In front of an embarrassingly small crowd, the Gators’ season ended in embarrassing fashion. Florida dropped a 19-1 decision to South Alabama in an elimination game in the NCAA regionals.
Were the preseason expectations just too daunting, or is the team dealing with the distraction of its head coach being rumored as a top candidate at another school? We may never know. What we do know, the 2021 season has now come and gone and the team has many more questions than answers moving forward.
This is a program at a crux. Florida will likely lose pitchers Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich in addition to Jacob Young, Jud Fabian, Kirby McMullen and could lose Nathan Hickey and Kendrick Calilao among others. The team could also experience significant loss in the transfer portal as student athletes have been given freedom to transfer without penalty.
What that leaves is a lot of inexperience and indicates that 2022 could be something of a rebuild.
Florida lost 19-1 on Saturday to end its season, but with the storylines surrounding this team, in a matter of a few weeks that could become just a footnote.
*Thanks for following ChompTalk’s coverage of the University of Florida baseball team this season. The coverage will continue as information breaks over the next few weeks to months.