This time last season, Florida had a berth in the NCAA Tournament locked up. The only question was who would come to Gainesville to face the Gators in the regional.
A year later, they needed to wait until Selection Monday to find out if they would have an opportunity to play in June.
The NCAA selection committee picked Florida as the No. 3 seed in the Bloomington Regional on Monday.
“This team has worked awfully hard,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We’ve had our ups, we’ve had our downs. This is a new season, and I know they’re awfully excited to play next weekend.”
Florida (29-28) will face second-seeded Austin Peay (45-13) in the first game at Bart Kaufman Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., at 1 on Friday. No. 1 seed Indiana (43-14) plays fourth-seeded Valparaiso (31-26) at 7.
“Everybody was really excited,” senior Cody Dent said. “We have a chance to play in the tournament and do something.”
Added junior Jonathon Crawford: “Everybody’s bouncing around.”
The Gators played the Hoosiers in Gainesville in March, and Indiana took two of three from Florida.
Unlike last season, the Gators were on the bubble following losses in five of their last seven games, including a first-round loss in the Southeastern Conference Tournament to Texas A&M on May 21.
But UF ended the SEC Tournament with the No. 2 strength of schedule in the country and the No. 26 RPI, which was enough to secure the team a bid.
“I definitely think Indiana and all the other teams aren’t very happy to see our name in the regional,” Crawford said. “We’re a young team, and we kind of build a lot off momentum … If we get that momentum, people are not going to like us.”
Florida has made the NCAA Tournament six straight years – tied for the longest run in the school’s history.
“What we’re trying to do is build a program here and develop some consistency,” O’Sullivan said. “This is an important year for us to get in. It wasn’t the prettiest season, but I’m as proud of this team as any team we had here.”
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org.
Junior Jonathon Crawford warms up on the mound during Florida’s 3-2 win against South Carolina on April 11 at McKethan Stadium. Crawford and No. 3 seed Florida will face No. 2 seed Austin Peay in its first NCAA Tournament game on Friday.
