Gators roll the dice, start freshman Liam Peterson against Texas A&M

A familiar phrase in Texas whose origins are the diner/honkey tonks that play Texas Swing 2-step music on the weekends is “dance with the one that brung ya!” which is exactly what Kevin O’Sullivan is going to do Saturday night (7 p.m., ESPN) when the Gators (34-28) face Texas A&M (49-13) in the College World Series in Omaha. Amid expectations that Sully would start Jac Caglianone against the 3rd-ranked Aggies, the Florida coach has decided to stick with what has taken the Gators from a team that plenty of folks questioned why the NCAA baseball selection committee to one nobody really wants to play.

That means freshman Liam Peterson (3-4, 5.97 ERA), who has been the Friday night starter for the last month, will be on the mound for the Gators. Peterson’s two starts in NCAA play have been polar opposites. He was outstanding in 5-1/3 dominant innings against Big Ten champion Nebraska in the Stillwater Regional. A week later against Clemson in the super regional, Peterson was ineffective and lifted in the second inning. Prior to Clemson, Peterson struck out 20 in 19-1/3 innings while giving up just five earned runs.

Over the course of the season, Caglianone (5-2, 4.71 ERA) has been Florida’s most consistent pitcher. Going with a freshman instead of Caglianone is gutsy since Cags has (a) already pitched and beaten the Aggies and (b) pitched at the College World Series last year.     

Freshmen have been known to get the yips when they start their team’s first game at the College World Series, but there is some method to Sully’s madness. If you go back to game one of the weekend series the Gators played with Texas A&M in Gainesville back in March, Caglianone (.411, 33 HR, 68 RBI) pretty much owned Texas A&M ace Ryan Prager (8-1, 2.51 ERA), who will be the Aggie starter Saturday night. Caglianone sent a 2-2 pitch flying over the wall in center field in the bottom of the first. In the first inning of that game, Caglianone homered to dead center with one out in the bottom of the first and then hammered the first pitch Prager threw him over the fence in center field to lead off the third. By starting Peterson, Caglianone will be at first base and can concentrate on owning Prager once again.

Prager didn’t get out of the third inning that game. Following Caglianone’s homer in the third, Tyler Shelnut (.264, 15 HR, 50 RBI) hit a 3-run homer that sent Prager to the showers. For his 2-1/3 innings, Prager was roughed up for seven hits and six earned runs.

Brandon Neely (3-4, 5.45 ERA, 4 saves), who will have to factor prominently if the Gators are to make a run at a national championship, had one of his better games of the regular season in Florida’s 8-6 opening game win. Neely came on for starter Cade Fisher in the sixth inning and gave up only one hit while striking out three to preserve the win and earn the save.

Neely’s struggles in the regular season are well documented, but he began righting his ship against Georgia, the last weekend before the SEC Tournament. Since then he’s given the Gators 20-2/3 innings, allowing 12 hits, four runs, five walks and 29 strikeouts.

Neely got the save to preserve the win for Neely against Nebraska and got a win against Oklahoma State, striking out 11 in 5-1/3 innings. In the Clemson Super Regional, Neely got a save in game one when he pitched four innings of 1-hit ball with seven strikeouts. Called into action in the clinching game two, Neely pitched four innings and threw 72 pitches without so much as a day’s rest.

Neely and Fisher Jameson have formed an outstanding 1-2 punch out of the bullpen in these last few weeks. Jameson (5-0, 4.35 ERA, 3 saves). In his last six outings, Jameson has gone 10-1/3 innings, allowing six hits, five runs, two walks and 11 strikeouts.

Whoever is pitching for the Gators will have one less problem to deal with. Right fielder Braden Montgomery (.317, 26 HR, 80 RBI) broke his ankle against Oregon in the College Station Super Regional last week. The Aggies are expected to move center fielder Jace LaViolette (.321, 26 HR, 73 RBI) to right field with Travis Chestnut (.288, 3 HR, 12 RBI) taking over in center.

The College World Series is double elimination so every team will play at least two games. Win or lose game one and the Gators will start Caglianone in game two. If UF survives the first two, the third game starter is likely to be Pierce Coppola, who struck out eight in 4-1/3 innings in Florida’s game three win over Nebraska in the Stillwater Regional.

Injury update: Out is Ty Evans, who was hoping to come back from a broken wrist in time to play in Omaha. Pitcher Ryan Slater, who strained an obligue muscle in Stillwater, should be available.

Friday’s games

2 p.m.: No. 12 Virginia (46-15) vs. No. 4 North Carolina (47-14)

7 p.m.: No. 8 Florida State (47-15) vs. No. 1 Tennessee (55-12)

Saturday’s games

2 p.m.: No. 10 North Carolina State (38-21) vs. No. 2 Kentucky (45-14)

7 p.m.: FLORIDA (34-28) vs. No. 3 Texas A&M (49-13)