Florida and East Carolina have rich college baseball traditions. In fact, Florida’s success in the NCAA Tournament spans almost as long as some of the freshmen who play for the Pirates have been alive.
The Gators (38-20) and ECU (33-25) will meet at noon on Friday at Coastal Carolina in the first game of the Conway Regional. Host Coastal Carolina (48-11) and Fairfield (39-17) meet in the other first-round game.
Florida’s streak is the second-longest in the country. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said his team has come a long way from a 1-11 start in the SEC to qualifying for another NCAA Tournament. The Gators finished 15-15 in the SEC.
“I told the team at the end, ‘You probably need to take some time to reflect back on what just happened,’” ’Sullivan said about Monday’s announcement. “Just to be 1-11 and end up at 15 wins in the league, no one’s ever done that since the league expanded [in 1992].”
Orlando Sentinel writer Jackson Castellano wrote that the Pirates “don’t match up well against Florida. ECU lags behind in nearly every statistical category. And with a 3-8 record against Quadrant 1 teams, East Carolina generally performs worse against good programs.”
Castellano reports Florida’s usual weekend starters — Liam Peterson, Pierce Coppola and Aidan King — will be on over a week’s rest come Friday.
Photo credit: Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan (AP photo)
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