GATOR BASEBALL’S BACK BABY! SWEEPS ARKANSAS

Barberi's arm came In handy during the sweep (UAA Photoby Hannah White)

 

Florida Clinches First Road Series Win at Arkansas Since 2016

It didn’t look like a comeback story a couple of weeks ago. It looked like a spiral. Kevin O’Sullivan’s Gators were scuffling, their head coach having survived a season-opening suspension, their bats silenced to the point of being no-hit, and their edge — so reliable for so long — suddenly nowhere to be found.

For a program built on toughness and timing, Florida had lost both. But baseball, like its best managers, has a memory for resilience.

On a tense Sunday afternoon in Fayetteville, with No. 4 Arkansas pressing and the tying run 90 feet away, Florida finished what felt unthinkable not long ago — a four-game surge against ranked teams, capped by a 7-6 escape that completed a road sweep and signaled something more important than a win streak. It was a snapback.

And it came with all the markings of a team rediscovering itself: Brendan Lawson and Ethan Surowiec swinging like middle-of-the-order anchors, combining for seven hits and a pair of home runs; timely hitting up and down the lineup; and, finally, a bullpen moment that didn’t crack.

Luke McNeillie, who had already given up two home runs and plenty of angst, stood on the mound in the ninth with everything wobbling again — and instead of letting it unravel, he snapped off the strikeout that stranded Arkansas and sealed something bigger than a game.

For O’Sullivan’s club, this wasn’t just about surviving another close call. It was about answering a miserable stretch with something definitive.

After the suspension. After the no-hitter. After the doubt.

They didn’t just respond — they pushed back with an amazing 17 hits Sunday.

Sully reminded us all of how quickly things can change.  “Well, it's a long season and it's amazing how things can change so quickly. That's the thing we've gotta remind our guys. As bad as we felt last weekend, we have a totally different feel this weekend, but it's a long season.”

The Gators have now beaten a Top 10 opponent in four straight games.

Is it too early to say Florida baseball is back? Or did it really ever leave?

Quick Jump Starts

—What an incredible finish to the UConn-Duke game, a sort of reverse Christian Laettner with freshman Braylon Mullins making the game winner.

—I was there 34 years ago to see Laettner’s launch but can’t imagine anything more dramatic than Mullins’ shot given the Huskies’ controversial coach Dan Hurley and how they clawed their way back from a 19-point deficit.

--Had Mullins missed, I would have placed three of the Final Four correctly in my backets – an anomaly for me. You can guess the other miss. As my old pal Joe would say, I picked good but the Gators didn’t play good.

--Tammi Reiss will retain Florida assistant Cynthia Jordan, who played for Dawn Staley at Temple and was previously at South Carolina.

--Billy Donovan, when asked about his interest in UNC, kept his tone measured and reiterated in saying he is focused on coaching the Bulls for the rest of the season.

Spring Football, From What I Hear

- Among the most impressive players in Saturday’s scrimmage were WR Eric Singletary and Edge LJ McCray. Oline struggled and is very much a work in progress.

Scrimmage very organized.

- Utilized different personnel groupings, which was impressive.

- QBs got lots of reps, coaches had lots of energy.

- QBs played well. Nobody separated. Very pleased to have both John Gruden and Urban Meyer speak to his team.

They rode together Friday.

Gruden encouraged the team to set the standard for effort and said the Gators are  a sleeping giant that should wake up.

"It was a beautiful message and Urban kind of followed that up with what it all looked like and what it means to get this thing jump-started," Sumrall said. "I thought it was great for our guys to hear their perspective on what that looked like. This is a sleeping giant right now. We've got to wake it up."

An Up And Down

On a week of Tiger Trauma, when the really PGA Tour needed a pick-me-up, it got one with the comeback story of Gary Woodland, who won the Texas Children's Houston Open on Sunday in an emotional moment that seemed so improbable 30 months ago when he had brain surgery. Woodland looked better than ever at Memorial Park, taking a one-shot lead into the final round and stretching it to seven shots until coasting home to a trophy that felt as big as his U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach in 2019.

He closed with a 3-under 67 to win by five. The gallery paused chanting his name so Woodland could roll in a 5-foot par putt. He stretched both arms, exhaled and looked to the blue sky before his tears began pouring.

“We play an individual sport out here, but I wasn't alone today,” Woodland said, his voice quivering with emotion. “Anyone struggling with something, I hope they see me and don't give up. Just keep fighting.”

It’s Legal  Now…

Matt McMahon has been fired at LSU and NC State's Will Wade is back as head basketball coach.

Wade was previously the head coach of the Tigers from 2017-24

LSU spending last 6 months:

* Lane Kiffin contract: $91 million

* Brian Kelly: $54 million buyout

* Reported 2026 football roster: $40 million

* Matt McMahon buyout: $8 million

* Will Wade buyout: $3 million

And Louisiana has one of the nation’s poorest economies?

 You know the last team to beat Dan Hurley’s Huskies in the NCAA tournament? Yep. The 2024-25 national champions.