Florida players reflect on importance of strong defensive showing against TCU

In yet another one-run game at the College World Series, the Florida defense came up with play after clutch play against TCU on Wednesday as the Gators advanced to the championship series. After taking a 3-2 win, several Florida players shared how defense has been a season-long point of pride for them.

Against TCU, it showed up throughout the game. In the bottom of the third inning, leading 2-1, a clutch double play up the middle ended the inning, bailing pitcher Jac Caglianone out of a jam. And to win the game, Florida got some sterling defensive work in centerfield as Michael Robertson tracked down the final out while headed to the wall.

“Honestly the double play, that was huge against Richardson. Josh [Rivera] and Cade [Kurland] doing what they do best, making it quick and making it easy and helping me out in tough spots,” Caglianone said. “That’s just the way that this team has played. Everybody has each other’s backs and that’s just kind of how we got to this point.”

Rivera made a fine play of his own to throw out a TCU base runner trying to score at home, gunning a relay from the outfield to catcher BT Riopelle, who applied the tag.

The Gators shortstop agreed with Caglianone about the role the defense has played in getting Florida to the championship series at the CWS. And he heaped some praise on Robertson and Colby Halter for their own individual plays.

“Our defense has played a great factor in where we are today. It’s just huge for us to be able to make the routine plays and also make a spectacular play whenever it’s needed, like you said. With Colby Halter making a tremendous diving catch and Mikey running down a ball that was hit really well. So it’s just important for us and it’s kind of a point of emphasis as a team to go out there and make all the plays we can and try to help our pitchers out the best we can,” Rivera said.

Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan discussed the emotions of getting back to the CWS finals

Ahead of the final, O’Sullivan shared his thoughts and emotions on making it back to the final.

“Well, you learn a lot from all of them,” Kevin O’Sullivan said. “2011, I think we played South Carolina, had a bases loaded nobody out in the ninth and didn’t score. It seems just like yesterday.”

Kevin O’Sullivan took over as the head coach of the Gators in 2008, immediately going to the NCAA Regional. By 2011, he took Florida to the College World Series final against South Carolina, losing. In 2017, the Gators made the final and won it all.

“And in ’17, we lost this game and had to come back with Alex Faedo as you remember in the second game to get to the final series, and then we got a great performance by Brady Singer and obviously Tyler Dyson came up huge for us in the second game, but it’s not easy to get to this point,” O’Sullivan said.