OMAHA,
Neb. – In a rematch of the second game of this year's College World
Series, a game in which the Gators rode an 11-run fourth inning to a
big 15-3 win, Florida took it to the Hurricanes once again on
Wednesday night. They did so thanks to four big home runs in a 10-2
victory that ended Miami's season, which included a leadoff blast by
Harrison Bader to open the game.
It
was an elimination game for both teams after Florida got stunned by
Virginia and lefthander Brandon Waddell, who combined with closer
Josh Sborz on a two-hit shutout on Monday night, sending Florida to
the losers' bracket. Miami has been in that position since Saturday's
loss, elminating Arkansas on Monday to play another game.
The
Gators seemed to be on cruise control upon their arrival in Omaha
last week, coming off of nine straight wins which included winning
the SEC Tournament in addition to their five Regional and Super
Regional games. The SEC Tournament Championship came at the hands of
the defending national champions, Vanderbilt, while their Super
Regional wins came against their other in-state rivals, the Florida
State Seminoles, who entered postseason play ranked 10th in Perfect Game's Top 25 team rankings.
Florida
sat at No. 2 in those same rankings, just behind SEC foe and fellow
CWS participant Louisiana State. At one point Florida was ranked No.
1 in the nation, holding the position for two straight weeks in
mid-March, and were one of only four teams to hold that distinction
this spring.
Their
play at the SEC Tournament put an exclamation point on their season
as they arrived in Omaha as nearly everyone's favorite to win it all.
While
sheer talent doesn't always dictate success in college baseball,
Florida's uncanny and varied collection of players from top to bottom
made them stand out, quite often literally. Even when they hit the
field for their hour-long practice last Friday their physicality
stood out, with significant contributors from every class.
However,
it was their underclassmen that really put this team over the top.
“We've
got a little bit from every class,” Florida Head Coach Kevin
O'Sullivan said. “From seniors, with Josh Tobias (Bobby) Poyner,
and (Aaron) Rhodes, and all three of those guys are excited they'll
get the chance to play professional baseball. And then we have a very
talented junior class and we have some sophomores that made a big
impact on our program last year and continue to do the same this
year.
“And
then we've got some freshmen. It's been a neat, neat group where it's
not necessarily a young team and it's not necessarily an old team;
we've got a little bit of everything.”
Freshman
catcher and designated hitter J.J. Schwarz is the most notable of
these players, hitting .331 with 18 home runs and 73 RBI heading into
Wednesday's game. He was named the MVP of the previous three
tournaments Florida won on their path to Omaha.
Sophomore
first baseman Peter Alonso may be the heart and soul of the team's
overall success, as this team really took off after his return to the
lineup, twice, after suffering a broken foot just before the season
started and a broken nose after his initial return. Alonso, who
narrowly missed a three-run blast in Florida's first win over Miami,
didn't miss in tonight's game with a two-run shot in the seventh that
capped the Gators' scoring.
Fellow
sophomore center fielder Buddy Reed, who hit a two-run home run in
the first inning and overall went 2-for-5 in the game with two runs
scored and three driven in, continues to improve by leaps and bounds
and has legitimate five-tool talent.
“It's
really good to tack on runs,” Buddy Reed said after the game about
Florida's two outbursts against Miami in the College World Series.
“We did a great job, the whole offense did, Alex (Faedo) did a
great job pitching. (We can) use this momentum to go to the next game
against Virginia.”
Freshmen
Mike Rivera and Dalton Guthrie have provided integral contributions
while playing two crucial positions up the middle of the defense at
catcher and second base respectively. The two are both from Venice,
Fla., high school teammates during the spring while playing alongside
one another for the Florida Burn during the summer and fall before
joining the Gators.
The
Burn have finished at or near the top at numerous Perfect Game events
in recent years, with both Rivera and Guthrie having a knack for
stepping up on the biggest stage; Rivera was named to the
All-Tournament team at PG-based tournaments nine times and Guthrie
did so at seven events.
“First
of all they come from baseball families,” O'Sullivan said of his
two freshmen cogs. “Their high school coach Craig Faulkner and Mark
Guthrie, they're really good baseball guys. Throughout the travel
ball circuit you see them play and they're just baseball players.
“Now,
did I expect them to come in and do what they've done? I don't know,
but I did expect them to come in and play right away. They get it,
they're good teammates, they're not the type that want to be in the
spotlight but yet are certainly on the forefront of helping us get to
where we want to.”
And
although freshmen right fielder Jeremy Vasquez hasn't received as
much playing time, he expects that to change over the next two years
and could be the team's most polished hitter. On Wednesday, he went
1-for-4 with his one hit being a big two-run double in the Gators'
four-run fifth.
Yet
another freshman, Alex Faedo, got the start in tonight's game as part
of a weekend starting staff that includes star sophomores Logan Shore
and A.J. Puk. In a game that included four bombs, Faedo's performance
may have gone somewhat overlooked. He worked five innings and faced
two additional hitters in the sixth before being removed after
allowing both of those hitters to reach via a base hit. His slider in
partciular was very sharp in this game, leading to seven strikeouts.
Focusing
on the team's enviable wealth of freshmen and sophomores isn't meant
to dilute the importance of their upperclassmen. Afterall, their top
three hitters in Wednesday's win over Miami were Harrison Bader,
Richie Martin and Josh Tobias, two juniors and a senior. Both Bader
and Martin hit booming home runs in the game, as Bader's set the tone
early while Martin's helped put the game away.
Those
three players will likely be playing in pro ball shortly after the
2015 College World Series comes to a close after being selected in
the first, third and 10th rounds of this year's MLB Draft,
with plenty of internal and already existing wealth to tap into to
fill their roles next year.
Even
if Florida isn't able find a way to take two from Virginia – with
the first game set for 2:00 p.m. On Friday – to sneak into the
finals get used to the idea of Florida playing in Omaha, as this
group of young talent could just be getting started.