Kevin O'Sullivan: Extra time off puts me 'on my edge'

Florida earned a two-day break following their berth into the College World Series final thanks to being undefeated through three games in Omaha this week.

The last time the Gators took the field was on Wednesday, meaning Florida was able to rest for over 48 hours in-between the semifinal and final series. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan revealed why that might not actually be a positive for his squad in the long run.

“I think from a bullpen standpoint, it’s been helpful. But, honestly, from my standpoint, it puts me a little bit on my edge, honestly,” O’Sullivan said ahead of the CWS final. “Because what you don’t want your players to do is, on off days, lose their edge. There have been plenty of teams who played on that Thursday game and went on to win this last series.

“It’s really our responsibility to keep our players off edge. That’s going to be a huge message. The days off are fine, but you have to be able to turn the switch back on.”

LSU, who will face Florida in the College World Series final beginning on Saturday, defeated top-seeded Wake Forest in Thursday night in an instant classic. Tommy White became a hero for the Tigers after belting the first pitch he saw over the fence in the 11th inning to give LSU the 2-0 walk-off win.

All the momentum seems to be swinging toward the Tigers after White’s hit, while Florida has been paitently waiting in the wings since Wednesday night.

“LSU is coming off an incredible win [on Thursday], an emotional win, that will help them be at the highest level as far as feeling good about themselves going into Saturday’s game. And we sat back and watched,” O’Sullivan said. “So, yes, the days off have been good from a bullpen standpoint. But you also gotta guard against losing that edge. And that falls on us to make sure our guys are ready to play.”

Despite it being an all-SEC championship series, both LSU and Florida had somehow avoided each other during the regular season and conference tournament — which makes this series even more intriuging.

The first pitch between the Gators and Tigers is set for 7 p.m. ET live on ESPN and ESPN+. Florida will head into Game 1 as a slight betting favorite (-130) over LSU, according to Caesars Sportsbook. The over/under total is set at 9.5 runs.