Florida’s path to an NCAA Tournament return isn’t so clear a year after making it to the College World Series Finals.
The Gators would make the field of 64 as the No. 3 seed in the Durham Region hosted by No. 13 Duke, according to D1Baseball’s Week 13 projections. The UC Irvine Anteaters are the No. 2 seed and the Columbia Lions are the No. 4 seed in this scenario.
At least one of those matchups favors the Orange and Blue. Florida swept Columbia in February, outscoring the Lions by 20 runs over three games, but the other two teams in that proposed region are relative unknowns to UF.
Two key series against ranked opponents remain on Florida’s schedule. Winning out against No. 3 Kentucky and No. 15 Georgia could mean a significant jump for Florida, but losing all six games could mean missing out on the tournament entirely.
A top-25 ranking on the RPI report means that Florida has a better chance to make it than miss. The Gators essentially control their fate with a small shot to host a regional — a strong finish to the regular season and a deep run at the SEC Tournament is almost necessary, though.
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.