The magic ran out and Caglianone's Florida career came to an end

“… Being able to wear this jersey for the past three years has been something that I’m going to take … you know, I mean I’m never going to take it for granted. All these guys who have worn it before us, all we try to do is make them proud and really appreciate everything what Florida is all about.” – Jac Caglianone

It would have been the ultimate storybook ending to a season that offered more close encounters than the first Indiana Jones movie, but the big kid from Tampa who played with such a joy and such passion had to take off that Florida baseball uniform one last time.

When Texas A&M shut out the Gators, 6-0, Wednesday night, shutting the door on a most improbable run to a third place finish at the College World Series in Omaha, it was more than just the end of another baseball season. It was the end of a rather remarkable college baseball career.

The next time we see Jac Caglianone it will be in the uniform of a minor league baseball team. Like Wyatt Langford before him a year ago, Caglianone will be taken among the first five selections when Major League Baseball drafts in a little less than a month. Most project him going fourth or fifth, but the teams that go with someone else will be making a grave mistake. Not only is Jac Caglianone the best baseball player in University of Florida history, but he’s one of the best prospects ever. He is a true generational talent whose days as a pitcher are behind him. At the next level, his ability to mash a baseball will put him on a fast track to the big leagues. We haven’t seen power like this. Ever.

The home run he hit over the Condron Family Ballpark scoreboard against Jacksonville back in March went more than 500 feet, the longest home run measured since baseball at all levels began using an electronic tracking system that measures exit velocity, height and distance. He can do things like that with incredible frequency. Wednesday morning when the Gators pummeled No. 2 Kentucky into submission, 15-4, Caglianone hit his 35th homer of the season into the right field stands at Charles Schwab Park.

The ball traveled a respectable 375 feet. A prodigious blast for some hitters, Caglianone didn’t get all of it, but he had enough muscle to send it high and deep beyond the right field bullpen.

Wednesday night against fresh Texas A&M pitchers with high velocity, extraordinary control and all kinds of movement, Caglianone finished out his collegiate career with a pair of singles, two of the four hits the Gators managed on a night when the magic finally ran out for Florida.

The Gators chased the dragon for three straight weeks, but Wednesday night the alchemists in charge of Florida’s most unlikely NCAA run finally couldn’t turn the silver into gold or anything else. That the Gators finished in a third place tie at the College World Series with Florida State was anything but expected. The Gators were one the last four teams in the tournament and were the only unseeded team to make it to Omaha. In Omaha, they should have beaten the No. 3 Aggies in game one, but they staved off elimination two straight games by taking out No. 10 North Carolina State, 5-4, Monday, and No. 2 Kentucky, 15-4, Wednesday morning.

To go from a 28-27 regular season finish to a most deceiving 36-30 final record, the Gators went 8-3 in NCAA play, winning three straight elimination games to win the Stillwater Regional, then outslugging Clemson in its home ball yard to win the super regional. Things like that just don’t happen randomly so when the Gators pulled it off, it made them seem like a team of destiny although destiny came to a cruel end in Omaha.

Propelling the Gators at every step of the march to Omaha was Caglianone. His final season numbers are astounding – a .419 batting average, 35 homers, 72 RBI, .544 on base percentage, .875 slugging percentage, 58 walks of which 31 were intentional, and just 26 strikeouts in 248 at bats. Those are other worldly numbers. Mere mortals only dream of that kind of productivity.

Shame on the people who select the winners of the Golden Spikes and Dick Howser trophies. The best player in the entire country is Jac Caglianone, but he didn’t win either one of those awards. He should have.

Beating the Aggies Wednesday night was a longshot, but so was Florida even making it to Omaha in the first place. It wouldn’t have happened without Caglianone hitting .444 in NCAA play with six homers and 14 RBI. As amazing as those stats are, imagine what they could have been if opponents had actually pitched to him. He walked 17 times with 11 intentional passes.

After putting Kentucky out of its misery Wednesday morning with a 15-run onslaught, the Gators ran out of the magic woofie dust it took to propel their magic carpet ride. Since the Aggies needed only two wins to make it to Wednesday night’s semifinal, their pitching staff was well rested. The Gators were running on fumes even though they needed only three (Pierce Coppola, Jake Clemente and Alex Philpott) to shut down Kentucky in the morning.

The Gators went with freshman Liam Peterson, who has an electric fast ball that he still hasn’t learned to harness and superstar potential that will have to wait another year. He walked four batters in the first inning, pushing in the only run the Aggies would actually need.

Fisher Jameson came on to put out the first inning fire, but only after a sacrifice fly made it a 2-0 game. A 2-0 deficit isn’t insurmountable, but Aggie pitchers were busy throwing swing and miss sliders that the Gators couldn’t catch up to, particularly when there were men on base.

Caglianone did his best to generate some offense but his two singles against the Aggies radical shift were half of Florida’s hits. Fourteen Gators struck out, 11 on swinging third strikes. That was the difference in the game. It was either boom or bust for the Florida hitters. They had boom in the morning, bust in the night as they went down in shutout fashion for the first time all season.  

In the second inning, Colby Shelton led off with a double into the right field corner. A single would have cut the deficit in half but Justin Lamkin caught Luke Heyman looking at a third strike and set down Ashton Wilson and Dale Thomas on swinging third strikes.

The Gators loaded the bases in the third when Michael Robertson walked, followed by singles from Jac Caglianone and Cade Kurland. Tyler Shelnut whiffed and Shelton went down on a pop foul down the third base line.

Kurland and Shelnut walked leading off the sixth when it was a 3-0 deficit. One good swing and the game would have been tied up, but Shelton grounded out to first and with Kurland and Shelnut in scoring position, Heyman and Wilson went down swinging.

Down 5-0 in the bottom of the eighth, Caglianone led off with a single up the middle. Midway through Kurland’s at bat, Aggie coach Jim Schlossnagle brought in closer of the year Evan Aschenbeck, who wild pitched Caglianone to second and then walked Kurland after a 12-pitch battle.

One last chance for a rally but not this night. It was the same old, same old. Shelnut hit a fly ball to right that advanced Caglianone to third but Aschenbeck got Shelton on a short pop to left and caught Heyman looking at a slider that caught enough of the black for out three.

So the season ends against a worthy opponent that will give No. 1 Tennessee all it can handle when the best two of three championship series begins Saturday night. The Aggies (52-13) beat Florida twice to end the season for the Gators and the career for Caglianone.

Post game, Caglianone was asked how he would like to be remembered. There was no boasting about his accomplishments, just heartfelt appreciation for the three years he suited up for the Gators.

“Really, just as somebody who gave it their all,” he said. “Day-in and day-out I just wanted to fight for these guys next to me. Yeah, to be honest with you, I can’t thank the coaches here enough for all they have done to help me get to where I am today. The people I met along the way and played with, it’s something that I won’t ever take for granted. I appreciate Sully for taking a chance on me in high school and getting me to this point.”

Day-in and day-out we never had to worry about Jac Caglianone. He didn’t take days off. He didn’t sulk when he was having a bad day. When he had a good day he was happy to share the attention with his teammates. Whether it came to him naturally or something he had to learn over time, Jac Caglianone always tried to be the best teammate. He was obviously blessed with the most talent of anyone on the ball club – anyone in the SEC or the country to be exact – but he always thought of himself as a member of the team and with him, it was always about the team.