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.