- Florida has hit 16 home runs in three games at the NCAA Gainesville Regional, including a program-record seven in one game against Miami.
- Troy won three games in a Division I regional for the first time and will face Florida in a winner-take-all match to advance.
- The winner of tonight's game will host Little Rock in the NCAA Super Regionals, with Florida favored at a 75.6% win probability.
It has been bombs away in the NCAA Gainesville Regional at Condron Ballpark.
Florida, Miami, Troy and Rider have combined to hit a total of 35 home runs in the six games.
The Gators, who have hit 16 in three home games, continue to hit the long ball. They have a home run in 16 consecutive games dating back to the series opener at Oklahoma on May 1, launching 49 homers in that span for an average of 3.1 per game.
They hit a program-record seven home runs in an NCAA Tournament game (tied a season high) and set a program record with five home runs in an inning (eighth) in Saturday’s 22-10 win against Miami.
Florida launched five home runs in the eighth inning alone, including back-to-back-to-back jacks from sophomore Brendan Lawson, senior Blake Cyr and sophomore Ethan Surowiec.
It marked Florida’s first time hitting three consecutive home runs since Ty Evans, Jac Caglianone and Tyler Shelnut accomplished the feat in the eighth inning at LSU on March 24, 2024.
Then on Sunday, Troy matched a season-high by hitting five home runs in the 16-11 win over UF, including two from Jimmy Janicki, the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year.
Janicki’s 19 homers on the year lead the Sun Belt and are tied with Dave Banks (1984) and Joel Smith (1990) for the seventh-most in a single season by a Trojan.
“Trying to manage the bullpen today was extremely difficult,” Florida coach Kevin O’ Sullivan said after last night’s game. “It felt like we were chasing runs the entire game and when we got it within two runs, we would turn around and give up another run and fall behind again…We have just got to pitch better if we want to move on.”
The 16 runs were the most the Trojans (35-30) have scored against an SEC opponent. Its previous high against an SEC opponent was 14 runs against Auburn in both 1984 and 2011.
Earlier in the day, Troy hit four home runs to eliminate Miami, 9-6, thanks to seven unanswered runs.
This is the first time Troy has ever won three games in a Division I regional, putting them in a Regional Final for the first time in program history.
“What an impressive day for the Trojans,” said Troy coach Skylar Meade. “Our guys are going to absolutely fight and when you challenge them, they do rise up.”
Florida added four more home runs in the loss to Troy.
Lawson homered for the third-straight game to give him eight home runs in the last 11 contests and a team-high 19 on the season.
Redshirt sophomore Caden McDonald hit two, his eighth and ninth home runs of the season, and redshirt junior Cade Kurland (six home runs in the last seven games) added a grand slam in the eighth inning.
The winner of tonight’s game will host Little Rock (38-26), which defeated Jacksonville State, 6-3, in the Hattiesburg Regional.
According to PEARatings, the Trojans entered the weekend with just a 1.6% chance of winning the regional.
Two seasons ago, Little Rock (Arkansas) baseball had never won an NCAA Tournament game. Now, they have made two consecutive Regional Final appearances.
They punched their ticket to the NCAA Super Regionals for the first time in program history.
Based on those ratings, Florida has a 75.6% chance of beating Troy tonight.
As the No. 8 national seed, the Gators knew they had a chance to host a Super Regional by winning the Gainesville Regional.
But because both Troy and Little Rock entered the tournament as No. 3 and No. 4 regional seeds, respectively, rather than top 16 national seeds, hosting rights come down to regional seeding layout and committee selection guidelines.
That means Troy would secure the right to host a Super Regional for the first time in school history.
So, it’s a winner-take-all tonight.
“I mean, you win, you move on. You lose, the season is over,” O’Sullivan said. “We played a tough schedule. We have been through ups and downs. I definitely think they will be ready to play. What else do they have to lose? The alternative is that the season is over.”
A slugfest tonight is certainly possible.
In four games, Troy has scored 45 runs while allowing 34 runs.
Florida has scored 41 runs in three games, but the Gators have allowed 33 runs.
“When your name is called in the pen, you do your job,” O’Sullivan said. “Keep swinging it the way that we have been swinging it, and keep playing how we have been defensively, the rest will play out in itself.”