As the top-ranked team in the nation heading into the College World Series, Florida looked primed to win its first-ever national championship in 2012 after coming just two wins short last season. Instead, the Gators made their earliest CWS exit in school history.
Florida dropped back-to-back contests to South Carolina and Kent State to become the second team eliminated in Omaha.
UF's starting pitchers struggled in the CWS. Lefty Brian Johnson surrendered five runs in four innings as the Gators dropped their opener 7-3 to the Gamecocks. Against the Golden Flashes, ace Hudson Randall lasted just one frame before exiting due to heat-related issues.
Despite failing to clinch both the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles, the Gators still earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Florida dominated the NCAA Gainesville Regional with strong starting pitching and timely hitting. Sophomore right-hander Jonathon Crawford, who coach Kevin O'Sullivan left off Florida's College World Series roster in 2011, pitched a no-hitter in a 4-0 win against Bethune-Cookman on June 1.
Crawford's complete-game no-no was the first by a Gators hurler since John Burke accomplished the feat against Furman in the 1991 NCAA East Regional.
Then, the UF offense exploded for 21 combined runs in consecutive wins against Georgia Tech to earn a spot in the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional against N.C. State.
The Gators' two-game sweep against the Wolfpack was a testy, rain-soaked affair. The situation grew heated between both squads and the umpires in a series that featured more than five hours of rain delays.
After the two-hour, 23-minute weather delay during Game 2, N.C. State manager Elliott Avent argued with umpires about the condition of the field. Ultimately, he was overruled.
Perhaps the most demonstrative argument came on the final play of Game 2. After Wolfpack shortstop Chris Diaz struck out looking in Florida's 9-8 victory in extra innings, he slammed his batting helmet on the ground and chased after home-plate umpire Steve Corvi to argue the call.
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
