Florida completes unlikely run to SEC Tournament finals with win over Texas A&M

Florida’s unlikely run to the Southeastern Conference Tournament final has had its share of ups and downs, but the Gators are playing their best baseball of the season when it matters most. A 9-0 win over the Texas A&M Aggies in the tournament semifinals has UF competing for its first conference championship since 2016.

Jud Fabian got things going early with home run No. 22 on the year in the first inning. BT Riopelle added another in the third with a sacrifice fly to score Wyatt Langford, and that was really all that starter Timmy Manning needed through the first few innings of the game.

“(Manning’s) getting a lot of swings and misses on his breaking ball, so I don’t know if (the Aggies) are having a tough time seeing the spin or what,” O’Sullivan said. “But that was a really nice fastball to finish off that last inning (3rd).”

Fabian walked to start the fourth, and Jac Caglianone — who has been red-hot since joining the lineup — reached on an error hit to second base. Josh Rivera bunted both runners into scoring position, and the small ball paid off with a Mac Guscette single that scored two. Colby Halter moved Guscette over to second and Jim Schlossnagle decided to go to the bullpen.

Robert Hogan replaced Ryan Prager and got out of the inning on a line drive smoked by Wyatt Langford right to the third baseman, but the Gators were already well in command of the game. Florida tacked on another run in the fifth on a double-play ball from Ty Evans. Two more runs came in the sixth from who else but  Langford and Florida went up 7-0.

Manning’s night came to an end after 90 pitches and giving up a leadoff single in the sixth. Kevin O’Sullivan turned to Fisher Jameson in hopes of preserving some arms for the championship game. Jameson answered the call and got out of the inning without giving up the shutout.

Caglianone drove in run No. 8 on a sac fly, and the Gators began to threaten a mercy rule against the team that ended their night earlier just two days ago. Men were stranded on second and third to end the seventh, and Florida tacked on one more in the ninth to close out the win. Jameson finished the night with four innings of one-hit, scoreless work and four strikeouts. Evans saved him right field with a trio of incredible defensive plays.

It’s the complete opposite of what happened against Texas A&M on Friday, but Sully couldn’t ask for his team to figure it out at a better time. Either Tennessee or Kentucky looms in the championship, but this run is already a success given the way things looked 48 hours ago.

“They’re having fun,” O’Sullivan said. “I mean, it’s better than the alternative right? It beats being on a bus back to Gainesville.”

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