Thoughts of the Day: May 21, 2026

Blake Cyr launches his 12th home run against Vandy (UAA Photo)

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

If what you’ve done lately matters to the NCAA baseball selection committee that will announce its 64-team field for the run to Omaha for the College World Series, then the Florida Gators are making a very strong case for a top eight seed. Winners of nine of their last ten games in which they’ve homered 29 times, Kevin O’Sullivan’s crew is scorching hot and has assumed the mantle of the most dangerous team in the Southeastern Conference.

Wednesday afternoon at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, the Gators (38-18) launched three home runs to overcome a rare shaky start by SEC Pitcher of the Year Aidan King for an 8-3 win over Vanderbilt (33-25). Hayden Yost, Blake Cyr and Brendan Lawson homered as part of a 14-hit Florida attack that might have ended Vanderbilt’s 19-year streak of NCAA Tournament appearances. While the Gators moved up a notch to the No. 10 national RPI, Vanderbilt slid down to No. 71. Since RPI became a factor in deciding the NCAA field, no SEC team has made it to the tournament without a top 50 RPI.

King was cruising along through the first four innings before Vandy figured him out in the fifth and chased him off the mound with a three-run outburst that tied the game at 3-3. Jackson Barbieri came on to put out the fire with an inning-ending strikeout that stranded a runner at third. In the bottom half of the inning, Florida responded to take a 5-3 lead with Cyr’s 12^th home run of the season, a 2-run shot to left field.

Barbieri held Vanderbilt at bay through the next two innings before turning the game over to Ernesto Lugo-Canchola, who shut down the Commodores in the eighth, and Luke McNeillie, who finished off Vandy in the ninth. Vandy managed only a harmless ninth-inning single after Barbieri (4-2, 2.03 ERA) entered the game. Florida pitchers gave up six hits, four walks and struck out 12.

The Gators took a 2-0 lead in the first on an RBI double by Lawson and a run-scoring ground out by Ethan Surowiec. In the bottom of the second, Yost continued his recent onslaught with his fourth home run in the last two games. In the seventh, Cade Kurland lined a 2-run single up the middle, and in the eighth, Lawson hit his team-leading 15^th home run of the season to complete Florida’s scoring. Lawson is 10 for his last 26 at-bats with four homers and eight RBI.

Cyr, who had a 4-5 day at the plate, homered for the first time since May 1. Yost, who destroyed LSU with a three-homer game last Saturday, had three hits. The home run was his tenth of the season and seventh in the last 10 games.

The Gators can move into Saturday’s semifinals if they can knock off 4^th-seeded Alabama (37-18) today at 4:30 p.m. Florida will go with Liam Peterson, the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week, against the Crimson Tide. Peterson pitched a complete game 3-hitter over LSU last Friday.

A win today would greatly enhance Florida’s chances of a top eight national seed, which would mean never having to leave Gainesville if the Gators were to march on to Omaha for the College World Series. Bama is No. 7 nationally in RPI and ranked No. 15 by D1Baseball. The Gators, who are ranked 18^th by D1Baseball, are 14-6 against ranked teams this season.

Wednesday’s scores

No. 8 Mississippi State (40-16) 12, No. 16 Missouri (24-31) 2

No. 5 FLORIDA (38-18) 8, Vanderbilt (33-25) 3

No. 7 Arkansas (37-19) 8, No. 10 Tennessee (38-20) 4

No. 6 Auburn (37-18) 3, No. 14 LSU (30-28) 1

Thursday’s games

No. 8 Mississippi State (40-16) vs. No. 1 Georgia (43-12), 1 p.m.

No. 5 FLORIDA (38-18) vs. No. 4 Alabama (37-18); 4:30 p.m.

Friday’s games

No. 7 Arkansas (37-19) vs. No. 2 Texas (40-12), 4 p.m.

No. 6 Auburn (37-18) vs. No. 3 Texas A&M (39-13), 8 p.m.

UF GOLF: GATORS WIN COLUMBUS REGIONAL BY 23 STROKES

The Gators were 7-over par for their Wednesday round at the NCAA Columbus Regional, the first time they’ve posted an over-par round in quite some time, but it didn’t matter. Florida still blew the field away, winning by a whopping 24 shots over second place Stanford to advance to the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California beginning May 29.

Luke Poulter won medalist honors for the regional while teammates Peter Sands and Michael Kress finished in a tie for second. Jack Turner finished 10^th while Zach Swarnick finished in a tie for 11^th.

UF SOFTBALL: HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE WILL BE TESTED

Super regional play for 6^th-seeded Florida (51-10) begins at 11 a.m. Friday when Texas Tech (55-6) comes to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in a best-of-three series that will send the winner to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. Texas Tech ranks second in the country in batting average (.389), third in home runs (128), fourth in ERA (1.81) and fifth in strikeouts (439).

The Red Raiders boast the nation’s top two-way player in Kaitlyn Terry, 24-1 with a 1.39 ERA in the circle and a .470 batting average. The nation’s highest paid player is Nijaree Canady, 23-5, 1.43 ERA with 215 strikeouts in 152 innings. Former Gator Mia Williams plays second base and leads the Red Raiders in home runs with 22.

As impressive as Texas Tech is up and down the lineup, Florida is formidable at home. The Gators are 29-3 at KSP. In winning last weekend’s regional, the Gators posted two run-rule shutouts before polishing off Georgia Tech in the championship game, 5-2. Florida outscored its opponents 25-2 in the three games.

If there is a concern for the Gators it’s in the circle. Keagan Rothrock ranks third in the country with 29 wins this season, but Florida’s pitching can be iffy when someone other than Rothrock is pitching. As a team, the Gators have a 2.73 ERA and it’s often a by committee approach.

And, how will the Florida bats deal with the hard throwing Texas Tech pitchers? Led by first team All-Americans Taylor Shumaker (.446, 18 HR, 59 RBI) and Jocelyn Erickson (.406, 20 HR, 71 RBI), the Gators are 6^th nationally in batting average (.355), seventh in home runs (102) and seventh in runs pe game (7.7). The Gators are one of the slickest fielding teams in the country. Florida ranks fourth with a .983 fielding percentage, having committed only 26 errors in 61 games.

This is Florida’s 16^th NCAA Super Regional. The Gators have advanced to the WCWS 13 times including three of the last four years.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: This time, Will Wade might have pushed the envelope too far. Since running off every recruit and veteran player from last season’s LSU roster, Wade has basically given the middle finger to the NCAA, which, in its infinite wisdom, is basically being forced to not only deal with Wade, but everyone else in college basketball that is intent on flaunting eligibility rules.

In the last couple of weeks, Wade has signed former Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis, who signed a 2-way contract with the NBA last year along with internationals Yam Madar (from Israel), Brice Dessert (from France via Turkey), Saliou Niang (from Senegal via Italy) and Marcos Santos (from Brazil via Israel). Madar will turn 26 in December. He’s being paid a reported $5 million to come play college basketball.

If the NCAA is consistent, it will rule against Luis, using the same arguments that benched Charles Bediako when Alabama tried to bring him back from the G-League two years after leaving Alabama. Madar certainly would be affected by the NCAA’s proposed 5-for-5 legislation and in all probability, so would  

It’s enough that college basketball insider Jeff Goodman said on his Field of 68 podcast, “Will Wade, I wish you didn’t come back to college basketball. I honestly I mean that. I like Will. I’ve known Will since he was an assistant at Harvard back in 2007, 2008, but man, you suck for college basketball right now. Seriously, you suck for college basketball. Like you’re making it into a mockery and look in the mirror and understand it’s not just about you. This is about more than just you. This is about the sport of college basketball. Have some pride.”

On that same podcast, Florida coach Todd Golden chimed in with his concerns over the precedent Wade and others who are going after seasons pros are making regarding the future of the college game.

"I do believe this will be a net positive, because we're going to have to see some action,” Golden said. “We're going to have to see if guys like this are going to get cleared or not. I don't think they have a great chance to, but you never know. And maybe Will (Wade) knows more than both of us do."

Before the NCAA tackles the issue head on, it will be a hot topic of discussion at next week’s SEC Spring Meetings in Destin. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was adamantly against Alabama trying to bring back Bediako last year and he is known to be a strong proponent of the new 5-for-5 legislation, which includes an age provision for scholarship athletes. With few exceptions such as church missions or military service, the eligibility clock starts ticking at high school graduation or age 19, whichever comes first. It cuts off at age 24.

Golden likes the new legislation, which if implemented and enforced would shut down some of the roster building tactics that Wade and others are using.

On the podcast with Goodman, Golden said, “So, just allowing these significantly older guys – I can understand 20- or 21-year-olds coming over. I like the idea of having that 19-to-24 window. I think that makes a lot of sense. But again, 25 and 26-year-olds is not what college basketball is meant to be.”

There are a lot of things about the game that aren’t what college basketball is meant to be. This is going to test the NCAA, whose inconsistent rulings and selective enforcement of existing rules has opened the door for coaches like Wade to see just how far they can tread before being reeled in.

NCAA prez Charlie Baker says the organization needs to reform, which is true, and the best place for that to begin is by showing the guts to stop in its tracks this trend of bringing in seasoned pros. If the NCAA holds its ground, perhaps it can buy time to continue existing. If it waffles or shows any signs of inconsistency in its rulings, then it is the equivalent of posting going out of business signs.