starter Ryan Prager (8-1, 3.10, 87 IP) is formidable at the top of the rotation and Texas A&M features one of the best relievers in the country in left-hander Evan Aschenbeck, who is 6-1 with nine saves and a 1.66 ERA over 65 innings. From the right side, Chris Cortez (9-3, 2.83) is tough to hit with 89 strikeouts over 57 1/3 innings … Despite the loss of Montgomery, Texas A&M's offense does not lack for punch. Sophomore outfielder Jace LaViolette has a team-leading 28 homers and 83 runs. LaViolette is projected to be a top draft pick in 2025. Third baseman Gavin Grahovac (.306, 22, 63) and designated hitter Hayden Schott (.331, 8, 59) hit for average and power in the middle of the Aggies' lineup, and switch-hitting catcher Jackson Appel (.330, 10, 40) is crucial to their lineup in O'Sullivan's view … This is the third time in program history that Texas A&M has advanced to the CWS in the same season as Florida. The first two times – 2011 and 2017 – the Aggies went two and out and did not face the Gators.

QUOTE OF NOTE: "One of our coaches was talking about how we're going to try X or Y to pitch to him. I said, 'just make sure there's nobody on base.' That's the key. It really doesn't matter. If he hits it in the air, it's going to go over the fence most of the time." — Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle on pitching to Jac Caglianone