GATORBAIT MEDIA

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: In an interview with the SEC Network prior to Florida’s semifinal game in Hoover back on Saturday, left fielder Blake Cyr had one of those unexpected tell it all moments in which he confessed that Kevin O’Sullivan had been the lifeline he needed to cope with the after effects of his father’s death. It was a side of Sully that few in the viewing public have ever seen. St. Sully the Compassionate. Whodathunkit? Okay, people w

Would Greg Sankey and the SEC be willing to go it alone? A few thoughts to jump start your Sunday morning: “Okay Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” – Astronaut Jack Swigert, command module pilot, Apollo 13 That was 1974, back when there was less computing power in all of the Johnson Space Center in Houston than you have in your typical laptop some 52 years later. Because smart people with common sense and problem-solving focus found solutions, all the astronauts from Apoll

Upon a return to work in a few days, we will announce plans for some of the most exciting things we’ve ever done in GatorBait and journalism. By Buddy Martin GatorBaitmedia.com To paraphrase and borrow from an old Mark Twain line, the rumors of my death were not all that exaggerated. In fact, the Grim Reaper recently had me in his grip and I barely managed to escape. I think I heard my maker say, “We can’t take him yet, he’s got a huge year ahead with historic seasons for the

(UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning: The door has been left open for the Gators to earn a top eight seed for the NCAA Tournament. Projected the No. 9 national seed by both D1Baseball and Baseball America, the Gators got help Friday night from Auburn (38-18), which shut out Texas A&M on two hits, 7-0, in a quarterfinal game of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. The Aggies (39-14) are projected as the No. 8 seed, but the Gators (39-18) can take th

Gators celebrate Ethan Surowiec's 11th home run (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning: The beast within has been awakened. Just ask Vanderbilt and Alabama, who the Florida Gators have flattened in their two games at the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. Vandy went down 8-3 on Wednesday. Thursday, the 5th-seeded Gators (39-18) run-ruled 4th-seeded Alabama (37-19), 13-3, and in doing so made a case for a top eight national seed when

Rueben Chinyelu is back along with Alex Condon and Tommy Haugh (Photo by Chris Spears) “We’re putting the band back together … we’re on a mission from God.” – Jake and Elwood Blues, from “The Blues Brothers” Todd Golden’s band is back together for one more mission, this one to win a second NCAA basketball championship in three years. Prior to Thursday, the only question mark was Rueben Chinyelu, but the big man who led the Southeastern Conference in rebounding last season,

Blake Cyr launches his 12th home run against Vandy (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: If what you’ve done lately matters to the NCAA baseball selection committee that will announce its 64-team field for the run to Omaha for the College World Series, then the Florida Gators are making a very strong case for a top eight seed. Winners of nine of their last ten games in which they’ve homered 29 times, Kevin O’Sullivan’s crew is scorching hot and has a

(Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: Florida moved up to fourth in the 247Sports recruiting rankings Tuesday when 4-star wide receiver Elias Pearl (5-11, 185, Port Charlotte, FL) committed to Jon Sumrall and the Gators. The Gators are ranked eighth by Rivals/On3. Pearl, who gained 1,680 all-purpose yards and scored 20 touchdowns as a high school junior in 2025, chose the Gators over offers from Georgia, Auburn and Ole Miss among other

(UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: This is Tim Walton’s time of the year. Since taking over the helm of the Florida softball program in 2006, Walton has guided the Gators to 14 NCAA super regional appearances. Should the 6th-seeded Gators (51-10) dispose of 11th-seeded Texas Tech (55-6) this weekend at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, it will earn a third straight trip to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series, the 14th overall in Walton’

Liam Peterson celebrates a punch out (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Saturday morning: With their 11-1 run-rule win over LSU (29-26, 9-20 SEC) Friday night in Baton Rouge, the Gators (36-18, 17-12 SEC) put themselves in prime contention to earn the double bye for next week’s Southeastern Conference Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. A Florida win and either a loss by Texas A&M (38-13, 17-11 SEC) to Mississippi State (39-15, 16-13 SEC) or Alabama (36-18, 17-12 SEC) t

Kevin O'Sullivan has the Gators in contention to host an NCAA regional (Photo by Chris Spears) It’s the final weekend of the 2026 college baseball regular season and the 19th ranked Florida Gators (34-18, 15-12 SEC) travel to the Bayou to face archrival LSU (29-24, 9-18 SEC) beginning Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. EST. LSU is having its worst season in years and will have to win the SEC tournament next week just to make the NCAA tournament. The Gators, fresh off a series win ve

(Photo by Chris Spears) A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning: In his first scrimmage Wednesday at the NBA Draft Combine, Rueben Chinyelu scored 13 points on 5-8 shooting from the field while grabbing five rebounds. It was a strong showing for Chinyelu, who is both physically imposing and ever so intriguing. Strong enough to move him easily into the first round and high enough that he would forego the money to return to the University of Florida? That remains to