Every year there are subtle factors that can make or break a team’s stay at the College World Series in Omaha, where every mistake is compounded and magnified.
One of the biggest advantages can simply be knowing how to deal with that spotlight. And few teams should be better equipped to do just that this year than Florida.
The Gators reached the College World Series championship series last year against LSU, falling in a wild back-and-forth series.
“Yeah, I think that’s huge,” slugger Jac Caglianone said. “At the beginning of the year, we just wanted to get back here. So having guys who have played here and kind of know what it’s like with the atmosphere and stuff, I think it’s just going to play in our favor.”
Florida has not had the kind of year Caglianone or others might have expected coming off last year’s 54-win campaign. The Gators narrowly reached the NCAA Tournament after finishing just a hair above .500 on the year.
But since then Florida has looked much more like a team capable of winning it all.
The Gators battled their way out of the loser’s bracket in the Stillwater Regional, winning three straight games. Then they made short work of Clemson in the Super Regional, advancing after winning two straight games.
They arrive in Omaha as one of the hottest teams in the field, having won five straight postseason games.
Caglianone has brought the big bat, hitting .411 with 33 home runs and 68 RBI. A smattering of others have provided the arms, including excellent reliever Brandon Neely.
Whether Florida can survive Omaha might be a matter of surviving early games. The team’s pitching isn’t quite as deep or robust as it was a year ago, so avoiding having to play out of the loser’s bracket could be paramount.
That was the ticket a year ago, when Florida won three straight one-run games in Omaha to advance to the College World Series final without much stress.
Caglianone and company are looking forward to the challenge once again.
Florida will begin its run at the College World Series on Saturday night with a game against Texas A&M that is slated for a 7 ET first pitch on ESPN.
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