Exclamation Point! Gators March to SEC Softball Tournament Title

Gators celebrate winning the SEC Softball Tournament (UAA Photo)

Call what happened to Florida’s softball team at the SEC Tournament in Auburn, Alabama a rather emphatic statement. If there were still any doubts about the Gators as a top eight national seed when the NCAA announces its 64-team field for the tournament tonight, they were erased in Florida’s march to the SEC Tournament title. Saturday’s 6-1 championship game win over Missouri was the exclamation point on three games that had the effect of an F5 tornado ripping through a trailer park.

Florida began the tournament on the outside looking in when it came to the all-important RPI that the NCAA factors into seeding its tournament field. When the clock struck midnight Sunday morning, the Gators (46-12) held down the No. 6 RPI. Essentially that means it may take a heist of Bonnie and Clyde proportions to wrestle a top eight seed from the Gators. A top eight seed means the Gators host a regional and if they win, they host a super regional. Odds are very strong for super regional hosts reaching Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series.

In winning the sixth SEC Tournament title for Tim Walton, most for any coach in SEC history, the Gators outscored Georgia, Texas A&M and Missouri by a combined 22-7. Along the way, SEC Tournament MVP Skylar Wallace went 7-9 at the plate with three homers, a double and nine RBI. Wallace homered in all three games, all of them to center field and all of them no doubters from the moment they left her bat as she raised her batting average to .399 and her nation-leading runs scored to 81.

Freshman Mia Williams, whose hitting has been erratic all season but who Walton says has “light tower power,” hit two home runs, one that hit the scoreboard against the Aggies and one that cleared the scoreboard against Missouri. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by Korbe Otis (5-8 with 3 walks), Jocelyn Erickson (HR, 5 RBI) and pitcher Keagan Rothrock (3-0).

When Florida was run-ruled by Florida State back on April 24, no one gave the Gators a chance to earn a top eight seed. Since then, the Gators are 9-1 including eight straight wins. The Gators lead the SEC in every offensive statistical category except hit by pitches (they’re No. 2) and sacrifice bunts. Tim Walton adheres to the Earl Weaver theory which is winning with good pitching, good defense up the middle and 3-run homers.

UF BASEBALL: Gators get good pitching, even series with Kentucky

So this is what it looks like when the pitching doesn’t go in the tank for the Florida Gators. Liam Peterson gave the Gators six strong innings Saturday afternoon, then turned it over to Ryan Slater who shut out Kentucky the final three. At the plate, the Gators provided more than adequate support, just as they did the day before. The only difference was the pitching, which was a Friday no show.

Florida’s 10-1 win over the 4th-ranked Wildcats (36-11, 19-7 SEC) offered a glimpse of what might have been this season. The Gators (26-24, 11-15 SEC) still have four SEC games remaining – today against Kentucky and next weekend at Georgia – plus there is the SEC Tournament in Hoover. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Florida could do some damage and somehow make the NCAA Tournament, but it will require the Gators playing near perfect baseball to do it.

For the Gators to have a shot at the post season they will need a strong game today (12 noon, SEC Network) on the mound from Jac Caglianone. If he’s on his game and the bullpen can give some innings without imploding, the Gators could take the series from Kentucky. That would help the RPI (No. 26) and give UF some momentum heading into Athens to face a red hot Georgia (38-12, 16-11 SEC) team that swept South Carolina in Columbia.

The win Saturday was made possible by Peterson pitching the best six innings of his freshman season. He scattered five hits, walked only two and struck out six. In came Slater to finish things off and he pitched like the Slater of last year with three hitless, scoreless innings in which he didn’t walk anyone.

"I thought Liam was really good,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “That's kind of how you draw it up. You got six innings from your starter, managed some innings with runners on. I think that's where the biggest improvement he's made over the last month or so, slow the game down when he has to get in the stretch with runners on. Ryan came in and did his thing for three innings … so that's kind of how you draw it up. It was one of the cleaner games we've played in some time."

Clean in more respects than just the pitching. The Gators were errorless in the field and they lit up five Kentucky pitchers for 12 hits including three that left the yard – a solo homer by Cade Kurland to lead off the bottom of the third, extended Florida’s lead at the time to 3-0; and two by Luke Heyman, a 2-run shot in the fifth and a solo homer in the eighth.

The bottom three in Florida’s batting order combined for five hits and two RBI on a day when seven of Florida’s 12 hits went for extra bases. Hayden Yost drove in Florida’s first run with a second inning double as part of a 2-hit day. He also played a flawless center field. Dale Thomas, who had three hits Friday after being re-inserted into the lineup after a few days of riding the pine, had two more Saturday including an RBI double in the fourth that missed by about two feet of leaving the yard. Shelton, back in left field where he’s played most of the season, had an RBI double that scored Caglianone, who hit a double to right field that extended his hitting streak to 29 straight games. 

In addition to his 10th home run of the season, Kurland had a 2-run double in the seventh. Heyman’s home runs were his 10th and 11th of the season.

Making the NCAA Tournament isn’t impossible for the Gators if they can get a Sunday win to take the series. The way the Gators have lit up Kentucky pitching – 21 runs and seven home runs in two games – and the fact the Wildcats will be throwing their No. 3 starter against Caglianone, odds are favorable for UF to take game three.

SEC standings

East Division: 1. (TIE) Kentucky (36-11, 19-7 SEC) and Tennessee (42-9, 19-7 SEC); 3. Georgia (38-12, 16-11 SEC); 4. South Carolina (33-17, 13-14 SEC); 5. (TIE) FLORIDA (26-24, 11-15 SEC) and Vanderbilt (33-18, 11-15 SEC); 7. Missouri (22-29, 8-18 SEC)

West Division: 1. Arkansas (41-9, 18-7 SEC); 2. Texas A&M (41-10, 16-10 SEC); 3. Mississippi State (32-17, 14-11 SEC); 4. (TIE) Alabama (31-19, 11-15 SEC) and Ole Miss (27-23, 11-15 SEC); 6. LSU (31-19, 10-16 SEC); 7. Auburn (24-25, 5-21 SEC)

UF TRACK AND FIELD: UF women 3rd, men 4th at SEC championships

Parker Valby set the championship meet record in the 5,000 meters, Grace Stark won the 100 meter hurdles, Flomena Asokal won the 1,500 meters and Alida Van Daalen won the discus as the Florida women finished third at the Southeastern Conference Track and Field Championships at the Percy Beard Track Saturday. LSU won the women’s division with 122 points, while Arkansas finished second (110) and Florida third (104). On the men’s side, Parvej Khan won the 1,500 meters as the Gators finished fourth. Arkansas won with 110 points, while Alabama finished second (104), Texas A&M third (103.5) and the Gators fourth (100).

Women’s standings: 1. LSU 126; 2. Arkansas 110; 3. FLORIDA 101; 4. Texas A&M 74; 5. Georgia 72; 6. Ole Miss 66; 7. Tennessee 51; 8. Vanderbilt 45; 9. Alabama 42; 10. South Carolina 37; 11. Kentucky 36; 12. Auburn 24; 13. Missouri 21; 14. Mississippi State 14

Men’s standings: 1. Arkansas 110; 2. Alabama 104; 3. Texas A&M 103.5; 4. FLORIDA 100; 5. LSU 66.5; 6. Tennessee 56; 7. Ole Miss 51; 8. Georgia 50; 9. Auburn 47; 10. South Carolina 47; 11. Kentucky 35; 12. Missouri 33; 13. Mississippi State 22

ONE FINAL THOUGHT FROM THE HEART: Norm Carlson, the long time sports information director at the University of Florida, passed away Friday at the age of 90. He was a friend and a pro’s pro when it came to dealing with the media. Norm specialized in cultivating relationships. Coaches listened to him and generally took his advice because they knew he was so capable of turning adversarial situations into a positive that was win-win for everyone.

I met Norm Carlson in the fall of 1968 when I was working with Dave Hunter of the Gainesville Sun covering Gainesville High School football. I also covered Florida freshman football games. On Thanksgiving morning, John Reaves lit up Florida State, throwing laser beams to Carlos Alvarez and Andy Cheney. A year later, I was working for Jack Hairston, sports editor of the Jacksonville Journal. Houston was the opening game opponent and it was expected to be a massacre since Houston was No. 1 in some preseason magazines and the Gators had all these sophomores. There wasn’t room for me in a filled to the brim press box, but Norm gave me a sideline pass. When I saw Norm before the game in the press box I thanked him for taking care of me. He smiled and said, “That’s my job.” Then he said, “I think Reaves and Alvarez are going to surprise everybody today.” Third play of the game. Reaves to Alvarez. The Pass, 72 yards and a TD. Legends were born that day.

This was an era of typewriters and carbon paper when a jammed ribbon or torn carbon paper was a crisis. At Florida’s 1975 season opener with SMU at Florida Field, the ribbon on my portable typewriter jammed and tore. I was ready to toss my typewriter when Norm looked over my shoulder and said, “I may have one that will work for you. That’s a Remington, right?” It was and he had a spare. Crisis avoided. Little things like that I remember in this era when so many sports information directors throughout college sports seem to wake up with a surly attitude on a daily basis.

Norm was never offended if you asked a favor. If he could help, he never asked anything in return. If he couldn’t he typically said a polite no but offered, “I’ll make it up to you sometime in the future.” And he would.  

A couple of things I remember well. In 1976, Alabama came to Alligator Alley, ranked 11th in the nation led by All-American center Leon Douglas. Florida, coached at the time by the late John Lotz, sprung a 71-70 upset as Bob Smyth played the game of his life. There were no sanitized, organized press conferences post game, just writers encircling coaches, asking questions, and writing down the answers pen on paper. Norm knew I had a longstanding relationship with Lotz dating from my days writing about ACC basketball in North Carolina. When the game was over, Norm grabbed me by the elbow and said, “Let these other guys ask their questions. When it’s over, I’ll get you some time alone with Coach Lotz.” He didn’t have to do that, but he did. Norm took care of sports writers.

Charley Pell and I had a fracture in our relationship in 1980. I used to go on recruiting trips with Charley but as I found out, when he got mad at you, he could stay mad a long time. We didn’t talk for years. In 2000, Norm and I bumped into each other, at which time he told me Charley Pell had cancer and might not live more than a few months.

“You guys used to be close,” Norm told me. “Why don’t you give him a call.” I told Norm I don’t think it would be good if Charley got angry and Norm replied, “That’s in the past. Give him a call. I think he will appreciate it.”

I didn’t realize that Norm even knew that Charley and I had a real dust up or that we hadn’t talked in years. Norm knew. I took his advice and the call to Charley was a good one. It didn’t make up for the years we could have been friends, but at least we were on good terms when he passed away. I’m grateful for that.

I’m grateful that I could call Norm Carlson my friend. When he arrived at heaven’s gates Friday, I feel certain a lot of Norm’s friends were gathered, ready to welcome him with open arms.