FLORIDA BASEBALL: It is all about the numbers starting tonight

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

With 11 regular season games remaining, it is a numbers game for the Florida Gators. At 23-21 overall, seven wins will get the Gators to 30, which will make it easier for the NCAA Tournament selection committee to ease them into the 64-team field. More important is Florida’s 9-12 record in the Southeastern Conference. There are nine conference games remaining starting with tonight’s (7 p.m., ESPN) weekend series with 3rd-ranked Tennessee (37-7, 15-6 SEC). Five SEC wins would get the Gators to 14 in league play, and while that would be two games under .500, it’s the same number Ole Miss had two years ago when the Rebels got on a roll to win the national championship in Omaha.

Any way you look at it, the odds are stacked against the Gators making it 17 straight years in the NCAA Tournament since Kevin O’Sullivan became Florida’s head coach. This week it’s Tennessee. Next week there is a non-conference game with South Florida (22-22) at Condron Family Ballpark, then it’s a home weekend series with 8th-ranked Kentucky (33-9, 16-5 SEC). The Gators travel to Georgia (32-12, 11-10 SEC) in the final series of the regular season. A 7-4 overall record and 5-4 SEC is a tall order for a Florida team that has had difficulty stringing wins together in the last aamonth.

Florida’s chances to get it done begins with Tennessee. The Vols are ranked third in the country. They rank fifth nationally in batting average (.324). They’re second in home runs (122), third in scoring (10 per game) and 8th in the country in ERA (3.92).

It is Tennessee’s offensive numbers that are scary for a Florida pitching staff with a team ERA of 6.23, which ranked 169th in the nation. Now, the Gators can hit the ball out of the yard – they’re eighth in the country with 94 homers – but they also strike out way too much. The Gators have struck out 410 times this season. Jac Caglianone, who is tied for second nationally with 26 home runs, is bracketed by hitters who have whiffed more than 50 times.

Can the Gators win this series? The answer is yes, but it’s not going to be easy and the pitching staff has to turn in a weekend at least as good as they were against Arkansas. The Gators lost a 2-1 game on Friday and 6-5 on Saturday. Florida won the game 9-5 on Sunday thanks to brilliant relief pitching.

Florida will send lefty Pierce Coppola (0-2, 10.50 ERA) tonight. The numbers on Coppola are a bit deceiving since he was on a pitch count of 40 in his first start in two years against Vanderbilt and 60 last weekend against Arkansas. The likely starter Friday night will be Brandon Neely (1-2, 6.15 ERA). Against Arkansas, Neely had his best start of the year, allowing only one run and three hits in 5-1/3 innings. Caglianone (5-0, 4.10 ERA) will start Saturday.

Tennessee will counter with Chris Stamos (3-0, 2.89 ERA) tonight, Drew Beam (6-1, 3.29 ERA Saturday) and Zander Sechrist (1-0, 3.89 Saturday). At the plate, the Vols have five hitters already with double figures in home runs – Christian Moore (20), Billy Amick (17), Dylan Dreiling (15), Kavares Tears (14) and Blake Burke (14).

UF SOFTBALL: One for the ages! Falby saves UF from disaster!

You will have to pardon the Florida State Seminoles (40-11) if they’ve had enough Kendra Falby for one season. Florida’s junior center fielder was a constant thorn in the Seminoles’ side, but especially in the ninth when she came through in the clutch not once, but twice. Leading off the second extra inning, Falby broke a 13-13 tie with the first home run of her already spectacular softball career. In the bottom half of the inning with one out and a runner on first, Falby charged in on a line drive up the middle, made the catch and fired a perfect throw to first to double up the runner for a game-ending double play.

Those weren’t the only big plays for Falby on a night when the 9th-ranked Gators blew a 13-7 lead in the bottom of the seventh only to come back for a 15-13 win for the ages over 14th-ranked FSU. The final damage assessment was a 5-6 night at the plate that included a double and the game-winning home run, four RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base.

In the Florida second, Falby’s infield hit scored Ariel Kowalewski as the Gators took a 4-2 lead. In the Florida fourth, Falby doubled and came home to score on a Korbe Otis double, which was followed one out later by a home run to right center by Jocelyn Erickson. Falby’s 2-run single in the fifth sparked a 4-run rally that saw the Gators take an 11-4 lead. Falby stole second, moved to third and scored on back-to-back sacrifice flies by Otis and Skylar Wallace. In the seventh, Falby hit a one-out double and came home on a 2-run homer to left center by Otis. That made the score 13-7, which should have been comfortable enough to win, except the Gators collapsed in the bottom half of the inning.

In what seemed like a repeat of last week when the Seminoles scored 12 runs in the top of the fifth for a 12-3 run-rule win over the Gators in Gainesville, Florida State scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings. That it went into extra innings had everything to do pitchers Keagan Rothrock and Ava Brown struggling late in the game as they did a week earlier. With the Gators leading 11-4 after five, Brown was brought in to pitch after Rothrock gave up a walk and a 2-run homer. Brown walked the bases full then walked in another run on four pitches to make it 11-7.  

The Otis home run in the top of the seventh stretched the Florida lead to 13-7, but after a three singles and a walk cut the margin to 13-8 with the bases full, Rothrock was brought back in. An error scored two to cut the lead to 13-10, but a 3-run homer tied the game, still with one out. Rothrock regained her poise and got out of the inning with a ground out and a pop out, although it was hold your breath time when she hit a batter after the ground ball second out.

Rothrock set the Seminoles down 1-2-3 in the eighth, and after a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth, Falby came up with her game-ending double play.

Falby and Otis (2-3) each had four RBI, while Wallace, Erickson and Reagan Walsh had two each. The win was the 21st of the season for Rothrock.

The Gators (40-12, 14-7 SEC) will be home this weekend against 8th-ranked Texas A&M (39-9, 15-6 SEC) with the winner clinching the second seed in the SEC Tournament. With a sweep of the Aggies, the Gators might very well earn a top eight seed for the NCAA Tournament which would mean they could host a regional and super regional.

UF LACROSSE: Gators face Vandy in AAC semifinals

Winners of 15 consecutive games, 9th-ranked Florida (15-2, 6-0 AAC) will face Vanderbilt (9-7, 3-3 AAC) in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference (5:30 p.m.) today. In the other semifinal, James Madison will face off with Temple. Florida went undefeated in AAC play to win the regular season conference championship.

Five Gators were named first team all-conference: Danielle Pavinelli, Emily Heller, Maggi Hall, Elyse Finnelle and Madison Waters. Named second team were Liz Harrison, Paisley Egan, Theresa Bragg and Kaitlyn Davies. Hall was named attacker of the year and Finelle was goalkeeper of the year.

UF GOLF: Gator men No. 3 seed in West Lafayette Regional

The Florida men’s team will be the No. 3 seed in the West Lafayette (IN) Regional when NCAA championship play begins May 13. Vanderbilt, which won the SEC championship, is the No. 1 seed in the regional with Arizona No. 2.

The Florida women, who will begin play in the East Lansing (MI) Regional on Monday, saw Maisie Filler named first team All-SEC on Monday.

UF BASKETBALL: Two names to keep an eye on in the portal

A couple of names that have surfaced that could impact Todd Golden’s decisions to fill the final two scholarships on his roster. Two days ago, Tulane combo guard Sion James  (6-5, 190, SR) entered the portal. He’s a Georgia kid (Buford) who averaged 14 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season for the 14-17 Green Wave. He shot an impressive 38.1 percent from the 3-point line. Yesterday, Ven-Allen Lubin (6-8, 220, SO) announced he’s in the portal out of Vanderbilt. He played high school ball at Orlando Christian Prep, averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Commodores, and had games of 15 and 25 points against the Gators.

Florida assistant coach Carlin Hartman played collegiately at Tulane and still has strong ties to the New Orleans area. Lubin was a high school teammate of 2024 Florida signee Isaiah Brown (6-5, 190).

In the SEC: John Calipari has landed two of the most highly coveted transfers in the last couple of days – Jonas Aidoo (6-11, 230, JR) from Tennessee and Johnell Davis (6-4, 185, SR) from Florida Atlantic … Kentucky has landed three important transfers, center Brandon Garrison (6-11, 245, FR) from Oklahoma State and shooters Koby Brea (6-6, 174, JR) from Dayton and Kerr Kreiis (6-3, 180, JR) from West Virginia … Texas A&M got a shooter from SMU in Zhuric Phelps (6-3, 175, SR) … Nine have transferred out of Vanderbilt, which has landed six in the portal.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The folks at the Heisman Trust have returned the trophy Reggie Bush earned in 2005. It should have been done a long time ago. Bush’s family was hooked up with agents, but that didn’t have any affect on what Reggie did on the field. In his Heisman campaign, Bush ran for 1,740 yards (8.7 per carry) and 16 touchdowns, plus caught 37 passes for 478 yards (12.8 per catch) and two more TDs. He earned it on the field. He should not have had the Heisman stripped from him.

But, at least something is being done to rectify the situation.

Now, if only the people in charge at the University of Florida would do the right thing about the 1984 and 1990 football teams. The 1984 team won the Southeastern Conference championship on the field and was easily the best team in the country when the season ended. BYU beat a 6-6 Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl BEFORE Christmas and was awarded the national title because the Cougars were the only unbeaten team. They were not the best team in the country. Led by Georgia and Tennessee, the SEC held a vote at the spring meetings to strip the Gators of their title because UF was on NCAA probation.

The 1990 team, Steve Spurrier’s first, went 9-2 overall, 6-1 in SEC play. Tennessee finished second at 5-1-1 but the Vols were awarded the SEC title because Florida was on NCAA probation for something that happened before any member of the 1990 team was even on scholarship. The vote to prevent the Gators from claiming the SEC title was led by Georgia and Tennessee. Again.

Now barring a miracle of Jonah in the belly of the whale proportions, the SEC isn’t going to say oops and declare the Gators football champs for 1984 and 1990. The University of Florida, however, could at least bring these two teams back for a recognition weekend. That UF has never recognized the 1984 team is an absolute travesty. The fans packed the stadium every game and when UF beat Kentucky to win the SEC title on the field, there were so many fans in the streets of Gainesville and at the airport that the UF charter did a fly over so the team could watch. Spurrier’s team did nothing wrong but was punished and has not had a recognition weekend.

It is time. It is past time, that the Florida athletic department at least gave these two teams a weekend to remember. If it’s not done it’s truly shameful.