By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, June 9, 2011
GAINESVILLE — They have been in this position before, one year ago to be exact. Two victories stand between the Florida baseball team and consecutive trips to the College World Series.
Having made the journey last season and fallen short, the Gators — who are ranked No. 1 in at least two polls this week and are the No. 2 overall national seed — are determined to give themselves another shot at the national title. They hope to rely on home-field advantage and familiarity of their opponent.
"Everybody is really looking forward to getting back and we're going to do all we can to do that," OF Daniel Pigott said. "And the younger guys are feeding off what the younger guys are telling them. (We've told them) there's nothing like it. There's no experience like it. You'll remember it for the rest of your life. It's two games away and this is the time of the year that you've got to bear down."
To experience that feeling again the Gators must go through a familiar foe. Florida (48-16) will host Mississippi State (37-23) in the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional beginning Friday. The Gators and Bulldogs have met four times since April with Florida going 3-1. The Gator players believe familiarity at this time of the year beats facing a new opponent.
"It's exciting anytime you play an SEC team in regionals," outfielder Preston Tucker said. "Fortunately we've played them four times already so we know what to expect. Everyone is excited and looking forward to it."
Although Florida defeated the Bulldogs 18-0 on April 9, three of the four games have been decided by two runs.
"I think there's positives and negatives," Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "They know us, we know them. We know each other's tendencies. I don't think there's anything wrong with being familiar. But at the end of the day, it's going to come down to who makes pitches, who gets timely hits and who plays defense. That's what it's going to come down to. … But State's got an older club. They've got at least seven or eight of their starting nine are seniors or redshirt juniors. The only underclassman they've started on a consistent basis is (C.T.) Bradford. So they've got a lot of experience, they've got a lot of SEC at-bats underneath them, so it's going to be a big challenge for us, it's no question."
Florida will begin the series with its ace, sophomore Hudson Randall, who is 9-3 with a 2.38 ERA — giving up 10 walks and eight home runs.
Florida most likely will still be without first baseman and closer Austin Maddox, who injured his right foot chasing a foul ball last weekend. But sophomore pitcher/designated hitter Brian Johnson, who missed the NCAA Regional with a severe concussion he sustained when he was accidentally hit in the head by catcher Mike Zunino in the SEC Tournament, is expected to return.
It was Johnson's seventh-inning grand slam in the first game of the SEC Tournament that propelled Florida to a 7-5 come-from-behind win over Mississippi State. It was a game, the players said, that greatly boosted the Gators' confidence heading in the postseason. Johnson is 7-1 this season with a 2.92 ERA.
"I anticipate hopefully that everything goes well and he'll be able to go," O'Sullivan said. "He was out here (Wednesday) and he went through full practice, threw a bullpen, took BP, looked great. He's fully rested. … You get to this point in the year, a guy throws 80-85 innings, it's not a bad thing that he gets a week or 10 days off. I think it's a good thing."
Antonya English can be reached at english@sptimes.com.