Gators reflect on topsy-turvy season that ends one round short of CWS final
Florida fell a round shy of making the championship series for the second year in a row. Players took solace in the run it took to get there.
OMAHA, Neb. — The Florida Gators punched their ticket to the 2024 Men’s College World Series as the team that didn’t belong.
Coach Kevin O’Sullivan said earlier in the week in Omaha that his team started playing elimination games when they needed to win the last two at Georgia in the final regular-season series.
Then Florida caught fire and advanced to Omaha. All that surging momentum came to an abrupt halt on Wednesday night. Hours after scoring 15 runs against Kentucky, the Gators’ offense managed just four hits and left eight runners on base in a 6-0 loss to Texas A&M at Charles Schwab Field.
“It’s really hard to put into words,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s like you’re going full speed in a sprint and all of a sudden it just comes to an end just like that.”
Two-way All-American Jac Caglianone was the only Gator with multiple hits against the Aggies in the Gators’ worst offensive game of the season. They stranded a runner on third three times to get shut out for the only time this season.
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Caglianone finishes the season as the program’s all-time home runs leader (75) and single-season home runs leader (35), passing Matt LaPorta, who cheered the Gators in Omaha.
“All these guys who have worn it before us, all we try to do is just make them proud, and we really appreciate what Florida is about,” Caglianone said. “Just everything that Florida is, Gator Nation and all the support that they have shown us throughout this postseason has been remarkable.”
O’Sullivan pulled starter Liam Peterson after recording one strikeout and four walks to open the game. Fisher Jameson scattered a run in 4.2 innings of relief. Reliable reliever Brandon Neely gave up two earned runs while striking out six in three innings. Jake Clemente and Luke McNeillie also pitched less than an inning.
With the loss, Florida fell a round shy of making the championship series for the second year in a row. Members of the team took solace in the run it took to get there.
“This whole year was pretty hard on all of us,” senior Tyler Shelnut said afterwards. “So being here was a huge accomplishment.”