Brian O'Connor discusses early performance of Nick Parker in College World Series matchup with Florida

The Florida Gators jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on the Virginia Cavaliers in the fourth inning of the College World Series on Friday evening. The Cavaliers got a shaky early performance from their pitcher, Nick Parker.

In the first four innings, he allowed one run and four hits, while also walking three batters with one strikeout. In the fifth inning, Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor took some time to speak with the ESPN broadcast crew about Parker’s performance.

“Well, he’s not at his best. He’s not as sharp as he typically is. But he’s doing a great job of managing innings and not giving in and making big pitches. And we’re making nice plays, too,” O’Connor said.

Brian O’Connor shared his final words of inspiration to his team

The Cavaliers’ head coach shared what his final words to his team were before they took the field on Friday night in their first game in the 2023 College World Series.

“Well just be yourself. Right? Not try to do more than you’re capable of doing. Remember what got you here, because that formula is also successful here in Omaha,” said O’Connor.

There was some questionable early base running from both teams in the first four innings of Friday’s matchup. The Virginia offense went 3-for-12 from the plate, but they were 0-for-5 with runners on base.

The Cavaliers tacked on four runs in the seventh inning to take a 4-1 lead against Florida. In the top of the seventh inning, Virginia’s Griff O’Ferrall lined a beautifully drilled double down the third base line and into the left corner of Charles Schwab Field. The ball simply couldn’t have been placed in a better spot and it allowed two runs to score for the Cavaliers. UVA outfielder Ethan O’Donnell also slapped a single to right center field, which brought Griff O’Ferrall home.

But Florida was able to rally back in the bottom of the ninth inning, after the Gators got a pair of home runs from Ty Evans and Wyatt Langford. That set the stage for the Gators remarkable comeback.

Jac Caglianone followed Langford’s home run with a single. Josh Rivera walked and BT Riopelle was hit with a pitch to set the stage for freshman Luke Heyman. The designated hitter smoked a 2-0 fastball back up the middle to center field to plate Caglianone and set off a mad dash of Gators chasing him into the outfield at Charles Schwab Stadium.

O’Connor was able to guide the Cavaliers to a 50-14 overall record thus far in the 2023 campaign. Virginia currently leads the nation in doubles by a significant margin and their bats showed up again on Friday night. Florida’s offense was simply too much when it counted the most and took advantage of UVA pitcher Jake Berry.

Florida features Golden Spikes Award finalist Jac Caglianone–one of the best two-way players in all of college baseball. He currently leads the nation with 31 home runs–shattering Florida’s single season record. Caglianone also ranks fifth in the country with 84 RBIs. He earned first team All-SEC honors after posting a .779 slugging percentage this year. As a pitcher, Caglianone has a 7-3 record this year with a 3.78 ERA during his 16 starts.

On3’s Nick de la Torre also contributed to this article.