By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:
OKIE CITY: HERE COME THE GATORS
The Gators (48-17) are on their way to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series after their 12-0 clubbing of Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon. The Gators will face Oregon State (39-20) in their first round game Thursday at 7 p.m. This is the 11th time since Tim Walton became Florida’s softball coach that the Gators will make it to the WCWS, but it might very well be the best coaching job of a career that includes two national championships and three other championship finals.
All the other Florida teams that made it to Okie City had at least one dominant pitcher and multiple people who could hit the ball out of the yard with a measure of frequency. For this Florida team, it’s called pitching by committee since there isn’t one single pitcher you can count on to shut folks down and doing it with speed since the team has hit only 36 home runs, which is only slightly more than Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo.
Walton spent most of the regular season patiently putting all the pieces together to get this team ready to go beast mode in the post season. Unlike most of the teams he’s had at UF, there were far more unknowns coming into this season and not just the pitching. He’s got new faces in the lineup at catcher (freshman Samantha Roe), first base (sophomore Avery Goelz), shortstop (Alabama transfer Skylar Wallace), left field (sophomore Katie Kistler), center field (freshman Kendra Falby) and DH (freshman Reagan Walsh) and it took awhile to settle in on the right batting order. Walton also had to go 13 games without Hannah Adams, the best second baseman in the country, who broke a bone in her hand. Since Adams came back to the lineup the offense has averaged 6.7 runs and 11.1 hits per game.
The speed dynamic – Gators have stolen 131 bases in 147 attempts – has allowed Walton to compensate for the lack of power. A walk, hit batter or a single is the equivalent of a double. It’s not uncommon for the Gators to score from second on infield hits. With Falby (.401, 36-40 stolen bases), Adams (.379, 15-17 stolen bases) and Wallace (.406, 51-55 stolen bases) batting 1-2-3 in the order, the pressure on opposing defenses is immense. Florida’s ability to beat out infield hits and take the extra base has turned this into a dangerous offense. In the two super regional wins over Virginia Tech, the Gators hit only one home run but the speed enabled UF to outscore the Hokies 19-2.
Defensively, the Gators are top five nationally with only 35 errors in 65 games (.981 fielding percentage). The outfield threesome of Falby, Katie Kistler and Cheyenne Lindsey haven’t committed a single error all season. Adams has played error free at second base.
The only question for UF heading into Oklahoma City is the pitching. Can it hold up? In the first game against the Hokies in Blacksburg, Elizabeth Hightower lasted only two innings, giving up four runs. Hightower throws high 50s, low 60s. Does she have the velocity to deal with the big bats she could see in Oklahoma City? In the two wins in Blacksburg, it took Natalie Lugo coming in to rescue Lexie Delbrey twice. Delbrey can be dynamic when she is throwing strikes, but that’s the issue. She walked seven Saturday when Lugo came on to shut down the Hokies on one hit in 2-2/3 innings. Sunday, Delbrey gave up only one hit but she walked four before Walton gave her the hook and brought in Lugo, who went the final 2-2/3, again allowing only one hit.
Rylee Trlicek didn’t pitch in Blacksburg, but she has picked up four saves and was very effective in relief late season. She throws up to 68 miles per hour, so along with Delbrey, that gives the Gators two power pitchers that they will need to succeed in Okie City.
Just getting to Oklahoma City makes this season a success, but when you consider the relative youth of this team, Walton is playing with house money. Nobody figured the Gators would win in Blacksburg, but here they are going to the Women’s College World Series. Oklahoma is a prohibitive favorite but so were the 2008 Gators who went 70-5 but lost in the finals to Washington. Anything can happen in Okie City. The Gators are definitely longshots to even get out of their bracket (with Oregon State, Oklahoma State and Arizona), but stranger things have happened. They were longshots to get out of Blacksburg, too, and now look at them.
Thursday schedule
12 noon: No. 5 UCLA (44-8) vs. Texas (43-19-1)
2:30 p.m.: No. 1 Oklahoma (54-2) vs. No. 9 Northwestern (45-11)
7 p.m.: No. 14 FLORIDA (48-17) vs. Oregon State (39-20)
9:30 p.m.: No. 7 Oklahoma State (46-12) vs. Arizona (38-20)
FLORIDA BASEBALL: GATORS PLAYED THEIR WAY TO A REGIONAL HOST IN HOOVER
Heading into Hoover for the Southeastern Conference Tournament, the Gators knew they would need to get to 38 wins to have a chance to host an NCAA regional. They did one better. By knocking off Texas A&M (37-18), 9-0, Saturday night, the Gators got to 39 wins including 19 in SEC play, which was good enough for the NCAA, which named Florida as one of 16 regional hosts on Sunday night. The brackets will be filled out and announced today at noon, but consider this mission accomplished for a team that seemed dead in the water at 23-17 and 6-12 in SEC play after getting swept by Tennessee back in April.
That the Gators lost to Tennessee (53-7), 8-5, Sunday afternoon in the SEC Tournament championship game, 8-5, was inconsequential as far as the NCAA was concerned. The Vols are the No. 1 team in the nation and they’re guaranteed to host a regional and a super regional. By going 4-2 in Hoover and getting to the SEC Championship Game, the Gators improved their RPI from 24 to 13 which solidified the Gators as a host.
The Gators aren’t going to finish as a top eight seed which would guarantee hosting all the way through to Omaha and the College World Series, but just earning a regional host is a credit to Kevin O’Sullivan, who won two games Saturday using only four pitchers – one sophomore (Timmy Manning), one redshirt freshman (Nick Ficarrotta) and two true freshmen (Anthony Ursitti and Fisher Jameson). Ficarrotta pitched 6-1/3 innings of shutout baseball in relief to get the win over Alabama while Manning, who hadn’t pitched since April 5 held the Aggies scoreless and to five hits in five innings. Jameson went the last four against A&M, holding the Aggies to a single hit.
When the Gators took the field for the championship game Sunday, the starter was Carsten Finnvold, a true freshman who had pitched only 4-1/3 innings all season.
Going 4-2 in Hoover and finishing the season winning 16 of 21 says plenty about O’Sullivan having the patience to let his young pitching staff grow up. Even before Hunter Barcourt’s season came to an end, the Gators were way too young and inexperienced, but now the Gators go into the post season with three solid starters – Brandon Sproat, Brandon Neely and Nick Pogue – to go with Ficarrotta, Jameson, Manning and Finnvold for spot starts or long relief and Ryan Slater as the closer.
What Wyatt Langford did in Hoover pretty much gave the middle finger to the coaches who didn’t put him on the All-SEC first team. All he did in Hoover was nine hits (most of any player in the tournament), two homers, two doubles and five RBI. Langford is currently hitting .363 with 23 homers and 60 RBI.
Other NCAA regional host sites: Auburn (37-19); Austin (Texas 37-19); Blacksburg (Virginia Tech 41-12); Chapel Hill (North Carolina 38-19); College Park (Maryland 45-12); College Station (Texas A&M 37-18); Coral Gables (Miami 39-18); Corvallis (Oregon State 44-14); Greenville (East Carolina 42-18); Hattiesburg (Southern Miss 43-16); Knoxville (Tennessee 53-7); Louisville (38-18-1); Stanford (40-14); Statesboro (Georgia Southern (40-18); Stillwater (Oklahoma State)
UF MEN’S TENNIS: BEN SHELTON WINS NCAA SINGLES TITLE
Ben Shelton did what only three other Gators in history have done, which is win the NCAA singles championship. Shelton, the No. 1 seed, rallied from a set down to take out 6th-seeded August Holmgren, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Saturday in Champaign, Illinois for the title. To reach the championship match, Shelton downed Tennessee’s 3rd-seeded Adam Walton 6-7, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday.
With the win, Shelton is the second straight NCAA singles champ from UF. Sam Riffice won the title last year. The other two Gators to win the NCAA championship were Mark Merklein in 1994 and Jeff Morrison in 1999.
Mat Cloer named associate head coach: Mat Cloer, who has worked as a USTA Player Development coach since 2017, is joining the UF program as associate head coach.
UF GOLF: GATORS MAKE IT TO FINAL ROUND OF STROKE PLAY
The Gators made the third round cut at the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona on Sunday with a 6-over par 286 that moved them up three spots to 11th overall. The Gators are five shots behind 8th-place Arkansas, important because only the top eight teams after Monday’s final stroke play round will advance to the match play portion of the tournament.
Florida’s top individual performer is Yuxin Lin, who shot a 69 Sunday to move up 15 spots into a tie for 17that 4-over for the tournament. Fred Biondi shot a 67 to move up 40 places into a tie for 25th at 5-over.
SEC teams: 3. Vanderbilt (+5, 6 shots off the lead), 8. Arkansas (+26), 11. FLORIDA +31; 12 Georgia (+32) and T14. Ole Miss (+37).
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Arkansas: Jaylin Williams (6-10, 250), who averaged 10.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game last season, has elected to remain in the NBA Draft.
Georgia: Former player Sheldon Dawson is joining the Georgia staff as assistant defensive backs coach. Last season he coached corners at UT-Martin.
Kentucky: Former UK head football coach Hal Mumme was arrested at the Hyatt Hotel in Lexington and charged with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest.
Missouri: Defensive end Jonathan Jones, a member of the 2021 recruiting class, is no longer with the program … Cornerback Snoop Reeves has transferred to Coastal Carolina.
Tennessee: Shooting guard Santiago Vescovi, who averaged 13.3 points and 3.2 assists per game while hitting 40.3 of his 3-pointers, has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return to Tennessee next season.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The SEC Spring Meetings begin tomorrow in Destin and while every eye will be on commissioner Greg Sankey to see if he can keep the peace between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher, there will actually be some important issues discussed, such as the threat that the SEC might thumb its nose at the College Football Playoff to have its own SEC invitational playoff and the scheduling format for when Texas and Oklahoma join the league.
Although there are some folks out there who think the SEC is on the verge of expanding to perhaps 24 teams to form its own super conference (FSU, Miami and Clemson have callouses on their knees from time on the prayer bench asking God to please make it so), file this under doubtful. Seriously doubtful. This is Sankey’s way of telling the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Almost Competitive Conference that either be good boys and support the 12-team playoff expansion or we’ll kick you to the curb. Sankey, Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick, Big 12 commish Bob Bowlsby and Mountain West commish Craig Thompson came up with the 12-team format and they’re going to get their way. Count on it. And there’s nothing “the alliance” can do about it except join the party.
As for scheduling, there may be some opposition to a 9-game schedule with three permanent opponents when everyone arrives in Destin, but when everyone heads home this will be the agreed-upon format.
Nobody will be discussing it in public, but you can bet the farm that there will be discussion under double secret probation privacy to add Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC starting in 2023. It will take some manipulating and some concessions by ESPN, but this needs to happen, not only for the SEC, but for the SEC and Notre Dame to preserve the Big 12 as a power conference to keep the alliance from getting the upper hand when it comes to votes.
A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:
OKIE CITY: HERE COME THE GATORS
The Gators (48-17) are on their way to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series after their 12-0 clubbing of Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon. The Gators will face Oregon State (39-20) in their first round game Thursday at 7 p.m. This is the 11th time since Tim Walton became Florida’s softball coach that the Gators will make it to the WCWS, but it might very well be the best coaching job of a career that includes two national championships and three other championship finals.
All the other Florida teams that made it to Okie City had at least one dominant pitcher and multiple people who could hit the ball out of the yard with a measure of frequency. For this Florida team, it’s called pitching by committee since there isn’t one single pitcher you can count on to shut folks down and doing it with speed since the team has hit only 36 home runs, which is only slightly more than Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo.
Walton spent most of the regular season patiently putting all the pieces together to get this team ready to go beast mode in the post season. Unlike most of the teams he’s had at UF, there were far more unknowns coming into this season and not just the pitching. He’s got new faces in the lineup at catcher (freshman Samantha Roe), first base (sophomore Avery Goelz), shortstop (Alabama transfer Skylar Wallace), left field (sophomore Katie Kistler), center field (freshman Kendra Falby) and DH (freshman Reagan Walsh) and it took awhile to settle in on the right batting order. Walton also had to go 13 games without Hannah Adams, the best second baseman in the country, who broke a bone in her hand. Since Adams came back to the lineup the offense has averaged 6.7 runs and 11.1 hits per game.
The speed dynamic – Gators have stolen 131 bases in 147 attempts – has allowed Walton to compensate for the lack of power. A walk, hit batter or a single is the equivalent of a double. It’s not uncommon for the Gators to score from second on infield hits. With Falby (.401, 36-40 stolen bases), Adams (.379, 15-17 stolen bases) and Wallace (.406, 51-55 stolen bases) batting 1-2-3 in the order, the pressure on opposing defenses is immense. Florida’s ability to beat out infield hits and take the extra base has turned this into a dangerous offense. In the two super regional wins over Virginia Tech, the Gators hit only one home run but the speed enabled UF to outscore the Hokies 19-2.
Defensively, the Gators are top five nationally with only 35 errors in 65 games (.981 fielding percentage). The outfield threesome of Falby, Katie Kistler and Cheyenne Lindsey haven’t committed a single error all season. Adams has played error free at second base.
The only question for UF heading into Oklahoma City is the pitching. Can it hold up? In the first game against the Hokies in Blacksburg, Elizabeth Hightower lasted only two innings, giving up four runs. Hightower throws high 50s, low 60s. Does she have the velocity to deal with the big bats she could see in Oklahoma City? In the two wins in Blacksburg, it took Natalie Lugo coming in to rescue Lexie Delbrey twice. Delbrey can be dynamic when she is throwing strikes, but that’s the issue. She walked seven Saturday when Lugo came on to shut down the Hokies on one hit in 2-2/3 innings. Sunday, Delbrey gave up only one hit but she walked four before Walton gave her the hook and brought in Lugo, who went the final 2-2/3, again allowing only one hit.
Rylee Trlicek didn’t pitch in Blacksburg, but she has picked up four saves and was very effective in relief late season. She throws up to 68 miles per hour, so along with Delbrey, that gives the Gators two power pitchers that they will need to succeed in Okie City.
Just getting to Oklahoma City makes this season a success, but when you consider the relative youth of this team, Walton is playing with house money. Nobody figured the Gators would win in Blacksburg, but here they are going to the Women’s College World Series. Oklahoma is a prohibitive favorite but so were the 2008 Gators who went 70-5 but lost in the finals to Washington. Anything can happen in Okie City. The Gators are definitely longshots to even get out of their bracket (with Oregon State, Oklahoma State and Arizona), but stranger things have happened. They were longshots to get out of Blacksburg, too, and now look at them.
Thursday schedule
12 noon: No. 5 UCLA (44-8) vs. Texas (43-19-1)
2:30 p.m.: No. 1 Oklahoma (54-2) vs. No. 9 Northwestern (45-11)
7 p.m.: No. 14 FLORIDA (48-17) vs. Oregon State (39-20)
9:30 p.m.: No. 7 Oklahoma State (46-12) vs. Arizona (38-20)
FLORIDA BASEBALL: GATORS PLAYED THEIR WAY TO A REGIONAL HOST IN HOOVER
Heading into Hoover for the Southeastern Conference Tournament, the Gators knew they would need to get to 38 wins to have a chance to host an NCAA regional. They did one better. By knocking off Texas A&M (37-18), 9-0, Saturday night, the Gators got to 39 wins including 19 in SEC play, which was good enough for the NCAA, which named Florida as one of 16 regional hosts on Sunday night. The brackets will be filled out and announced today at noon, but consider this mission accomplished for a team that seemed dead in the water at 23-17 and 6-12 in SEC play after getting swept by Tennessee back in April.
That the Gators lost to Tennessee (53-7), 8-5, Sunday afternoon in the SEC Tournament championship game, 8-5, was inconsequential as far as the NCAA was concerned. The Vols are the No. 1 team in the nation and they’re guaranteed to host a regional and a super regional. By going 4-2 in Hoover and getting to the SEC Championship Game, the Gators improved their RPI from 24 to 13 which solidified the Gators as a host.
The Gators aren’t going to finish as a top eight seed which would guarantee hosting all the way through to Omaha and the College World Series, but just earning a regional host is a credit to Kevin O’Sullivan, who won two games Saturday using only four pitchers – one sophomore (Timmy Manning), one redshirt freshman (Nick Ficarrotta) and two true freshmen (Anthony Ursitti and Fisher Jameson). Ficarrotta pitched 6-1/3 innings of shutout baseball in relief to get the win over Alabama while Manning, who hadn’t pitched since April 5 held the Aggies scoreless and to five hits in five innings. Jameson went the last four against A&M, holding the Aggies to a single hit.
When the Gators took the field for the championship game Sunday, the starter was Carsten Finnvold, a true freshman who had pitched only 4-1/3 innings all season.
Going 4-2 in Hoover and finishing the season winning 16 of 21 says plenty about O’Sullivan having the patience to let his young pitching staff grow up. Even before Hunter Barcourt’s season came to an end, the Gators were way too young and inexperienced, but now the Gators go into the post season with three solid starters – Brandon Sproat, Brandon Neely and Nick Pogue – to go with Ficarrotta, Jameson, Manning and Finnvold for spot starts or long relief and Ryan Slater as the closer.
What Wyatt Langford did in Hoover pretty much gave the middle finger to the coaches who didn’t put him on the All-SEC first team. All he did in Hoover was nine hits (most of any player in the tournament), two homers, two doubles and five RBI. Langford is currently hitting .363 with 23 homers and 60 RBI.
Other NCAA regional host sites: Auburn (37-19); Austin (Texas 37-19); Blacksburg (Virginia Tech 41-12); Chapel Hill (North Carolina 38-19); College Park (Maryland 45-12); College Station (Texas A&M 37-18); Coral Gables (Miami 39-18); Corvallis (Oregon State 44-14); Greenville (East Carolina 42-18); Hattiesburg (Southern Miss 43-16); Knoxville (Tennessee 53-7); Louisville (38-18-1); Stanford (40-14); Statesboro (Georgia Southern (40-18); Stillwater (Oklahoma State)
UF MEN’S TENNIS: BEN SHELTON WINS NCAA SINGLES TITLE
Ben Shelton did what only three other Gators in history have done, which is win the NCAA singles championship. Shelton, the No. 1 seed, rallied from a set down to take out 6th-seeded August Holmgren, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Saturday in Champaign, Illinois for the title. To reach the championship match, Shelton downed Tennessee’s 3rd-seeded Adam Walton 6-7, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday.
With the win, Shelton is the second straight NCAA singles champ from UF. Sam Riffice won the title last year. The other two Gators to win the NCAA championship were Mark Merklein in 1994 and Jeff Morrison in 1999.
Mat Cloer named associate head coach: Mat Cloer, who has worked as a USTA Player Development coach since 2017, is joining the UF program as associate head coach.
UF GOLF: GATORS MAKE IT TO FINAL ROUND OF STROKE PLAY
The Gators made the third round cut at the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona on Sunday with a 6-over par 286 that moved them up three spots to 11th overall. The Gators are five shots behind 8th-place Arkansas, important because only the top eight teams after Monday’s final stroke play round will advance to the match play portion of the tournament.
Florida’s top individual performer is Yuxin Lin, who shot a 69 Sunday to move up 15 spots into a tie for 17that 4-over for the tournament. Fred Biondi shot a 67 to move up 40 places into a tie for 25th at 5-over.
SEC teams: 3. Vanderbilt (+5, 6 shots off the lead), 8. Arkansas (+26), 11. FLORIDA +31; 12 Georgia (+32) and T14. Ole Miss (+37).
SEC FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL
Arkansas: Jaylin Williams (6-10, 250), who averaged 10.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game last season, has elected to remain in the NBA Draft.
Georgia: Former player Sheldon Dawson is joining the Georgia staff as assistant defensive backs coach. Last season he coached corners at UT-Martin.
Kentucky: Former UK head football coach Hal Mumme was arrested at the Hyatt Hotel in Lexington and charged with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest.
Missouri: Defensive end Jonathan Jones, a member of the 2021 recruiting class, is no longer with the program … Cornerback Snoop Reeves has transferred to Coastal Carolina.
Tennessee: Shooting guard Santiago Vescovi, who averaged 13.3 points and 3.2 assists per game while hitting 40.3 of his 3-pointers, has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return to Tennessee next season.
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The SEC Spring Meetings begin tomorrow in Destin and while every eye will be on commissioner Greg Sankey to see if he can keep the peace between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher, there will actually be some important issues discussed, such as the threat that the SEC might thumb its nose at the College Football Playoff to have its own SEC invitational playoff and the scheduling format for when Texas and Oklahoma join the league.
Although there are some folks out there who think the SEC is on the verge of expanding to perhaps 24 teams to form its own super conference (FSU, Miami and Clemson have callouses on their knees from time on the prayer bench asking God to please make it so), file this under doubtful. Seriously doubtful. This is Sankey’s way of telling the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Almost Competitive Conference that either be good boys and support the 12-team playoff expansion or we’ll kick you to the curb. Sankey, Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick, Big 12 commish Bob Bowlsby and Mountain West commish Craig Thompson came up with the 12-team format and they’re going to get their way. Count on it. And there’s nothing “the alliance” can do about it except join the party.
As for scheduling, there may be some opposition to a 9-game schedule with three permanent opponents when everyone arrives in Destin, but when everyone heads home this will be the agreed-upon format.
Nobody will be discussing it in public, but you can bet the farm that there will be discussion under double secret probation privacy to add Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC starting in 2023. It will take some manipulating and some concessions by ESPN, but this needs to happen, not only for the SEC, but for the SEC and Notre Dame to preserve the Big 12 as a power conference to keep the alliance from getting the upper hand when it comes to votes.
