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18 innings pitched, 26 strikeouts, 12 hits against, and a 0.50 CWS ERA.

The Florida Gators are one win away from advancing to the College World Series Championship Series after impressive wins against TCU and Louisville. 

Florida has benefited from timely hits from their offense, but pitching has been the story thus far in Omaha.  The Gators pitching staff has shut down two of the most potent offenses in the College World Series.  

See also: Alex Faedo shines on big stage

Florida sophomore pitcher Brady Singer got the call to start against Louisville on Tuesday.  Following Alex Faedo’s seven inning shutout from Sunday was no easy fear.  But Singer didn’t back down.  Instead, against a Cardinals team loaded with MLB Draft picks, Singer excelled.  Singer’s final line reads: 7 innings pitched, six hits allowed, one earned run, and nine strikeouts. 

How has Florida’s staff neutralized their opponents in Omaha?  Simply throwing strikes.  Florida has only walked three batters in the two games while striking out 26.  

A more incredible statistic though: On Sunday, Faedo and relief pitcher Michael Byrne combined to throw 143 pitches. The two only threw a total of 33 balls.  TCU had 31 batters step up to the plate, and many of them only saw strikes blow past them.  TCU’s OF Austen Wade, who was drafted in the fifth round of the MLB Draft, went 0-3.  All-American C Evan Skoug, a seventh round pick, went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts.

On Tuesday, the trio of Singer, Nick Horvath, and Tyler Dyson threw a total of 135 pitches. Only 35 of those were called a ball by the home plate umpire.  Louisville had 34 batters in the game.  The Cardinals 4-5-6 hitters were each drafted between the first two days of the draft, led by fourth overall pick 1B Brendan McKay.  The trio hit a combined .250 (3-12) against Florida pitching.  

Florida’s pitching has carried them to two victories in the College World Series thus far.  Sophomore Jackson Kowar is set to pitch on Friday against the winner of Thursday’s TCU and Louisville losers-bracket matchup.  If Kowar can continue to pound the strike zone much like Faedo and Singer did, Florida will begin play in the Championship Series on Monday in Omaha.  

The 2018 College World Series was set up to feature pitching aces in every opening weekend matchup.  However, at the conclusion of the weekend, one starting pitcher stood above all others. Alex Faedo pitched masterfully in leading the #3 Gators to a 3-0 victory over #6 TCU on Sunday. 

Faedo out-dueled second team All-American Jared Janczak for the Horned Frogs less than a week after being selected #18 overall in the MLB Draft.  Janczak finished with a line of: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, and 4 K’s.  

Faedo set the tone in the top of the first by retiring the side with only ten pitches thrown.  Faedo ran into trouble in the third inning, but somehow came out unscathed. 

TCU loaded the bases with only one out.  Faedo had to face DH Zach Humphreys and power hitting C Evan Skoug to escape the trouble.  Faedo struck out both hitters swinging to end the threat. 

Faedo retired the final ten TCU hitters he faced, and finished with a new UF CWS record, 11 strikeouts in seven innings pitched.  Faedo only allowed two hits and two walks to a very potent Horned Frogs offense. 

• Thank You, Gator Nation
• BSB: Gators fall to Pirates again, end season at NCAA regionals
• SB: Gators Pushed To Brink With Super Regional Loss
• BSB: Florida cruises past Gamecocks, one step away from regional host bid
• SB: Gators Pull Off Regional Sweep to Reach Super Regionals

Outside of Faedo, staff aces got hit around on the opening weekend.  Oregon State pitcher Jake Thompson only lasted 3.2 innings before being pulled after allowing five runs. Tyler Holton of Florida State pitched 7.1 innings, but gave up 5 runs.  Even the highest drafted pitchers weren’t immune to poor performances. #4 overall pick Brendan McKay of Louisville struggled through five innings, allowing four runs and eight hits. The #30 overall pick, Alex Lange gave up seven hits and four runs in six innings. 

Omaha’s TD Ameritrade Park is known for being a pitchers park thanks to its deep dimensions.  So far in 2017, hitters are changing that perception except against Alex Faedo.  

Stay tuned for more coverage on the Gators in Omaha.  The quest for Florida’s first baseball National Championship continues Tuesday evening against Louisville.  

The final day of the 2017 MLB Draft saw four Florida Gators selected.  RHP David Lee, RHP Frank Rubio, 2B Deacon Liput, and C/1B JJ Schwarz were each selected on day three.  

RHP David Lee was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 27th round. Lee transferred to Florida from Santa Fe College.  Lee, who attended Buchholz High in Gainesville, only pitched two innings, but retired all six batters he faced, including three strikeouts. 

RHP Frank Rubio is one of two seniors on the 2017 team.  The 6-0, 190 LB hurler was taken by San Francisco in the 29th round. Rubio was 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA in 23 relief appearances this season. 

2B Deacon Liput (pictured above per AP Images) was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 29th round.  Liput is a rare draft-eligible sophomore from Oviedo, Fl.  Liput is hitting .225 with 2 home runs and 30 RBIs.  Liput is a terrific defensive player with a fielding percentage of .989 after committing only three errors in 64 games at second base. 

C/1B JJ Schwarz became a national story as he fell all the way to Tampa Bay in the 38th round. The 6-2, 215 LB Schwarz has hit at a .271 clip this year with a team leading 12 homers and 53 RBIs.  Prior to the draft, Schwarz was projected to go as high as the fourth round. 

Schwarz hit .332 with 18 home runs and 73 RBIs in 2015 on his way to being named the NCAA Freshman of the Year.  Schwarz appeared headed toward being the #1 overall pick after his freshman year, and many publications still had him as a candidate for the top slot coming into this season.  Now, it appears entirely possible that Schwarz could return to Florida for his senior year in an attempt to improve his draft stock. 

• Thank You, Gator Nation
• BSB: Gators fall to Pirates again, end season at NCAA regionals
• SB: Gators Pushed To Brink With Super Regional Loss
• BSB: Florida cruises past Gamecocks, one step away from regional host bid
• SB: Gators Pull Off Regional Sweep to Reach Super Regionals

These four Gators join the four drafted on the first two days of the MLB Draft to give Florida eight drafted players.  RHP Alex Faedo (DET) was drafted in the first round while Florida faced Wake Forest in an elimination game on Monday. SS Dalton Guthrie (PHI) and C Mike Rivera (CLE) were taken in round six while C Mark Kolozsvary was selected in the seventh round on Tuesday.  

The Florida Gators were well represented on day two of the MLB Draft.  Shortstop Dalton Guthrie, catcher Mike Rivera, and fellow backstop Mark Kolozsvary were each selected on Tuesday. 

Guthrie was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth round.  Guthrie, the son of long time MLB infielder Mark Guthrie, hit .272 for Florida in his junior season.  Guthrie is best known for his defense, making multiple appearances on SportsCenter’s Top Ten. 

Rivera was selected by the Cleveland Indians at the end of round six.  Despite missing significant time with a broken hamate bone, Rivera hit .242 and drove in 24 runs this season. Like Guthrie, Rivera is known for his excellent defense behind the plate. Rivera’s fielding percentage is an incredible .997, having made only one error all season. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise from Florida’s draft-eligible players is the seventh round pick of Kolozsvary by the Cincinnati Reds.  Kolozsvary spent much of the year as the designated hitter. Kolozsvary played an important role in the Gators lineup while Rivera was injured.  Kolozsvary hit .270 with three home run and 26 RBI in 115 at-bats.  

Day three of the MLB Draft begins at noon on Wednesday.  Catcher JJ Schwarz and outfielder Ryan Larson are expected to be picked.  

The Florida Gators are facing the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the Super Regionals, but ace pitcher Alex Faedo has other business to attend to.  

Faedo was selected by the Detroit Tigers with the 18th overall pick in the MLB Draft on Monday night. 

Faedo is 7-2 with a 2.60 ERA for the Gators in 2017.  Faedo has struck out 132 batters in just 107.1 innings of work. 

Faedo has a career record of 26-6 and a 2.97 career ERA.  Faedo was drafted in the 40th round by the Tigers coming out of high school before coming to Florida. 

Stay posted with The Gator Chomp Blog for more updates on the 2017 MLB Draft. 

The 2017 Florida Gators only have two seniors on their roster, pitcher Frank Rubio and outfielder Ryan Larson.  On Saturday, Larson played the role of hero in walk-off fashion against Wake Forest in the opener of the Super Regionals.  

Florida loaded the bases in the bottom of the eleventh without producing a base-hit after a walk and two hit batters brought Larson to the plate with two out.  Larson lined a single up the middle to score Jonathan India and was mobbed by his teammates in centerfield. 

Larson has been a pleasant surprise for Gators fans this year. He is second on the team with a .318 batting average and has hit 5 home runs.  

Florida’s offense has missed Larson since May 26 when he was hit in the head by a pitch during the SEC Tournament. Saturday was Larson’s first game back, and the senior provided the biggest moment of the year to date.  

Florida’s offense only managed four hits in eleven innings on Saturday, but the end result was a 2-1 win, and Florida is now only one win from a return to the College World Series.