Spring Sports Thread
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NATIONAL CHAMPS!!!! Gators men's tennis just won the natty!! I believe we now have a national title in every men's sport.
Go Gators!!!
floridagators.com
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Gators Beat Baylor to Make Program History - Florida Gators
The UF men's tennis team stormed back to win the program's first national title in a 4-1 victory over Baylor on Saturday night.
floridagators.com
You beat me to it with the link. I started a separate thread. Felt a national title deserved one.Go Gators!!!
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Gators Beat Baylor to Make Program History - Florida Gators
The UF men's tennis team stormed back to win the program's first national title in a 4-1 victory over Baylor on Saturday night.
Hightower pitched her best ball of the season this weekend. Hate having to play Georgia again. Would rather have played a team we haven't met yet. But it it what it is and we need get get the Dawgs 2 more times. Great job Gator softball. Pitching was awesome - for the 3 game weekend, no runs, 3 hits TOTAL!
Baseball team sucks? Who are you? They got swept by the top national seed. They’re 5 games over .500 in the SEC and will host a regional. I’m sure sully tosses and turns all night that they’re not living up to your expectations.
Who am I? A passionate University of Florida alumni who has been supporting Gator athletics for most of my 69 years. And actually, Florida baseball is 4 games over .500 in the SEC. 17-13 = 4, right? All of us have the right to express our opinions and that is mine. You have the right to express yours and that's cool. Maybe the term "sucks" was too strong for a team that is going to make the NCAA tournament. How about "the baseball team has vastly underachieved?" This Gator baseball team was the consensus #1 team in the nation when the season started. By every metric they have vastly underachieved this year and anyone who denies that is not being objectively honest. Their defense is the worst in the SEC, 134th in D1 and the worst in the O'Sullivan era. Their pitching is mediocre, 7th in the SEC in ERA, 55th in D1 and probably the worst of the O'Sullivan era. Their hitting has been OK at times, 6th best batting average in the SEC, 59th in D1, but with way too many strikeouts, terrible hitting with runners in scoring position and bad approaches at the plate. As post season starts we are ranked 13th in the nation by D1, 20th in RPI. This is a team that was unanimously picked to be the best team in the nation and finished 6th in the SEC. That sucks. You can wear your rose colored glasses and tout a post season appearance as a great success if you want. We may host a regional, but we may also play ourselves out of even that, depending on what happens in the SEC tournament. Last week we were projected as the #11 seed, hosting a Regional. After our performance in Arkansas, we may have to win a game or 2 in Hoover to maintain a Top 16 seed. We need to at least beat Kentucky tomorrow. But anyone who honestly looks at this team cannot deny that this group of players, who were ALL part of Top 5 national recruiting classes, have not played up to their abilities, nor the expectations of the coaches and, hopefully, each other. Kevin O'Sullivan, to me, is one of the best coaches in the history of UF athletics and in no way am I criticizing him or questioning his abilities. Sully is a proven winner and I have no doubt this is an anomaly. But the fact is that in comparison with his past teams and successes, combined with the talent level that is on this roster compared with the on the field results, this team's performance, overall, has been poor. That's reality and I would suspect that Sully IS tossing and turning because his team has not lived up to HIS expectations. He's as much as said so several times during the season and you can see it in his expressions and reactions to things that occur during the games. He can't believe what's happened either.
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Baseball team is having an off year, but still a top 20 program. Sully has a top notch class coming in next year so we will be fine. Glad the program is in his hands.
Yeah, we're entitled to our opinions and mine is that you don't know jack about baseball and saying that this team sucks after losing three on the road to the top seed in the country shows it. If I'm wrong, please illuminate me with your vast baseball experience.
I'm sure Sully does toss and turn trying to figure out how to get this team to play better, because that's what he does. That's why we're in the CWS more often than not, and I can cut the program some slack if they finish the occasional season just with a top-16 seed, which most other programs in the country would count as a great year. I also bet if you told Sully to his face that his team sucks after going through this SEC 17-13, he'd throw you in a garbage can.
Bless your little heart, brad. I suspect that I know a good bit more about baseball than you, my friend. And I did walk back my "the baseball team sucks" comment and changed it to vastly underachieved, which is probably more accurate. My opinion of the baseball team was and is based on the entire year's body of work, not just this past weekend's bad performance. My post gave all the details and facts any knowledgeable person needs to conclude that this Gator baseball team has vastly underachieved. By the way, what are your credentials? Like I said previously, if you read my entire post, I see this year as an anomaly (do you know what that means?) based on O'Sullivan's past history of consistent success. But the facts are the facts and you can't rationalize them away. They have the talent to go on a run and win the whole thing. And nobody would be pulling for them to do it more than me. But that's my point. With the talent and proven ability of this group of players, no way should they have finished 6th in the SEC and be scrambling for a Top 16 seed. But if you've followed my posts over the last many years on the threads I participate in, I call it like I see it, mostly positive, but critical when I see it that way. And again, isn't that what these boards and threads are supposed to be about - debating and discussing? Disagree with me, fine. I could care less. I will continue to express my opinions, backing them up with information and facts, on all Gator sports all year round. In all kinds of weather, right? I'm still as big a Gator fan as you or anybody else and will keep on watching and rooting for our baseball team, as I do all other Gator programs.
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New asst. basketball coach hired:
floridagators.com
Erik Pastrana Hired as Men's Basketball Assistant Coach - Florida Gators
A Miami native, Pastrana has an extensive background in the state of Florida and most recently comes from Oklahoma State.
floridagators.com
#4 seed Florida softball hosts unseeded Georgia, who upset #13 Duke, in the Super Regionals this weekend. Game 1 is Friday at 5 pm on ESPNU. Game 2 is Saturday at Noon on ESPN and the "if necessary" game is Sunday at Noon on ESPN. Go Gators! The Super Regionals are now set. #7 LSU hosts #10 FSU (starts Thursday), #2 UCLA hosts unseeded Virginia Tech (starts Thursday), with the rest starting Friday: #6 Arkansas hosting #11 Arizona, #3 Alabama hosting #13 Kentucky, #5 Oklahoma State hosting #12 Texas, #8 Missouri hosting unseeded James Madison, and #1 Oklahoma hosting #16 Washington. All games are on ESPN, ESPNU or ESPN2.
UF hires soccer coach:
floridagators.com
Florida Names Tony Amato Gators Soccer Coach - Florida Gators
A proven and consistent winner at each of his three previous coaching stops, Tony Amato is named Gators Soccer Head Coach today.
floridagators.com
Gator baseball now a projected #14 seed with Miami, South Alabama and Fairfield coming to Gainesville. If they win they would head to Austin to face #3 Texas in the Supers, assuming they win their Regional. This is just a D1 projection.
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UK is in survive or go home mode with the season done if they lose today. Mingione is coaching to retain his job, and it might be too late
Has Fabian ever had a big clutch hit in SEC play? Seems like that dude comes to the plate often with runners in scoring position.
Cats outhit us 11-5 but Florida gets the 4-1 win. Not a pretty win for the good guys but we will take it.
Mace was pretty good today.
Mace was pretty good today.
Nice win for the Gators. This should wrap up a Regional host for the good guys. Kentucky stranded 14 base runners, but Florida pitchers made a ton of clutch pitches in key situations. Mace was solid for 5 innings, Van Der Weide shut 'em out for 2.2 innings and then Leftwich got the last 4 outs for the save, with the tying run at the plate when the game ended. Next up is Miss. St. at 10:30 Wed. morning in the double elimination part of the tournament, so we get at least 2 more games. This will test our pitching depth.
Sully needs to move Fabian down. He single handedly left 6 runners on today. Put him down in the 7/8 hole and take some pressure off him.
Agree. Young, Calilao and Thompson are still hitting consistently. Hickey's average has dropped 40+ points over the last 3 weeks or so, Fabian is either hot or cold and when he's not hitting his at bats are not productive in getting a sac fly or moving runners along. I would like to see Colby Halter back at 3B. McMullen is in there for his bat and he's been really struggling at the plate as well. Halter is hitting .300 and is a better defender. I know O'Sullivan said he was going more with his experienced players down the stretch and it's worked with Calilao and Acton. Rivera has been hot and cold as well. He was hitting really well for about a 3 week stretch and has not done much lately. But he made a couple of really nice plays at SS today.
The UF baseball team is solid/good but they have underachieved so far and I would bet even Sully would share that opinion.
He said during the mid game interview they were 11-4 in their last 15 conference games prior to the arky series. He said arky played really well. Certainly disappointing end to the regular season, but in spite of everything if we take 2 of 3 we finish tied for 1st. Oh well.
Very impressive outing from Barco and from the Florida bats. Run ruled the Bulldogs in 7 innings 13-1. Pounded 'em. 3 RBI each from Young & Thompson, 4 by Armstrong. Granted Miss. State didn't use their top pitchers, but still the Gators looked great today. Next up, the winner of Tennessee/Alabama.
What an impressive performance today. 18 hits. Barco has been good and he was able to settle in. We really needed to get a couple of wins and we did.
I did some research on the baseball team's late season struggles and it turns out they coincided with playing the No. 1 team in the country on the road. Anyway, hope the team keeps winning so we can keep Ocala on the bandwagon.
Never left the bandwagon. Been on it since I was about 8 years old, in all kinds of weather. Always pull for all Gator teams all the time. I just wear regular glasses, though; not rose-colored ones.
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