Florida Gators baseball drops in top-25 after series loss to LSU
The Florida Gators dropped in the latest D1Baseball.com Top 25 poll Monday after a 2-2 week.
UF was ranked No. 8 heading into last week but dropped six spots to No. 14 after a series loss to visiting LSU.
Florida started the week with a hard-fought, comeback win over Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday. Jud Fabian blasted two home runs in the win.
The Gators made it two in a row with a 7-2 Friday night win over No. 21 LSU. Hunter Barco continued to shine, throwing seven scoreless innings against a potent LSU lineup. Those Tigers showed just how potent their offense can be the rest of the weekend.
LSU scored 27 runs on 25 hits in the next 18 innings. Florida’s pitching staff struggled outside of Barco, Tyler Nesbitt, Nick Ficarrotta and Blake Purnell.
“It is what it is, disappointing. It’s not a point where you are going to panic, but at the same time, this is new for us, too. We haven’t been through something like this in back-to-back games. I think the most disappointing thing, whether you lose 11-2 or 3-2, they all hurt, but I honestly think LSU just imposed their will on us,” Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We did not respond at all. Disappointing, but we’ll get better. We’re going to have to get better because it is not going to get much easier moving forward.”
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The Gators’ bullpen gave up 19 runs — 18 earned — in 14.1 innings of relief against LSU. That’s an 11.30 ERA. Even worse, their WHIP (walks + hits per innings pitched) was 1.7442.
The Gators need to find answers outside the four previously named that have proven reliable.
“We have who we have. They’re talented. They’re freshmen. It’s not like Major League Baseball where you can make trades or you can move guys up and down. We have to get these guys better. It’s just that simple. They’re at a point now where it’s not really their freshman year anymore,” O’Sullivan said. “Using the excuse of freshmen, I’m not going to sit in front of you guys and make excuses. There’s no excuses. They’re talented, they’re just not making pitches.”
Gators schedule next week
The Florida Gators face the No. 5 Florida State Seminoles on Tuesday at 121 Financial Park in Jacksonville. It will be the first time the Noles and Gators meet this season. Their previous date on March 15 at Florida Ballpark.
It will be a quick turnaround for the Gators.
They travel to Athens on Wednesday to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. That series will start on Thursday night with the first game scheduled for 8:00 pm on ESPN2. The two teams will meet on Friday at 6:00 pm (SEC Network+) and Saturday at 2:00 pm (SEC Network +).
Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Tennessee | 23-1 |
| 2 | Arkansas | 18-4 |
| 3 | Oregon State | 17-5 |
| 4 | Virginia | 22-2 |
| 5 | FSU | 16-7 |
| 6 | Oklahoma State | 18-6 |
| 7 | Texas Tech | 20-5 |
| 8 | Texas | 19-7 |
| 9 | Vanderbilt | 19-4 |
| 10 | Ole Miss | 16-7 |
| 11 | Louisville | 19-5 |
| 12 | TCU | 18-5 |
| 13 | LSU | 17-7 |
| 14 | Florida | 17-7 |
| 15 | Arizona | 17-7 |
| 16 | Notre Dame | 12-5 |
| 17 | Miami | 17-6 |
| 18 | UNC | 18-6 |
| 19 | Dallas Baptist | 15-8 |
| 20 | Texas State | 20-5 |
| 21 | Oregon | 16-7 |
| 22 | Georgia Tech | 16-9 |
| 23 | Georgia | 18-6 |
| 24 | Gonzaga | 16-6 |
| 25 | UCONN | 17-5 |
