The Florida Gators' difficult path out of the Gainesville Regional

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Road to Omaha is under construction. A ballclub from West Texas blasted three home runs in a 5-4 win and forced the Florida Gators on a detour in their own city.

Texas Tech threw a wrench in Florida’s clean path to a Super Regional. Jac Caglianone and the Florida bullpen were able to keep pitch counts down and win on Friday. It wasn’t pretty but at this point of the season, a win is a win. That set Florida up in the winner’s bracket with Brandon Sproat and Hurston Waldrep available. A win Saturday and Florida would be sitting pretty and would be in the driver’s seat with keys in hand.

Keys snatched.

The difference between a 2-0 record and a 1-1 record is monumental at this point of the season.

“It’s definitely a lot easier to win one of these, winning the first two than losing the second or the first one. It’s very hard to do it the other way,” Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock said,” Definitely put you in a good spot.”

The Gators will turn to Hurston Waldrep on Sunday in an elimination game. Some may question, can you get away with saving Waldrep for a potential game with Texas Tech? However, if Kevin O’Sullivan chose to go that route and Florida were to lose to UConn, how do you look yourself in the mirror having not thrown Waldrep once in your regional? When your season is on the line and you have a first rounder available to throw, you throw him.

“If we don’t win our season’s over,” Kevin O’Sullivan said. “So, yeah, that’s a pretty easy decision to make.”

The Gators’ pitching staff will be tested

The difference between 1-1 and 2-0 comes down to pitching. Florida will need to beat UConn at noon, then has to beat Texas Tech twice. Had UF come out on top Saturday, they would have thrown Waldrep in an elimination game for someone else, still having to lose twice in a double-elimination format.

Florida needs Waldrep to not only pitch well but to also go deep into the game. O’Sullivan and pitching coach David Kopp have settled on a four-man bullpen. Two lefties (Philip Abner and Cade Fisher) along with two right-handers (Ryan Slater and Brandon Neely).

In a perfect world for the Gators, Waldrep would throw a complete game and the bullpen would be rested for a 6:00 pm rematch with the Red Raiders. Brandon Neely was stretched out in Hoover for a reason. Neely was a contender for a weekend starting role before Jac Caglianone won the Sunday spot. Neely has settled into his role as a closer and is second in the country with 11 saves. He would most likely get the nod to start the sixth game of the Gainesville Regional. How long could he go? Who did you use and how many pitches did they throw against UConn to get to the second game on Saturday?

Florida will have to get innings from Cade Fisher, who has yet to throw in the NCAA Tournament. Philip Abner threw 27 pitches on Saturday but should be available Sunday. Ryan Slater has thrown two days in a row but has only thrown 30 pitches. He could also be available. Tyler Nesbitt, Blake Purnell, Nick Ficarrotta, Yoel Tejada, and Chris Arroyo could be called on at any point. It will be all hands on deck the rest of the way.

You have to beat UConn before you can even start to plan for a second game. The rest of the regional will ask for a herculean effort from the bullpen. A group that was maligned early but has found a groove later in the season will need to produce. Florida will also have to start swinging the bats.

The Gators are batting just .217 (13-60) through two games. That’s not good enough.

Tough reality

This is the 12th regional that the Florida Gators have hosted in 15 opportunities under Kevin O’Sullivan. It’s the 15th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the club. They haven’t advanced to a Super Regional since 2018. There are 299 Division I baseball teams. Only 16 make it to a Super Regional. It’s not easy, but it has become the standard for Florida Gators baseball.

Florida has an incredibly talented roster. The Gators returned seniors and fourth-year juniors that most expected to leave in the MLB Draft last year. They have talent that most teams envy. They have a player in Wyatt Langford that could be a top-three pick in this year’s draft and at least one more first-round pick.

Not advancing out of the Gainesville Regional, with this team, with this talent, would be a monumental disappointment.

Remaining Gainesville Regional Schedule

Sunday, June 4
Game Five: 12 p.m. ET* (elimination game) – Florida vs. UConn
Game Six: 6 p.m. ET* – Texas Tech vs. Winner Game Five

Monday, June 5
Game Seven (if necessary): TBA* – Winner Game Six vs. Loser Game Six
*All times subject to change based on TV