There was nothing junior about what the third-year Gators accomplished Sunday.
With Florida’s Super Regional sweep of North Carolina State, the UF junior class will play in its third College World Series in three seasons. It’s a remarkable feat coach Kevin O’Sullivan tried to put into perspective.
“Obviously, Omaha is a thing we talk about,” O’Sullivan said. “But I can’t say enough — it’s extremely difficult to get to this point. It is extremely difficult.”
Reaching the College World Series has proven tough enough for the title-less Gators, and this season was no exception. Perhaps the most challenging step for Florida was its 9-8 victory Sunday. In what was likely the last home appearance for UF’s six drafted juniors, there were four lead changes, and N.C. State rallied to tie Florida three times.
The Gators did not escape with a win until they plated two runs in the top of the 10th and only surrendered one to the Wolfpack in the bottom half of the inning.
“That kind of game, and how it worked out, that’s what I came back for,” senior Preston Tucker said. “If I could pick a game I wanted to go out with here at home, I think that’s the one.”
While Tucker and the seniors fell short of reaching the College World Series in 2009, all the juniors know is Omaha. However, Mike Zunino and his fellow juniors, like every other player that has donned a Florida baseball uniform, have never won a national title.
Advancing to the pinnacle of college baseball three consecutive times is a monster feat. The Gators had only been to Omaha five times in the 50-year history of the College World Series before 2010.
But if you end the season empty-handed, it was all in vain — just ask the Buffalo Bills.
Florida’s current squad is the best team in the 98-year history of the program. Their record may not reflect that, but the Gators have nine MLB Draft picks on their roster. They have two years of College World Series experience — including the sting of last year’s loss to South Carolina — and they are the nation’s No. 1 team for a reason.
UF has dealt with high expectations since January, and the glare has only intensified in the heat of the June sun. The Gators’ championship window is closing, and this is their last chance to punctuate a historic run with a satisfying end.
“For us to get back to this point,” O’Sullivan said, “it was something we set out to do, but it was not easy. Getting to the final eight is never easy.”
Florida has one final crack at glory in Omaha, and the road is not getting any easier.
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
