A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: In 1930, Babe Ruth signed a 2-year contract with the New York Yankees that paid him $80,000 a year. This was during the Great Depression so it was an astounding amount of money. When Ruth was told he was being paid more money than President Herbert Hoover, it was reported that Babe replied, “I had a better year than him.” Back in 1977, Reggie Jackson signed a 5-year free agent deal with the New York Yankees worth a reported $700,000 a year, a rather hefty sum during a time when inflation and interest rates sent home mortgage rates through the roof. These days and times there are college athletes making much more than $700,000 of NIL deals. Even before he had taken a college football snap, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava got an NIL deal worth $8 million. There are unsubstantiated rumors that the NIL deal for Florida quarterback Graham Mertz is well north of $1 million and that heir to the throne DJ Lagway has a deal that will escalate beyond whatever Mertz makes once Mertz is plying his trade in the No Fun League. Given the numbers we’re hearing about what athletes are getting in the transfer portal, $1 million for a quarterback seems to be on the low end of things. During the day on Monday, a text came in asking a guesstimate of what the following Gators would have made in NIL money: Emmitt Smith, Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel, Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Joakim Noah and Al Horford. That’s a complicated question, best asked of an economist who can apply monetary value to the time frames in question. Take Emmitt Smith, for example. His first year at UF was 1987 when the Gators were coming off one of the most severe probations in NCAA history. During his three years at UF, the Gators were 20-16. There was no transfer portal to drive prices up and certainly no NIL money but if there had been would Emmitt Smith have even come to Florida in the first place? Could Florida have afforded to keep him? Shane Matthews was the 6th-string quarterback Emmitt’s final year at UF in 1989. He has said that transferring was never a possibility, a good thing since his career blossomed with the arrival of Steve Spurrier in 1990. Shane was the SEC Player of the Year in 1990-91. He could have commanded a big NIL deal with the threat of entering the No Fun League Draft after the 1991 season. Wuerffel was the Heisman runner-up in 1995, the ideal time to cash in prior to Florida’s 1996 national championship season in which he won the Heisman. Tebow was already a folk hero in the state even before he arrived at UF. After winning the 2007 Heisman Florida boosters certainly would have paid up to keep him and there would have been no shortage of corporations wishing to have his endorsement.  Percy? Could Florida have outbid Pete Carroll and Southern Cal for him? After leading Florida to the 2006 NCAA basketball championship, Noah and Horford could have made millions in NIL money. They could have bolted for the NBA and made millions, but they came back for a second NCAA title in 2007. So, taking all things into consideration with the thought that all these guys would have been Gators anyway, here is what I believe they would have gotten based on 2024 monetary values: Emmitt Smith: Florida’s record was so average and he didn’t gain 1,000 yards in 1988 in an offense nicknamed "The Amedee-ville Horror." Perhaps $500,000 in 1989. Shane Matthews: After the 1991 season in which the Gators won the SEC title and posted their first 10-win season in school history, Shane would have cashed in. $1,000,000. Danny Wuerffel: Great player, yes, average marketability after the Gators were destroyed by Nebraska in the 1995 national championship game. $700,000. Tim Tebow: The money would have escalated every year, but especially after the 2008 national championship season. Since the Gators were expected to win the 2009 national title, $2,000,000. Percy Harvin: He was the most electric player in college football. Left for the NFL after the 2008 national championship so 2009 would have been his cash-in season. $700,000 because he missed games with injuries in 2007 and wasn't around to cash out big in 2009. Joakim Noah: He was the most charismatic player in all of college basketball. After winning MVP of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, he could have commanded Tebow money. $2,000,000. Al Horford: Every bit as important as Noah, but not nearly as flamboyant. $1,000,000. Could Napier land two from the portal this week? There is a very real possibility that Cormani McClain, the former 5-star corner from Lakeland, is going to be playing football at the University of Florida in the fall. There was a time when McClain was thought to be a mortal lock for the Gators, but he wavered, committed to Miami and then stiffed the Hurricanes to go play for Deion Sanders at Colorado. One season in which he played in nine games with 13 tackles was apparently all the Boulder, Colorado McClain could stand. After just a couple of weeks in the transfer portal, Florida has emerged as the odds-on favorite to land McClain, but with a catch. From all reports, if he decides to be a Gator he will join the team as a walk-on. He has an agent and apparently all parties believe that the cost of a scholarship to UF will be more than made up by NIL money. Blake Alderman of the Florida 247Sports site is reporting that McClain, his mother and his agent will be spending some time this week at UF before a final decision is made. There is also a 247Sports report that Florida could land Arizona State wide receiver transfer Elijhah Badger, whose career numbers at ASU are 142 catches for 1,640 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2023, Badger caught 65 passes for 713 yards and three touchdowns. In 2020 and 2021, Badger was teammates with Ricky Pearsall, who transferred to Florida and parlayed that move into a first round selection by the San Francisco 49ers. That move turned out well for Pearsall and it would seem logical that Badger and Pearsall have been talking. Given that Pearsall and Graham Mertz are bestest buds, it would also seem logical that Florida has an inside track on landing another experienced wide receiver for an offense that could be downright explosive in 2024. One other thing to consider: His last name is Badger. Mertz transferred to Florida after spending four years as a Wisconsin Badger. Also, wide receiver Chimere Dike transferred to Florida in the spring. He, too, is a former Wisconsin Badger. Coincidence? Meanwhile at Amelia Island The Atlantic Coast Conference, which is in a steel cage death match of the legal variety with Florida State and Clemson, got a visit Monday from Charlie Baker, who was there to tout a possible deal with the Congress designed to head off at the pass an anti-trust lawsuit. Baker is trying to convince the ACC presidents that this deal, which will cost something like $3 billion over 10 years, is necessary for the survival of college sports. At least that’s what the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, is trying to sell to the ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Big 12. The deal, which would go into effect in 2025, is a revenue sharing model designed to give the power conference teams $20 million a year each to spread among its athletes and to pay off athletes who competed prior to the advent of NIL. Considering some of the anti-trust suits out there demanding 50 percent of the revenue from college athletics, the NCAA model seems like a band-aid when a tourniquet is required. Athletes are going to be compensated but there are so many complications. Football, for example, is the cash cow but Title IX demands equality. So, can football players get the bulk of the revenue while the non-revenue – particularly women’s sports – take a lesser amount? The best idea out there is to ditch the NCAA completely and start all over again with a brand new organization that makes athletes employees. Athletes could organize and negotiate collective bargaining agreements with conferences, which would most likely want a salary cap. Baker’s visit might have sucked the wind out of the ACC room on Monday, but starting today, there will be plenty of discussion about Florida State and Clemson, which have lawsuits against the ACC in an attempt to gain a release from the grant of rights contract with ESPN. The ESPN contract runs through 2036. FSU and Clemson are looking at the amount of money that the SEC and Big Ten are going to be making from their media rights deals, which dwarfs the ACC money. If economic models are to be believed, both the SEC and Big Ten schools will be making more than $100,000,000 a year from their media rights deals. The ACC schools will be receiving half that. FSU and Clemson want out because they see their SEC brethren gaining huge competitive advantages due to all the money. They are of the opinion that either the Southeastern Conference or the Big Ten would welcome them with open arms. Both seem willing to take the chance that they will have a place to go if they are able to secede, but given the leadership at the top of both the SEC and Big Ten, it’s a very risky proposition for the following reasons: (1) Neither Clemson nor FSU will expand either the SEC or Big Ten television footprint. The SEC is already in South Carolina and Florida and neither Clemson nor FSU move the television needle. (2) The SEC expands to 16 teams by adding Texas and Oklahoma this year. The league will move to a 9-game football scheduling model either in 2025 or 2026 that will ensure every team plays every other team home and home every four years. It is a perfect scheduling model that is already being put in place for basketball starting this season. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is perfectly content with a 16-team league. The only expansion he would be willing to rubber stamp is if Notre Dame decided to join a league. (3) The Big Ten has expanded to 18 teams with the additions of Southern Cal, UCLA, Oregon and Washington. If the Big Ten had wanted to expand further it would have added Stanford and California, which ironically will be joining ACC this year.  Further, 17 of the 18 Big Ten schools are members of the American Association of Universities. Neither Clemson nor FSU are members. Call the Big Ten snooty if you will, but the league takes that very seriously. So who wants Clemson and FSU? The Big 12 would love to have them, but that would mean making less money than they make with the ACC. From all reports, the ACC is more than willing to call the bluff of Clemson and FSU and, if necessary, tie them up in court for years. That is yet another reason why it is unlikely they will be leaving the ACC anytime soon. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Caitlyn Clark has already lifted women’s college basketball to unprecedented heights when it comes to television viewership. The WNBA is counting on Clark to do the same thing. She is already branded as a superstar even though the Indiana Fever, which selected her with the first pick in the WNBA Draft, has yet to play anything more than an exhibition game. For Caitlyn Clark to transform the WNBA into must see television, she is going to have to be a superstar from day one and that is going to be very difficult. Initially, there will be crowds and television coverage, but if Clark’s game doesn’t elevate to the level of the WNBA, which has no shortage of very good players who play defense better than anything or anyone Clark saw in college, how long before Clark is no longer must-see TV? There is one other matter to consider. Whether fair or unfair, Caitlyn Clark is being asked to take the entire WNBA on her shoulders and carry it to new heights. That’s a lot of pressure. The hope here is that she’s more than capable of handling it.

Gators celebrate SEC Tournament title that got them to a No. 4 national seed (UAA Photo) A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: A week ago, Skylar Wallace and Katie Kistler gushed when asked about their Senior Weekend at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. “Amazing,” Wallace said. “Agreed,” said Kistler, adding, “I couldn’t imagine a more perfect Senior Weekend.” Wallace and Kistler knew even then that Senior Weekend wouldn’t be their final time playing at KSP. Florida was already assured of hosting an NCAA regional and while they may have suspected the Gators might host a super regional as well, it took leaving three teams on the side of the road in the tall grass at the SEC Tournament to make that a reality. When Senior Weekend began, the Gators were No. 16 in the NCAA RPI. It was down to No. 12 by the time the Gators had swept the Aggies. At the SEC Tournament in Auburn, the Gators saw their RPI rise with wins over Georgia, Texas A&M and Missouri, all of whom were selected national seeds when the NCAA field was announced Sunday. Florida left Auburn with a No. 6 RPI, a strong statement considering how many doubts there were when the Gators suffered an unprecedented meltdown against Florida State back on April 24. If that was rock bottom, then what has happened in the 10 games since has been meteoric. Following the Senior Weekend sweep of the Aggies, Walton noted almost prophetically that the NCAA might take into account that the Gators were on a hot streak. “There’s always something to be said to the NCAA committee about who’s hot, who’s not, who’s played a schedule and what it looks like,” Walton said. “Ultimately, our challenge is the teams that we’ve played on our schedule, we’ve done a really good job. We’ve had a couple of hiccups, but I think overall, you’re going to have those kind of things with young people, but I think we’ve started to answer the call and we’re playing a heckuva lot better in all aspects of the game.” Obviously, the NCAA took Florida’s hot streak into account. When the field of 64 teams was announced Sunday night, the Gators were rewarded with a No. 4 national seed, further proof of the importance of getting hot at just the right time. There aren’t too many teams in the country hotter than Florida (46-12) which has won 10 of its last 11 games, all against ranked teams that are regional hosts. This might go down as one of the top two coaching jobs of Tim Walton’s career at the University of Florida because he’s basically dealing with a rebuilt team from a year ago. Four starters – Wallace, Kistler, Kendra Falby and Reagan Walsh – from last year’s 38-22 team are still in the lineup, joined by transfers Korbe Otis and Jocelyn Erickson along with freshmen Keagan Rothrock, Ava Brown, Ariel Kowalewski and Mia Williams. Rothrock and Brown have pitched all but 42-2/3 innings this season. Walton has made it to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series 11 times but never with such heavy reliance on freshmen pitchers. Overall, it’s the youngest team Walton has put out on the field in years. “It’s been a challenge,” Walton said after sweeping the Aggies a week ago but the challenge has been rewarding in more ways than just wins on the field. “The one thing I can tell you that this team has that we haven’t had in a long period of time is a really sound process with the ability to be flexible,” Walton said.  “In other words, it’s not a routine, it’s not habits, it’s not superstitious habits. It’s a sound routine with the ability to be flexible and I think that’s really what has made us a lot better down the stretch.” NCAA seedings, regional hosts and the field of 64 1. Austin regional: Texas vs. Siena; Northwestern vs. Saint Francis (PA) 2. Norman regional: Oklahoma vs. Cleveland State; Oregon vs. Boston University 3. Knoxville regional: Tennessee vs. Dayton; Virginia vs. Miami (OH) 4. GAINESVILLE REGIONAL: FLORIDA vs. Florida Gulf Coast; South Alabama vs. Florida Atlantic 5. Stillwater regional: Oklahoma State vs. Northern Colorado; Kentucky vs. Michigan 6. Los Angeles regional: UCLA vs. Grand Canyon; Virginia Tech vs. San Diego State 7. Columbia regional: Missouri vs. Omaha; Washington vs. Indiana 8. Stanford regional: Stanford vs. Saint Mary’s; Mississippi State vs. Cal State-Fullerton 9. Baton Rouge regional: LSU vs. Jackson State; California vs. Southern Illinois 10. Durham regional: Duke vs. Morgan State; South Carolina vs. Utah 11. Athens regional: Georgia vs. UNC-Wilmington; Charlotte vs. Liberty 12. Fayetteville regional: Arkansas vs. Southeast Missouri State; Arizona vs. Villanova 13. Lafayette regional: Louisiana vs. Princeton; Baylor vs. Ole Miss 14. Tuscaloosa regional: Alabama vs. South Carolina-Upstate; Clemson vs. Southeastern Louisiana 15. Tallahassee regional: Florida State vs. Chattanooga; Auburn vs. UCF 16. College Station regional: Texas A&M vs. Albany; Texas State vs. Penn State UF BASEBALL: Another winnable game turns into a bizarre loss Game three of Florida’s weekend series with 4th-ranked Kentucky ended in similar bizarre fashion as game one. Florida found creative ways to give away game one, 12-11, in ten innings. After battling back from a 3-0 deficit to send the game into extra innings Sunday, the Gators gave up four runs in the tenth inning. While the Gators were able to get two back in the bottom of the tenth, the game ended with runners on second and third and Florida on the short end of a 7-5 score. At 26-25 (11-16 SEC) and three games remaining against a smoking hot Georgia team (38-12, 16-11 SEC) in Athens next weekend, making the NCAA Tournament is all but impossible unless the Gators can get on a roll at the SEC Tournament. Sunday, the Gators fell behind 3-0 in the second inning, the first run scoring on a double to left field that Tyler Shelnut got his glove on but couldn’t bring down, a wild pitch and a fly ball to left center field that resulted in a collision between center fielder Jaylen Guy and right fielder Hayden Yost. A walk, a sacrifice bunt, an infield single and a groundout accounted for the other two runs. That was all Kentucky (37-11, 20-7 SEC) could manage off Florida starter Jac Caglianone, who pitched into the seventh inning, aided by a pair of spectacular catches in right field by Yost, who robbed Ryan Nicholson of extra bases with a catch against the wall and one out later reached over the fence to bring back what would have been a home run by James McCoy. Jake Clemente and Brandon Neely held the Wildcats at bay while Florida fought back, scoring two in the seventh and one in the ninth to send the game into extra innings. In the seventh, Shelnut singled and one out later, Yost drew a walk. Ashton Wilson, with only seven at-bats all season, pinch-hit for Guy and delivered a double down the right field line to drive in Shelnut and Yost. The Gators tied the score at 3-3 in the ninth on Shelnut’s 13th home run of the season. The Gators loaded the bases on a single by Brody Donay, a walk to Dale Thomas and a pitch that hit Mikey Robertson on the elbow, but Cade Kurland’s bouncer up the middle resulted in a force out to end the inning. “I felt like we had all the momentum to go out there and put a zero on the board [in the top of the 10th],” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “I felt good that we could come in and score a run, and we didn't have the opportunity to do that." In the top of the 10th with Brandon Neely on the mound for UF, the Wildcats loaded the bases and pushed one run across on a swinging bunt that got between Neely and first baseman Luke Heyman. After a strikeout the bases were still loaded and with light hitting Patrick Herrera at the plate, the outfield was drawn in to prevent a bloop hit. Herrera hit a line drive straight at Shelnut and over his head, clearing the bases for a 7-3 UK lead. Discussing what proved to be the game-winning double by Herrera, Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said, “I think he has four extra-base hits on the year, so the outfield is playing fairly shallow. We've seen it, Shelnut took a couple steps in and the ball went over his head. That was the difference, but we did get a chance to get two runners in scoring position and then base hit there again, and we just didn't get it done, simple as that." In the bottom of the tenth, Caglianone singled up the middle and advanced to second one out later when Colby Shelton was hit by a pitch. After Donay struck out, Shelnut walked to load the bases and Yost doubled down the left field line to drive home Calianone and Shelton. Landon Russell was brought in to pinch hit for Robertson but he struck out on a high 2-2 fast ball. Gator notes: Caglianone had two hits to stretch his consecutive games hit streak to 30, tying Jacob Young for the school record. His hitting streak is the 7th longest in SEC history. Caglianone has been on base in 37 consecutive games. UF LACROSSE: Gators overpower Virginia; on to NCAA quarterfinals The Gators are on their way to the NCAA quarterfinals after dominating No. 5 seed Virginia, 13-8, Sunday afternoon in Charlottesville. With the score tied at 7-7, the Gators got a go-ahead goal by Ashley Gonzalez late in the third quarter and never looked back. It was the 19th straight win for the Gators (19-2), who are in the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 2022 and the eighth time in program history. Florida’s 19 wins are tied for the school record, first set in 2012. Gonzalez (three goals, two assists, Daniele Pavinelli (four goals, one assist) and Maggi Hall (two goals, three assists) led Florida’s steady offensive attack while goalkeeper Elyse Finelle registered six saves. Florida advances to the quarterfinals Thursday against No. 4 seed Maryland in College Park. Earlier in the year, the Gators rallied from a 7-2 halftime deficit to take down Maryland, 13-12, in overtime in College Park. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Missouri State, which is Division I in all sports but football, is leaving the Missouri Valley Conference to join Conference USA in 2025. Missouri State will be the 10th member of Conference USA and the third former D1AA team to join the league since 2022. The move is all about paychecks and playoff revenue. It’s getting more and more difficult for D1AA teams to schedule games with their power conference big brothers, particularly in a year or two when the SEC goes to a 9-game schedule. The solution is to join a Division I conference. Since every Division I conference will get a slice of the playoff pie, it will go a long way toward making up for the lost revenue of one of those we’ll take a beating for a paycheck games. This is going to be a dilemma moving forward but there are practical solutions. The one that makes the most sense is for Division I to split into two divisions. Division I could expand by adding the American Athletic Conference. Division IA could be the other Group of Five teams and some of the better D1AA leagues. Give them their own playoff, which would probably get far better ratings that some of these silly bowl games. The lesser D1AA leagues could merge into Division II. Doing that would make sense, which is precisely why odds are against it happening, at least until there is no such thing as the NCAA anymore. When the NCAA is dead and buried, we might be amazed at how many common sense, practical solutions to age old problems can be found.

The Gators will host Florida Gulf Coast, Florida Atlantic and South Alabama in the Gainesville Regional Gators will host Florida Gulf Coast Fiday (Gatorbait photo) After taking home the SEC Tournament title in dominant fashion the Florida Gator softball team returned to Gainesville to await their marching orders for the NCAA Tournament that begins this week. The Gators, who began the month of May on the bubble for a national seed have strung together 8 straight wins and will enter the regional rounds as one of the hottest teams in the country. Coach Tim Walton enters the tourney with arguably his most athletic and best hitting team of his Florida tenure. The Gators are led by SEC Player of Year catcher Jocelyn Erickson, SEC Tournament MVP shortstop Skylar Wallace, SEC Freshman of the Year Keagan Rothrock, along with outfielders Kendra Falby and Korbe Otis who bring versatility to the lineup. The Gators will open the road to Oklahoma City Friday at 12 p.m. against Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles won the ASUN Tournament on Saturday with a walk-off home run by tournament MVP catcher Neely Peterson. The graduate student who spent a year at Santa Fe College in Gainesville was named First Team ASUN for the regular season as well. Following the Gators opening game the Florida Atlantic will play South Alabama in the second half of the regional. Should the Gators ultimately face Florida Atlantic it will be a special game for several Gators as their former teammate Elizabeth Hightower is currently a graduate assistant coach for the Owls. Hightower pitched for the Gators from 2019 to 2023 earning SEC honors in three seasons. The winner of the Gainesville Regional will face the winner of the Lafayette Regional that features Louisiana (host), Princeton, Baylor and Ole Miss.

Gators celebrate winning the SEC Softball Tournament (UAA Photo) Call what happened to Florida’s softball team at the SEC Tournament in Auburn, Alabama a rather emphatic statement. If there were still any doubts about the Gators as a top eight national seed when the NCAA announces its 64-team field for the tournament tonight, they were erased in Florida’s march to the SEC Tournament title. Saturday’s 6-1 championship game win over Missouri was the exclamation point on three games that had the effect of an F5 tornado ripping through a trailer park. Florida began the tournament on the outside looking in when it came to the all-important RPI that the NCAA factors into seeding its tournament field. When the clock struck midnight Sunday morning, the Gators (46-12) held down the No. 6 RPI. Essentially that means it may take a heist of Bonnie and Clyde proportions to wrestle a top eight seed from the Gators. A top eight seed means the Gators host a regional and if they win, they host a super regional. Odds are very strong for super regional hosts reaching Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series. In winning the sixth SEC Tournament title for Tim Walton, most for any coach in SEC history, the Gators outscored Georgia, Texas A&M and Missouri by a combined 22-7. Along the way, SEC Tournament MVP Skylar Wallace went 7-9 at the plate with three homers, a double and nine RBI. Wallace homered in all three games, all of them to center field and all of them no doubters from the moment they left her bat as she raised her batting average to .399 and her nation-leading runs scored to 81. Freshman Mia Williams, whose hitting has been erratic all season but who Walton says has “light tower power,” hit two home runs, one that hit the scoreboard against the Aggies and one that cleared the scoreboard against Missouri. She was joined on the All-Tournament team by Korbe Otis (5-8 with 3 walks), Jocelyn Erickson (HR, 5 RBI) and pitcher Keagan Rothrock (3-0). When Florida was run-ruled by Florida State back on April 24, no one gave the Gators a chance to earn a top eight seed. Since then, the Gators are 9-1 including eight straight wins. The Gators lead the SEC in every offensive statistical category except hit by pitches (they’re No. 2) and sacrifice bunts. Tim Walton adheres to the Earl Weaver theory which is winning with good pitching, good defense up the middle and 3-run homers. UF BASEBALL: Gators get good pitching, even series with Kentucky So this is what it looks like when the pitching doesn’t go in the tank for the Florida Gators. Liam Peterson gave the Gators six strong innings Saturday afternoon, then turned it over to Ryan Slater who shut out Kentucky the final three. At the plate, the Gators provided more than adequate support, just as they did the day before. The only difference was the pitching, which was a Friday no show. Florida’s 10-1 win over the 4th-ranked Wildcats (36-11, 19-7 SEC) offered a glimpse of what might have been this season. The Gators (26-24, 11-15 SEC) still have four SEC games remaining – today against Kentucky and next weekend at Georgia – plus there is the SEC Tournament in Hoover. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Florida could do some damage and somehow make the NCAA Tournament, but it will require the Gators playing near perfect baseball to do it. For the Gators to have a shot at the post season they will need a strong game today (12 noon, SEC Network) on the mound from Jac Caglianone. If he’s on his game and the bullpen can give some innings without imploding, the Gators could take the series from Kentucky. That would help the RPI (No. 26) and give UF some momentum heading into Athens to face a red hot Georgia (38-12, 16-11 SEC) team that swept South Carolina in Columbia. The win Saturday was made possible by Peterson pitching the best six innings of his freshman season. He scattered five hits, walked only two and struck out six. In came Slater to finish things off and he pitched like the Slater of last year with three hitless, scoreless innings in which he didn’t walk anyone. "I thought Liam was really good,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “That's kind of how you draw it up. You got six innings from your starter, managed some innings with runners on. I think that's where the biggest improvement he's made over the last month or so, slow the game down when he has to get in the stretch with runners on. Ryan came in and did his thing for three innings … so that's kind of how you draw it up. It was one of the cleaner games we've played in some time." Clean in more respects than just the pitching. The Gators were errorless in the field and they lit up five Kentucky pitchers for 12 hits including three that left the yard – a solo homer by Cade Kurland to lead off the bottom of the third, extended Florida’s lead at the time to 3-0; and two by Luke Heyman, a 2-run shot in the fifth and a solo homer in the eighth. The bottom three in Florida’s batting order combined for five hits and two RBI on a day when seven of Florida’s 12 hits went for extra bases. Hayden Yost drove in Florida’s first run with a second inning double as part of a 2-hit day. He also played a flawless center field. Dale Thomas, who had three hits Friday after being re-inserted into the lineup after a few days of riding the pine, had two more Saturday including an RBI double in the fourth that missed by about two feet of leaving the yard. Shelton, back in left field where he’s played most of the season, had an RBI double that scored Caglianone, who hit a double to right field that extended his hitting streak to 29 straight games. In addition to his 10th home run of the season, Kurland had a 2-run double in the seventh. Heyman’s home runs were his 10th and 11th of the season. Making the NCAA Tournament isn’t impossible for the Gators if they can get a Sunday win to take the series. The way the Gators have lit up Kentucky pitching – 21 runs and seven home runs in two games – and the fact the Wildcats will be throwing their No. 3 starter against Caglianone, odds are favorable for UF to take game three. SEC standings East Division: 1. (TIE) Kentucky (36-11, 19-7 SEC) and Tennessee (42-9, 19-7 SEC); 3. Georgia (38-12, 16-11 SEC); 4. South Carolina (33-17, 13-14 SEC); 5. (TIE) FLORIDA (26-24, 11-15 SEC) and Vanderbilt (33-18, 11-15 SEC); 7. Missouri (22-29, 8-18 SEC) West Division: 1. Arkansas (41-9, 18-7 SEC); 2. Texas A&M (41-10, 16-10 SEC); 3. Mississippi State (32-17, 14-11 SEC); 4. (TIE) Alabama (31-19, 11-15 SEC) and Ole Miss (27-23, 11-15 SEC); 6. LSU (31-19, 10-16 SEC); 7. Auburn (24-25, 5-21 SEC) UF TRACK AND FIELD: UF women 3rd, men 4th at SEC championships Parker Valby set the championship meet record in the 5,000 meters, Grace Stark won the 100 meter hurdles, Flomena Asokal won the 1,500 meters and Alida Van Daalen won the discus as the Florida women finished third at the Southeastern Conference Track and Field Championships at the Percy Beard Track Saturday. LSU won the women’s division with 122 points, while Arkansas finished second (110) and Florida third (104). On the men’s side, Parvej Khan won the 1,500 meters as the Gators finished fourth. Arkansas won with 110 points, while Alabama finished second (104), Texas A&M third (103.5) and the Gators fourth (100). Women’s standings: 1. LSU 126; 2. Arkansas 110; 3. FLORIDA 101; 4. Texas A&M 74; 5. Georgia 72; 6. Ole Miss 66; 7. Tennessee 51; 8. Vanderbilt 45; 9. Alabama 42; 10. South Carolina 37; 11. Kentucky 36; 12. Auburn 24; 13. Missouri 21; 14. Mississippi State 14 Men’s standings: 1. Arkansas 110; 2. Alabama 104; 3. Texas A&M 103.5; 4. FLORIDA 100; 5. LSU 66.5; 6. Tennessee 56; 7. Ole Miss 51; 8. Georgia 50; 9. Auburn 47; 10. South Carolina 47; 11. Kentucky 35; 12. Missouri 33; 13. Mississippi State 22 ONE FINAL THOUGHT FROM THE HEART: Norm Carlson, the long time sports information director at the University of Florida, passed away Friday at the age of 90. He was a friend and a pro’s pro when it came to dealing with the media. Norm specialized in cultivating relationships. Coaches listened to him and generally took his advice because they knew he was so capable of turning adversarial situations into a positive that was win-win for everyone. I met Norm Carlson in the fall of 1968 when I was working with Dave Hunter of the Gainesville Sun covering Gainesville High School football. I also covered Florida freshman football games. On Thanksgiving morning, John Reaves lit up Florida State, throwing laser beams to Carlos Alvarez and Andy Cheney. A year later, I was working for Jack Hairston, sports editor of the Jacksonville Journal. Houston was the opening game opponent and it was expected to be a massacre since Houston was No. 1 in some preseason magazines and the Gators had all these sophomores. There wasn’t room for me in a filled to the brim press box, but Norm gave me a sideline pass. When I saw Norm before the game in the press box I thanked him for taking care of me. He smiled and said, “That’s my job.” Then he said, “I think Reaves and Alvarez are going to surprise everybody today.” Third play of the game. Reaves to Alvarez. The Pass, 72 yards and a TD. Legends were born that day. This was an era of typewriters and carbon paper when a jammed ribbon or torn carbon paper was a crisis. At Florida’s 1975 season opener with SMU at Florida Field, the ribbon on my portable typewriter jammed and tore. I was ready to toss my typewriter when Norm looked over my shoulder and said, “I may have one that will work for you. That’s a Remington, right?” It was and he had a spare. Crisis avoided. Little things like that I remember in this era when so many sports information directors throughout college sports seem to wake up with a surly attitude on a daily basis. Norm was never offended if you asked a favor. If he could help, he never asked anything in return. If he couldn’t he typically said a polite no but offered, “I’ll make it up to you sometime in the future.” And he would. A couple of things I remember well. In 1976, Alabama came to Alligator Alley, ranked 11th in the nation led by All-American center Leon Douglas. Florida, coached at the time by the late John Lotz, sprung a 71-70 upset as Bob Smyth played the game of his life. There were no sanitized, organized press conferences post game, just writers encircling coaches, asking questions, and writing down the answers pen on paper. Norm knew I had a longstanding relationship with Lotz dating from my days writing about ACC basketball in North Carolina. When the game was over, Norm grabbed me by the elbow and said, “Let these other guys ask their questions. When it’s over, I’ll get you some time alone with Coach Lotz.” He didn’t have to do that, but he did. Norm took care of sports writers. Charley Pell and I had a fracture in our relationship in 1980. I used to go on recruiting trips with Charley but as I found out, when he got mad at you, he could stay mad a long time. We didn’t talk for years. In 2000, Norm and I bumped into each other, at which time he told me Charley Pell had cancer and might not live more than a few months. “You guys used to be close,” Norm told me. “Why don’t you give him a call.” I told Norm I don’t think it would be good if Charley got angry and Norm replied, “That’s in the past. Give him a call. I think he will appreciate it.” I didn’t realize that Norm even knew that Charley and I had a real dust up or that we hadn’t talked in years. Norm knew. I took his advice and the call to Charley was a good one. It didn’t make up for the years we could have been friends, but at least we were on good terms when he passed away. I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful that I could call Norm Carlson my friend. When he arrived at heaven’s gates Friday, I feel certain a lot of Norm’s friends were gathered, ready to welcome him with open arms.

Keegan Rothrock throws her second consecutive complete game to shut down Mizzou 6-1 and take home the Gators sixth SEC Tournament title.

Gators chase championship Saturday at 5 pm EST against the Missouri Tigers

Skylar Wallace connects for second inning home run against Texas A&M (UAA Photo) After an April where she almost couldn’t buy a base hit, Skylar Wallace has turned May into her personal revenge tour. Wallace went 7-47 at the plate in April when the Gators had the look of a team that had hit a wall. In the six games – all of them Florida wins – since the calendar turned over to a new month, Wallace is 11-19 with three doubles, three homers and 13 RBI. At the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Auburn, she is 5-6 with two home runs and six RBI to lead Florida (45-12) to the championship game this evening (5 p.m., ESPN2) against Missouri (44-13). With Wallace making a strong case for tournament MVP the Gators won two games Friday, trouncing Georgia 9-4 in the quarterfinals and then Texas A&M 7-4 in the semifinals. Wallace went 3-4 against Georgia with a home run, three singles and four RBI. Against Texas A&M she was 2-2 with a home run, two RBI and two walks. Wallace scored four runs, raising her NCAA leading total to 80 on the season. Against Georgia, Wallace hit a 2-run homer in the first inning, an RBI single in the fifth and another RBI single in the sixth. Jocelyn Erickson hit a 3-run home run in the fifth and Emily Wilkie hit a 2-run home run in the sixth. Keagan Rothrock got the win with 1-1/3 innings of shutout relief from Ava Brown, who earned her second save of the season. Florida jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second inning against the Aggies in the semifinals as Mia Williams hit a 3-run home run off the scoreboard and Wallace hit a 2-run home run to right center. The Aggies scored a pair of unearned runs in the fourth and closed to within 5-3 in the fifth, but Erickson launched a 2-run double to left field in the bottom of the sixth to provide Rothrock with the final 7-3 cushion. Rothrock allowed only one earned run while limiting the Aggies to five hits while striking out six. In improving to 25-6 on the season, Rothrock needed only 76 pitches and didn’t walk a single batter. Korbe Otis, who leads the country in on base percentage (.597) went 4-6 at the plate while reaching base three other times on walks. The Gators were mortal locks to host an NCAA Regional even before the SEC Tournament, but with the two wins, they most likely have sealed a top eight seed. A week ago, the Gators were No. 16 nationally in RPI, but after Friday they are now No. 7. If the Gators can secure the top eight seed, they will be able to host a super regional if they advance. With five freshmen and a pair of transfers factoring prominently, the Gators are 45-12 in 2024. A year ago, UF went 38-22 and was on the road for the regional. SEC honors: Catcher Jocelyn Erickson was selected SEC Player of the Year while pitcher Keagan Rothrock was named SEC Freshman of the Year. Erickson was joined on the SEC first team by outfielders Korbe Otis and Kendra Falby, shortstop Skylar Wallace and DH/third base Reagan Walsh. Rothrock and fellow freshman Ava Brown were named to the second team. Erickson and Falby were named to the All-Defensive team. Softball RPI top 25: 1. Texas 47-6; 2. Oklahoma 48-6; 3. Duke 46-6; 4. Tennessee 40-10; 5. LSU 40-15; 6. UCLA 36-10, 7. FLORIDA 45-12; 8. Stanford 43-13; 9. Missouri 43-14; 10. Oklahoma State 44-10; 11. Georgia 39-16; 12. Louisiana 42-16; 13. Florida State 43-13; 14. Arkansas 36-16; 15. Texas A&M 40-13; 16. Alabama 33-17; 17. Arizona 34-16-1; 18. Texas State 44-13; 19. Virginia Tech 39-12-1; 20 Baylor 32-20; 21. Auburn 27-10-1; 22. Clemson 34-17; 23. Mississippi State 33-18; 24. Washington 31-13; 25. California 36-17 UF BASEBALL: It may take a miracle for the Gators to make the NCAA Deflating. That might be the best word to describe what happened at Condron Family Ballpark Friday afternoon. On a weekend that may very well determine if the Gators (25-24, 10-15 SEC) make the post season for the 17th straight year, the bullpen melted down again. Instead of a win over 4th-ranked Kentucky (36-10, 19-6 SEC), the Gators gave up three runs in each of the eighth, ninth and 10th innings, gift-wrapping a 12-11 win for the Wildcats that kept them a game ahead of Arkansas and Tennessee in the race for the Southeastern Conference regular season championship. Florida held a 6-3 lead heading into the eighth inning when the bullpen gave way. Brandon Neely gave up a 2-run homer and an RBI double in the eighth when Kentucky tied the score at 6-6. In the bottom half of the inning, the Gators retaliated with two runs on a Brody Donay single, a Tyler Shelnut RBI double, a sacrifice bunt by Hayden Yost and a sacrifice fly by Dale Thomas. Florida’s 8-6 lead didn’t last long. In the top of the ninth with two out, Luke McNeillie walked two straight batters then gave up a 3-run homer as Kentucky took a 9-8 lead. Again, Florida rallied. A 2-out single to right field by Shelnut was followed by a bloop single by Yost that clipped the glove of the UK second baseman. Thomas tied the score with hard single through the right score that plated Shelnut, sending the game into extra innings. Kentucky pushed across three more runs in the top of the 10th when Cade Fisher hit two batters, walked one and gave up a bases clearing double. Florida countered in the bottom half of the inning on the 28th homer of the season by Jac Caglianone and Colby Shelton’s second home run of the game, his 18th with one out. Luke Heyman lined a 3-2 pitch up the middle, bringing the game-winning run to the plate but Donay’s one-hop grounder to third was turned into a game-ending double play. It was a stunning loss that significantly narrows Florida’s margin for error. The Gators are five games under .500 in SEC play with five games to go, two with Kentucky and three on the road in Athens against Georgia next week. It is almost imperative that the Gators win four of their next five. That’s not impossible but highly improbable given Florida’s penchant for turning winnable games into mind-numbing losses. “I don't know what else to say at this point,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “There're no long speeches, they know what's at stake. All you can do as a coach is be honest and upfront and specific on what's ahead of you and if you do this, this will happen. If you don't do this, it won't happen. I don't know. This is uncharted territory. “I spent nine years at Clemson, the last 17 years here. Take out COVID, that's 25 years I've been in the postseason, 25-straight years. So yeah, this is frustrating for everybody. We have some work to do now and we had some work coming into the weekend. This loss is magnified because of where we're at." Game notes: Caglianone stretched his hitting streak to 28 games with a 2-3 effort. He was walked three times, twice intentionally. Caglianone is now hitting .416 … Shelton drove in four runs with his two home runs … Donay hit his 10th homer of the season in the fourth … The Gators will face Kentucky at 12 noon (SEC Network). UF LACROSSE: Gators take out UNC in first round NCAA matchup Amanda O’Leary’s 400th career win was doubly sweet Friday afternoon as Florida (18-2) dominated North Carolina, 17-8, in Charlottesville, Virginia to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. With the victory, the Gators made it to the second round of the tournament for the 13th straight year plus they avenged a 19-10 loss to UNC back on February 17. Since losing to the Tar Heels, the Gators have won 18 straight games. Sunday, they take on 5th-seeded Virginia (15-4) with the winner advancing to the quarter-finals. Ten different Gators scored with Maggi Hall, Josie Hahn and Emily Heller scoring three goals apiece. Hall became the second Gator in school history to reach 100 points. O’Leary (career record 400-126) is just the fourth coach in NCAA Division I history to win 400 games. UF TRACK AND FIELD: UF women within striking distance of first place Paced by a 1-2 finish in the long jump by Claire Bryant and Anthaya Charlton, the Gators are within seven points of first place Texas A&M with 13 events to go on the final day of the Southeastern Conference Track and Field Championships at the Percy Beard Track. The Florida men are in fifth, also with 13 events to go on the last day. Florida also got a fourth place finish in the women’s shot put from Alida Van Daalen and third, fourth and sixth place finishes in the men’s long jump from Caleb Foster, Malcolm Clemons and Sean Dixon-Bodie. Women’s scores: 1. Texas A&M 45; 2. FLORIDA 38; 3. Ole Miss 34; 4. Alabama 33; 5. Arkansas 31; 6. Vanderbilt 27; 7. Kentucky 23; 8. Georgia 21; 9. Tennessee 15; 10. LSU 11; 11. (TIE) Auburn and Mississippi State 10; 13. Missouri 8; 14. South Carolina 6 Men’s scores: 1. Arkansas 55; 2. Ole Miss 40; 3. Alabama 39; 4. Texas A&M 38; 5. FLORIDA 28; 6. Georgia 27; 7. (TIE) LSU and South Carolina 18; 9. (TIE) Mississippi State and Tennessee 11; 11. (TIE) Kentucky and Missouri 10; 13. Auburn 7

The Florida Gators have just secured their second running back from the 2025 class to pair up with Waltez Clark. Chad Gasper, originally from Fulshear (Texas), is the latest addition.

Former Florida guard and Kansas commit Riley Kugel has withdrawn his commitment to the Kansas Jayhawks for the upcoming season, as confirmed by 247Sports. The former Florida guard has reopened his recruitment amid interest from other high-major programs, as reported by CBS Sports' Matt Norlander.