Omaha? That's so three years ago.
Matt LaPorta and Brian Leclerc? They're long gone.
Coach Pat McMahon? He's yesterday's news.
Forget everything you've known about the UF baseball team from the last three years. Starting Friday, it's a whole new era.
Coach Kevin O'Sullivan and the Gators kick off the 2008 season at 6:30 p.m. against Siena, ushering in a wave of change in the hopes of correcting UF's epitome-of-mediocrity 57-58 record since losing in the finals of the 2005 College World Series.
"I'm just looking forward to this whole new style of playing," senior first baseman Brandon McArthur said.
McArthur said the coaches are "locked and loaded," having the players train harder than they ever have in anticipation of getting results on the field.
"A lot of people talk about Florida and where they used to be. It's going to be totally different," McArthur said.
O'Sullivan and his mostly young squad - only five of the 34 players are seniors and 20 are freshmen or sophomores - are more than ready for the season to start.
"Everyone's really excited around here," sophomore shortstop Cole Figueroa said. "Not just myself. The coaches, the staff, all the players just can't wait to get going."
The Gators have been waiting longer than usual after the NCAA imposed a Feb. 22 start date for all teams.
They are usually playing in the first two weeks of the month. Instead, they've had no competition but themselves so far.
"We're tired of beating up on each other," senior third baseman Jon Townsend said. "We want to play against somebody else. It's a long off-season."
Townsend compared his anticipation to that of his senior year in high school. He's thrilled to get started, but there's also the knowledge that this is his final year.
"It's a weird sort of excitement," Townsend said. "It's almost an anxiety to it. … I want it to be as good as it possibly can be."
Siena is just the start of UF's hectic schedule, with 14 games in 19 days before Southeastern Conference play starts on March 14 against Auburn.
O'Sullivan will hand the ball to Kyle Mullaney in the season opener, trusting the sophomore to handle Friday night starts.
Mullaney (4-2, 4.25 ERA in 2007) found out he's starting by looking at a pitching schedule in the clubhouse Tuesday afternoon.
"I'm really looking forward to it," Mullaney said. "It's going to be a lot of fun. … It's a privilege, and I'm going to pitch as best I can for the team."
Mullaney will face Siena junior Craig Chaput on the mound. Chaput had a team-high 72 innings pitched in 13 games last year.
The Gators hold an 8-0 record all time against Siena. The teams last met in 2003 with UF winning 5-4.
Siena, unlike UF, is a mature team. The Saints return all nine position starters from last season and have eight seniors and seven juniors.
"I'm definitely looking forward to a very polished team," Figueroa said. "We cannot take them lightly at all."
The teams round out the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon. Junior Patrick Keating (3-2, 5.79 ERA in 2007) will get the start on Saturday and freshman Tommy Toledo (9-2, 1.01 ERA as a high school senior) will go Sunday. All three UF starters in the series are right-handed.
It's the season's first contest for Siena as well, so don't expect the Saints to lie down.
"It should be a good, competitive opening weekend," Townsend said. "Siena's definitely going to compete its butts off."
