Florida players speak to importance of momentum on their postseason run

Baseball is more than a stick and a ball. There are countless minute details between the lines, including momentum. Florida has the latter detail on its side.

The Gators are entering the Men’s College World Series championship with eight-straight wins. The team’s last loss was on June 3, when Texas Tech narrowly defeated the Gators 5-4 in the Gainesville Regional. Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford discussed momentum’s role in the Gators’ postseason run.

“Momentum means a lot. Especially in the College World Series where we have, like we’ve had two days in between playing. Being able to stick with that momentum and use that going into the next games means a lot to us as players and just the program overall,” Langford said.

This isn’t Florida’s first jaw-dropping win streak this season. In March, UF rattled off nine-straight victories, defeating five different programs in the process. While Florida isn’t a stranger to momentum, this is a wholly unique experience.

“Momentum can be separated into many different ways. I think there’s momentum within an inning and a game and obviously momentum within a season. For us, it’s been momentum throughout the postseason, as you said. And, we’re just feeding off of it. Every guy that goes out there has all the confidence in the world in themselves and the guys around them. And without that you can’t have success,” Florida senior BT Riopelle said.

The Gators’ confidence isn’t misplaced. Florida is batting .248 in the postseason while holding opponents to 2.4 runs per game. For reference, that number would rank first in NCAA D1 baseball during the regular season.

During the regular season, Florida finished tied for first place in the SEC with Arkansas. While the Gators have not yet played LSU this season, the team they will face in the championship series, they are confident with momentum behind them.

“We’ve had that momentum and have had that success in the last three weeks and we’re just looking to keep it going,” Riopelle said.

Florida will need all the momentum it can find. LSU is coming off back-to-back wins against Wake Forest, who was the No. 1 overall season in the MCWS. Florida will take on the Tigers at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.