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The Florida Gators aren’t done, yet. Cameron Newbauer’s squad learned their postseason fate on Monday, accepting an berth to the WNIT. The team will play a minimum of two games in Charlotte.
Florida will make its first appearance in the postseason since 2015-16 and their first WNIT bid since 2013, when the Gators advanced to the national semifinals.
Florida will face Charlotte, who finished the year with a 10-10 record. The two programs have met eight times previously, with the most recent meeting being in the 2013 WNIT (Florida won 67-65). The Gators will then face either Massachusetts or Villanova for the second game (second round or consolation bracket).
The Gators completed the season 11-13 overall and will be without All-SEC guard Lavender Briggs, who suffered a foot injury in February.
Kiki Smith has guided the Gators in Briggs’ absence. The senior scored a career-high 36 to keep Florida close with Kentucky in the SEC Tournament. However, the Gators fell just short.
Check out the latest episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast as David Soderquist, Brian Fox, and Jake Hitt discuss the Gators’ haul on the recruiting trail over the last week.
The three then discuss their “wish lists” for the 2022 class before getting into the other sports happening on campus. Brian and Jake share their thoughts on Florida’s NCAA Tournament matchup with Virginia Tech on Friday.
Click play on the following audio player to listen to this week’s episode of The Gridiron Growl Podcast:
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Dan Mullen solidified the trenches of the future Thursday with the commitment of a four-star offensive tackle from the class of 2022.
Tony Livingston, the 19th-ranked OT in the upcoming class, dropped a video on Twitter late this week revealing his official commitment to the University of Florida.
The Tampa native, who stands 6-foot-6 and over 250 pounds, plays tight end, among other positions, for Carrollwood Day. He attended Seffner Christian prior to 2020 and amassed over 900 yards receiving and 11 scores the past two seasons.
Recruited as a tackle, Livingston will need to gain weight. His Twitter bio lists him at 255 pounds, but Florida only has a single offensive lineman under 300 (Sophomore Hayden Knighton at 285). The lightest starter in Florida’s trenches last season was left tackle Stone Forsythe, a lithe 312 pounds, so the newest Gator realistically needs to add at least 50 pounds.
Livingston chose the Gators over offers from Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Florida State, Ohio State and eight other schools. He’s been a four-star recruit since his first ranking in July 2020, initially ranked the 100th prospect in the class.
The presence of another anchor on the exterior of the offensive line won’t be under-appreciated in Gainesville come 2022. Forsythe left for the NFL and Florida has six offensive lineman set to age out in the next two seasons, including 2020 starters Stewart Reese, Jean Delance and Richard Gouraige. The Gators earned a commitment from 2021 three-star OT Austin Barber in December.
Livingston is a two-sport athlete, averaging 17.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game his junior season, and plans to walk on to head coach Mike White’s team while on scholarship for football.
Livingston is the second 2022 commitment for the Gators this week, joining three-star QB Nick Evers Tuesday.
Tre Mann and the Gators have their work cut out for them to make it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis.
After a 14-9 season capped by a second-round loss to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, Florida drew the seventh seed in the South bracket during Selection Sunday, set for an opening matchup against Virginia Tech.
The Hokies, who finished third in the ACC, boast a 15-6 record and ended the season No. 22 in the AP Poll. They reached as high as No. 15 and appeared in the top 25 all but two weeks, including every week since Dec. 21, but faltered with an opening loss to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament.
Advanced statistics on KenPom.com cite the Gators as the better team, 37th overall to Virginia Tech’s 50th. The Hokies move leisurely, coming in 293rd in adjusted tempo, but possess incredible balance, 55th in offensive efficiency and 54th in defensive efficiency. They excel at defensive rebounding and shot blocking, ranking in the top 50 in the country in offensive rebounding percentage allowed and block percentage.
The rebounding could create fits for Florida, who struggled on the boards at times this season with only single-digit offensive rebounds in nine conference games.
The Hokies didn’t face a vigorous schedule in 2021. Virginia Tech vanquished two teams KenPom has in the top 12, defeating No. 12 Villanova in November before taking down No. 11 Virginia on Jan. 30. However, outside of those two games, it won no more Quad 1 games and only beat two other teams in the top 50, one of whom being Duke, who failed to make the tournament. So the Hokies being strong on paper may not be fully reflective.
Virginia Tech owns few weaknesses, but struggle getting to the penalty stripe, ranking 225th in free throw percentage, and fall outside the top 100 in both three-point percentage allowed and free throw percentage allowed.
If Florida fans need a name to be wary of, keep an eye on junior forward Keve Aluma. The Maryland native scored 15.6 points and hauled in 8.0 rebounds per game for the Hokies, including six double-doubles and a season-high 30 points against Pittsburgh on Feb. 3. According to KenPom, Virginia Tech used him on 27% of possessions at the offensive end.
Aluma brought in on the defensive end as well, pacing his team with 1.33 blocks per game. He swatted at least three shots in four games in 2021.
If the Gators make it past Virginia Tech, they would likely have to square off with Ohio State, the second seed in the bracket and one of the top 10 teams in the country. The Buckeyes just lost to Illinois, the No. 1 in the Midwest, in the Big Ten Championship in overtime Sunday.
Following back-to-back 3-1 wins over No. 9 Kentucky, No. 6 Florida dropped the series finale 4-2 in nine innings Sunday.
Florida pitcher Elizabeth Hightower hurled five shutout innings barring a first-inning hiccup. After getting two quick outs, the junior right-hander surrendered a single and a two-run bomb to Kentucky cleanup hitter Erin Coffel.
The Wildcats carried a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh when Florida second baseman Hannah Adams led off with a solo shot and third baseman Charla Echols singled to put the tying run aboard. Freshman outfielder Katie Kistler pinch ran for Echols and scored on a wild pitch with two outs to force extra innings.
Kentucky loaded the bases in the eighth inning, but Florida right-hander Natalie Lugo escaped the jam. In the top of the ninth, the relentless Wildcats’ offense scored two runs thanks to a pair of errors by Florida’s infield.
In the bottom half of the frame, the Gators advanced a runner into scoring position but failed to score as Kentucky handed them their second loss this season.
Final (R-H-E)
No. 9 Kentucky: 4-8-0
No. 6 Florida: 2-5-2
Pitching Decision
Win: Humes (9-1)
Loss: Lugo (4-1)
Individual Stats
Hightower: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (0.90/0.63 season ERA/WHIP)
Lugo: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K (1.62/0.97)
Lindsey: 1-4, 1 2B (.393/.417/.607 season slash line)
Adams: 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 HR (3) (.448/.534/.690)
Echols: 1-4 (.411/.485/.804)
A. Goelz: 1-4 (.294/.345/.392)
Cottrill: 1-4 (.213/.302/.277)
Next Up
The Gators will take the diamond Tuesday night at home against Team USA. A trio of Gator alumnae — Michelle Moultrie, Aubree Munro and Kelsey Stewart — will make their return to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
After suffering a series opening loss to Jacksonville on Friday, the Gators took the series victory with a 5-2 win on Sunday.
Florida’s Hunter Barco picked up the win while tossing 6.1 innings and Franco Aleman picked up the save and recorded the final eight outs of the contest.
How It Happened:
The Gators got on the scoreboard early with a pair of runs in the first inning. Nathan Hickey singled home Jacob Young. Kirby McMullen then followed with a single to center that plated Hickey.
But the Dolphins wouldn’t go down quietly. Jacksonville scored a pair of runs to even the score at two in the third.
Florida tacked on a pair of runs in the fifth frame as Hickey hit a sacrifice fly to right that scored Mac Guscette. Kirby McMullen hit a solo homer to follow and the Gators’ lead swelled to 4-2.
The two teams spent much of the game jawing back and forth and in the seventh it came to a head. Jacksonville sophomore RHP Mason Adams deliberately threw at the head of Colby Halter, resulting in an ejection.
Jordan Butler completed the scoring with a solo home run in the eighth.
Pitching Decision:
W: Barco (2-1)
L: Mason Adams (1-1)
S: Aleman (2)
Individual Stats:
McMullen: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI
Young: 2-4, 2 2B, R
Barco: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 7 K, BB
Aleman: 2.2 IP, H, 3 K
What’s Next:
The Gators will travel to Tallahassee to take on rival Florida State on Tuesday. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan stated that Garrett Milchin will get the start.
The Seminoles are 6-6 on the season after taking two of three from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.
Around a year ago this time, we started experiencing the severe effects of COVID-19. Everyone began closing up shop and locking down to start the fight against COVID. Nobody knew what to expect and for how long to expect it. A confusing time to say the least. And one of the most whirlwind moments of the pandemic’s beginning in the realm of sports was — well the realm of sports grinding to a stop. Everyone’s season essentially thrown in the wood chipper like in that scene from Fargo. Never to be seen again. Now, things are starting to reverse. We’re opening up more and light might be in sight in this tunnel from Hell. So let’s take a look back at where we were on March 12 shall we?
Where Were They?
Men’s Basketball
Back then Andrew Nembhard was still at Florida, Keyontae Johnson hadn’t suffered a horrific health emergency, Colin Castleton was at Michigan and Tre Mann averaged five points and 17 minutes per game. Mike White’s squad was supposed to play a second round game of the SEC Tournament against Georgia that Thursday afternoon. They came to Nashville losers of three of their last five with a regular season finale featuring them blow a double-digit lead to the Kentucky Wildcats in Exactech Arena. A run in Nashvegas would certainly help improve the projected nine-seed’s standing come selection Sunday. Unfortunately, the Gators didn’t go dancing for the first time since White’s first year. Albeit, this time their play wasn’t the reason.
Football
One of four teams not in season before all Hell broke loose. Dan Mullen’s team was four days from starting spring practice. Imagine how Kyle Trask and Co. would’ve been with a full spring. Not to mention the defense. That whole team (along with every other school) could’ve looked different. After that day, we learned just how flexible college football schedules really were.
Gymnastics
On March 12, 2020, a question hung in the air. Other schools and conferences were canceling meets, doing things with no spectators – would the Gators? The next day would be senior night, one of the most important meets of the year, and the team had a promising outlook for postseason. But then came the call – first, no spectators, but then, outright cancellation. Later that day came the news that the NCAA would shut down all sports activities for two weeks, but head coach Jenny Rowland still had hope. Nationals wasn’t for another 6 weeks – the team had succeeded all season, and if the field had to be determined by ranking instead of regional competitions, the Gators would make it. So she continued to encourage the team to train from home, that they would come back stronger and ready to fight. Little did they know, they’d have to burn that fire within for much longer than just a few weeks.
Track and Field
Mouse Holloway’s group had NCAA Indoor Championships that weekend. They were already in New Mexico with nine men’s and seven women’s entrants. Three Gator men in Raymond Ekevwo (60m), Clayton Brown (Triple Jump) and Thomas Mardal (Weight Throw) awon individual SEC titles a few weeks prior to March 12. The Gators won the indoor national title in 2019 but had no opportunity to defend in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Women’s Basketball
Florida had a chance to make a postseason tournament for the first time since Amanda Butler took the Gators to the 2016 Women’s NCAA Tournament. They won 15 games! That was nearly double their total in 2018-2019. Cam Newbauer’s team fell in the SEC Tournament to LSU a week prior and were awaiting a possible WNIT invite. But, after Thursday, they’d never receive it.
Lacrosse
The tenth-ranked women’s lacrosse team (6-2) was halfway through its season before the shutdown. Led by preseason All-Americans Shannon Kavanaugh and Cara Trombetta, the Gators defeated No. 19 Navy just that Tuesday. Amanda O’Leary’s team was two days from a matchup with Brown, the first of five consecutive road games including No. 1 UNC and No. 13 Princeton and the beginning of conference play. Florida ranked third in the nation in clearing percentage (.922) and ninth in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (12.38). Their chances of a tenth straight regular season conference championship and seventh straight AAC Tournament title were dashed on that Thursday afternoon.
Swimming and Diving
Both men’s and women’s wrapped up NCAA Diving Zones one day prior to the shutdown. The women’s team finished second in SECs while men’s won its eighth straight conference title. Eleven swimmers, one relay alternate and one diver on the women’s team qualified for the 2020 NCAA Championships. For the men, thirteen swimmers earned invites along with earning spots for all five possible relays. The Gators were excelling all year but didn’t have a chance to do more damage on the highest stage of the season.
Tennis
Another set of teams that missed out on the postseason. Both just kicked off conference play with the men looking to build on their first place finish in 2019 while the women were trying improve on its 7-6 SEC record from the previous year. Bryan Shelton’s and Roland Thornqvist’s respective teams ended up sidelined just like everyone else with questions of what could’ve been.
Golf
The men’s team didn’t have another event for over a week but won its first Gators Invitational for the first since 2011 a week ago. Freshman Ricky Castillo earned Ben Hogan Award Golfer of the Month and SEC Player of the Week honors the previous week. The women’s team was coming off a win at the Gators Invitation too. It was their second straight win and third overall that season. Both teams were coming up on their respective SEC Championships before COVID cut their seasons short.
Softball
Tim Walton’s team was smack dab in the middle of its season before the shutdown happened. The 23-4 Gators ranked seventh in the nation and just defeated in-state rival Florida State in a Top 25 matchup that Wednesday. Florida was top 10 in the country in fielding percentage (3rd – 0.985), double plays per game (6th – 0.59), shutouts (8th – 9), walks (9th – 101) and win/loss percentage (9th – 0.852). Transfer Charla Echols was tearing it up with team leads in batting average, hits, home runs and runs batted in. The pitching staff’s sub-2.00 ERA showed it was capable of shutting teams down without the help of Kelly Barnhill. A fourth straight trip to Oklahoma City seemed likely for a well-performing Gators team at the beginning of SEC play. Unfortunately, fans wouldn’t see another game at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium for 11 months.
Baseball
Florida baseball was 16-1 at the time of the shutdown. Unfortunately, the Gators left the McKethan Stadium field for the final time after a loss to bitter rival, Florida State, the Tuesday before the cancellation of the season. The Gators were led by a starting rotation that included two juniors, Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich and highly touted freshman Hunter Barco. The lineup featured talented veterans Austin Langworthy, Kirby McMullen, Brady Smith, Jud Fabian, Kendrick Calilao, and Jacob Young while adding talented freshmen Nathan Hickey and Josh Rivera, among others. It was a team hungry to rectify a down year one season prior — well at least a down year considering the standard Kevin O’Sullivan’s set. The Gators returned to the field in February with a roster nearly identical to last year’s at a new ballpark across campus as the nation’s unanimous No. 1 ranked team.
…
Like a lot of people I’m sure, I remember where I was March 12, 2020. I was at work producing Steve Russell’s Sportscene show. It was around that time the cancelations started rolling in. The ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament got nixed, then came all the other conference tournaments, the NBA was already off, the NHL then halted it’s season and the MLB was mulling a postponement. I remember seeing ACC Commissioner present a dejected Seminole team the ACC Champion trophy for their regular-season title on the floor of deserted Greensboro Coliseum.
There was already a little panic in me when all of that happened. However, at the time, I figured we’d still see some sports played with no fans. Until the final two shoes dropped. The NCAA called off March Madness along with all spring and summer championships. Plus, the spring sports season was on hold for the SEC. And, in the moments I heard those announcements, I realized the entire world and almost every facet of society was coming to a halt. It didn’t cause me anxiety when UF classes went online the day prior. We’d be online for two weeks but I still had the baseball beat to cover and figured, like others, we’d be right back in the swing come the end of March. That Thursday afternoon made it real for me. I didn’t know what to do. Here I was thinking about the SEC Tournament and covering Florida baseball’s SEC opener against Georgia then, in a matter of hours, it was all gone.
Now, this isn’t an attempt at exaggeration or anything. It was genuinely how I felt on that day. And, regardless of viewpoint, it had to be a pretty anxious time for others as well. But, a full year’s gone by now. It’s so weird how my friends and I were all saying “See you in two weeks” and it stretched into a whole other year. As far as I’m concerned it’s still March. March 379th, 2020 to be exact. One of these days we’ll turn the page to April or whatever month and get on with our lives. But, as far as sports go, let’s just enjoy what we have now. Because last year we had no idea when we’d see it again.
Florida RHP Jack Leftwich continued his strong start to the 2021 season as the Gators cruised past the Jacksonville Dolphins, 9-0 on Saturday.
Leftwich tossed six innings of scoreless ball allowing just two hits and walking three as the Florida offense scored four runs in support while he was in the game.
The Gators improved to 12-4 on the season with the win and have a chance to earn the series victory on Sunday.
How It Happened:
Florida got on the board early as Josh Rivera hit a homer for the second straight at-bat.
With Leftwich cruising, the offense didn’t need to do too much. In the third inning, Nathan Hickey blasted a two-run bomb to center to increase the lead to 3-0.
In the sixth, Colby Halter scored on a wild pitch from Jacksonville LHP Adrian Garrastazu.
The Gators added five runs of insurance to put the game away in the eighth. Jud Fabian hit a two-run single and Kirby McMullen added a two-run homer to complete the scoring.
Jordan Carrion and Brandon Sproat completed the victory with three perfect innings in relief.
Pitching Decision:
W: Leftwich (3-0)
L: Mike Cassala (1-2)
Individual Stats:
Hickey: 3-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI
Fabian: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
McMullen: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB,
Leftwich: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 7 K, 3 BB
What’s Next:
Florida goes for the series win on Sunday. Hunter Barco will take the mound for the Gators.
The No. 6 Gators lost 12-11 to the Jacksonville Dolphins in Jacksonville Saturday. It makes for their second loss this season and brings their win percentage to .600 at 3-2.
The Dolphins took charge in the first half and led the period 7-6. Jacksonville held on tight to ball possession, and Florida grew comfortable on the defense. Fifth year defender Cara Trombetta made two quick clears, but they were drowned out by numerous failed ones.
The Gators started on a strong 3-0 lead in the game’s first five minutes but gave up the ball to Jacksonville as the dolphins climbed to seven points. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Paisley Eagan charged on the attack with two points from the eight meter; Senior midfielder Shannon Kavanagh brought in two goals herself. Redshirt senior attacker Brianna Harris brought the game 5-6 with a sharp long shot, and later 10-12 with a powerful overhand shot in the second half.
Florida played the ball slow and steady on the offense, frequently passing the ball behind the net before shooting. The Gators had just 11 shots on goal in the first.
Jacksonville extended their lead 8-6 to start the second half and didn’t stop. They made three consecutive goals for a total of 12 and pushed for multiple turnovers. The Gators were energetic to start the period but didn’t stand against Jacksonville’s hunger.
Eagan got her first hat trick of the season with a goal ten minutes into the second period. The team gained confidence afterwards, with a shot by senior attacker Kassidy Bresnahan bringing the score 9-12.
Paisley nets her third of the day for her second career hat trick 🎩
The Dolphins were lightning quick to take ground balls and turnovers, and they led the draw control 19-6.
Florida’s determination shone in the final minutes of the game, as they were down by two goals. It went empty net with less than a minute of regulation though it lost two players to the penalty box shortly after.
Kavanagh found her third hat trick of the season in a quick bounce shot deep into the second half. The mighty midfielder brought the final score 11-12 and remains Florida’s goal leader at 15.
Gators led Jacksonville 8-7 in saves at the hands of redshirt freshman goaltender Sarah Reznick. Florida’s offense wasn’t enough to control the Dolphins’ successful charisma, however.
The game ran opposite from their last matchup. The Gators pulled a great 19-13 victory over the Dolphins in April 2019. Unable to run it back, Florida still leads the series 9-1 against Jacksonville.
The Gators head to Philadelphia to take on the Temple Owls for their sixth-straight away game on Friday, Mar. 19 at 3 p.m. The game can be viewed on ESPN+.
After kicking off the SEC opening weekend with a 3-1 win over No. 9 Kentucky Friday night, No. 6 Florida clinched its three-game home series following another 3-1 victory Saturday afternoon.
Florida right-hander Natalie Lugo earned her fourth win this season after she allowed just two hits across five innings. “[Natalie] was really good today,” head coach Tim Walton said. “When she’s got her changeup going well, . . . she’s very efficient.”
Kentucky pitcher Grace Baalman opened up the scoring in the bottom of the second inning when she belted a no-doubter solo shot off Florida right-hander Natalie Lugo over the UF bullpen in left field.
The Gators responded in the bottom half of the inning after they loaded the bases with two outs for center fielder Cheyenne Lindsey. Florida’s leadoff batter hit a routine ground ball to the right side of the infield, but Kentucky second baseman Lauren Johnson misjudged the ball and made a costly fielding error that allowed two runs to score. The next batter, second baseman Hannah Adams, kept the two-out rally alive when she sent an RBI-single through the left side to extend the lead to 3-1.
Lugo reitred the final 10 Kentucky batters she faced until southpaw Katie Chronister came in for relief in the top of the sixth. Kentucky loaded the bases with two outs before Florida brought in junior right-hander Elizabeth Hightower to escape the jam. Hightower faced a full count but forced an easy fly out to maintain Florida’s two-run advantage.
After the Gators left three baserunners stranded in the bottom of the sixth, Hightower threw a one-two-three top of the seventh inning to record her second save.
Final (R-H-E)
No. 9 Kentucky: 1-3-3
No. 6 Florida: 3-7-2
Pitching Decision
Win: Lugo (4-0)
Loss: Baalman (4-1)
Save: Hightower (2)
Individual Stats
Lugo: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (1.56/0.89 season ERA/WHIP)
Hightower: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (0.71/0.57)
Adams: 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB (.463/.551/.667 season slash line)
Lindaman: 1-3 (.319/.475/.553)
A. Goelz: 1-3 (.298/.353/.404)
Cottrill: 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B (.209/.306/.279)
Hoover: 1-3, 1 R (.357/.440/.429)
SEC Opening Weekend
The Gators will look to complete the series sweep Sunday at 1 p.m.
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