In the latest projections from D1Baseball.com, The Florida Gators are projected to be the No. 3 national seed in the NCAA tournament this year.
D1’s May 17 update as Florida hosting a regional with Oregon, Troy and Alabama State in the Gainesville region. Wake Forest and Arkansas are the projected Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively.
Florida’s 40-win season means that the Gators are almost locked into hosting a regional, but the outlook wasn’t as positive a few weeks ago. Sweeping Vanderbilt in convincing fashion at home last weekend did wonders for Florida’s national standing, and the Gators are once again considered a top-five if not a top-three team in the country.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign from this team has been its health. Losing Hunter Barco hurt the starting rotation immensely last season, but Brandon Sproat, Hurston Waldrep and Jac Caglianone have held things down all season. The bullpen is much more sound than it was a year ago, and Josh Rivera is the only position player that has missed time recently.
Before the Gators play in the NCAA Tournament, they will take on the SEC’s best in the conference tournament. Florida is close to locking up the top seed in that bracket, and a deep run there could propel Florida to an even high seed in the national tournament.
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