Florida Men's Track & Field Claims Program's First NCAA Outdoor Title

DES MOINES, Iowa --The Florida men’s track & field team captured the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Saturday at Drake University. The men scored 50 points to edge LSU (48 points) and Texas A&M (40 points) for the men’s team title. This is the first NCAA Outdoor Championship in Florida athletics history and the third NCAA Championship for the Florida Gators this year (men’s indoor track & field & women’s tennis).

The Gators are the first team since the Arkansas Razorbacks (2003) to win both the indoor and outdoor NCAA titles. The Razorbacks won both in 2005 as well but the outdoor title was vacated.

The men’s 4x400-meter relay, composed of Dedric Dukes (Miami, Fla.) and Hugh Graham, Jr. (Miami, Fla.) Leonardo Seymore (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.), clinched the NCAA Championship for the Florida men, earning the first individual 4x400-meter relay title in Florida history and securing the first NCAA Outdoor Championship for the Gators on the men’s or women’s side. They finished in a time of 3:00.02 to seal the victory for the Orange and Blue. McQuay calmly sat in second with 200 meters to go on the anchor leg and seized control of the race as the Gators ran a world-leading time in victory.

Sophomore Eddie Lovett (West Palm Beach, Fla.) gave the Gators bonus points in the men’s 110-meter hurdles, finishing fifth in 13.82 and scoring four much-needed points for the Orange and Blue in his first NCAA Outdoor Championships final. Lovett got out strong and stayed neck-and-neck with LSU’s Barrett Nugent, the defending NCAA champion. Nugent crossed the finish line in fourth and Lovett stayed right by his side, finishing just .02 behind the SEC Outdoor Champion.

Emily Bastel Named Women's Golf Coach at Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The national search for a new Florida women’s golf coach ended in an office down the hall at the Mark Bostick Clubhouse.

 

Emily Bastel, barely 10 months removed from arriving as a UF assistant, was promoted to head coach Friday and will replace Jan Dowling, who resigned last month citing personal reasons.

 

“I knew there would be lots of qualified candidates, but I really was just looking for a shot,” Bastel said Friday. “Over the last year, being on campus and around the players and getting a feel for what it was like to be around Gator athletics, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.”

 

Bastel’s resume` came across Athletic Director Jeremy Foley’s desk along with a slew of other -- some quite impressive -- from across the country. Given that Bastel, 31, had a hand in helping Dowling lead the Gators to a fourth-place finish in the 2012 Southeastern Conference standings and 12th in the NCAA Championships last month, Foley felt it only right to grant Bastel an audience.

 

He’s glad he did.

 

“I was just blown away,” Foley said. “We had a diamond in our midst and didn’t even know it.”

 

The search committee felt the same way after its meeting with Bastel.

 

“When she left the room, we all sort of looked at each other and said, you know, ‘Wow.’ It was that impressive,” said senior associate athletic director Mike Spiegler, who oversees women’s golf. “She may be on the quiet side, but she’s confident and has an idea about the direction we’re headed and will continue to go.”

 

That would be up, of course, which was where Dowling definitely had the Gators moving. The program Dowling took over in 2009 was coming off a 10th-place finish in the SEC and did not qualify for the NCAAs.

 

Three seasons later, the Gators were in the thick of things.

 

“Jan and I shared a lot of the same vision, but there will definitely be some of my own touches on the program,” Bastel said. “We differed in the way we viewed the game of golf. She was a little more analytical, where I’m more of a feel player. I’m sure those type of things will work their way into how I run practices and how I coach the players. My personal philosophy of being a good coach centers on a lot of great communication and relationship with the players.”

 

Bastel must have had that. Spiegler said every member of the UF team called, texted or emailed to lobby on Bastel’s behalf.

 

“I’m so happy and so relieved,” senior Isabelle Lendl said from her home in Goshen, Conn. “Emily has been around golf her whole life and knows the ins and outs of the game. She’s a balanced, experienced person, and I think that makes a big difference.”

 

Bastel was born in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, to a family that had owned and operated a golf course since the 1930s. She grew up in and around the game, with her father doubling as a golf pro and course superintendent.

 

“Sometimes my lessons would consist of him jumping off the mower, watching me for five minutes, then going back to work. That left me to figure some things out for myself,” said the three-time Ohio state amateur champion. “Looking back, that’s how you become a better player; by knowing your game, knowing your swing, those type of things. Instruction is great, but there’s a certain something that has to come from inside.”

 

Bastel found that certain something, eventually taking her skills to Michigan State, where she won a Big Ten individual championship in 2000 -- four times she was named all-conference -- and leading the Spartans to the team title in 2002.

 

That same year, Bastel was chose for the Curtis Cup team, which is the female version of the Ryder Cup for amateurs. She played on the LPGA Tour for three seasons (2005-08) and was the Future Tour’s leading money winner in 2007. Twice she placed in the top-10 on LPGA Tour events, once carding a career-low round of 66 in the McDonald’s Championship.

 

Sandwiched around her touring was one year as an assistant at MSU and another as an assistant at Duke before Dowling came calling last summer. Foley obviously met her then, but not to the extent of their sit-down session earlier this week.

 

“I listened to her talk and I was overwhelmed by her maturity, her self-confidence -- a quiet confidence -- and her resume is spectacular in terms of what she’s done in her golf career as a player,” Foley said. “I talked to her coach at Michigan State who absolutely praised her work ethic. She’ll have to be able to work and recruit here and she’ll do it with a great personality and smile.”

 

One of the catch phrases in golf is “grinder.” Bastel said that word describes her (pardon the pun) to a tee.

 

“I was always like, find a way to get it done,” Bastel said. “No matter if you’re hitting it left, right or straight, no matter where the ball is going, just find a way to score.”

 

That’s sort of how she got the job. She found a way to get an interview.

 

Now, she must find a way to keep the Gators on their upswing.

 

Time to grind.

 

“I have a special place in my heart for that type of player,” Bastel said. “I want the ones that have the potential to be great and want to work hard to make it happen.”

 

Like she just did.

UF extends Butler's contract through 2017

Already the winningest coach through her first five years in program history, Florida women's basketball coach Amanda Butler had her contract extended through the 2016-17 season, athletics director Jeremy Foley announced Wednesday.

"I like the direction our program is headed," Foley said. "We know Amanda will be our coach for a long time. We're excited about the future of the Gator women's basketball program."

The only coach to lead the Gators to a postseason berth in each of her inaugural five years, Butler guided the 2012 squad to the NCAA Tournament where Florida fell to eventual NCAA champion Baylor and capped the season with the program's 12th 20-win season and the third under Butler.

Through her first five seasons at her alma mater where Butler has compiled a 98-67 record, two Gators have earned All-America honors under her tutelage, while three have been voted First Team All-Southeastern Conference and three have earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. The Gators have compiled 16 total SEC Academic Honor Roll accolades during Butler's tenure, with eight Gators having earned a spot on the SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll.

"It's always great to be a Florida Gator," Butler said. "To have the confidence that Jeremy has in my staff and me feels fantastic. It makes us even more excited about the future of the program and where it's headed. We're at the best university in the country under the best leadership in the country and to have their vote of confidence means everything."

 

Times announced for Florida-N.C. State Super Regional series

Florida’s best-of-three Super Regional series vs. N.C. State will begin on Saturday, the school announced late Monday. The top-seeded Gators will play host to the No. 16 Wolfpack at McKethan Stadium with a berth in the College World Series on the line.

First pitch is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday and the game will air on ESPNU. Sunday’s game is set for 1 p.m., also on ESPNU. And game three, if necessary, will be Monday at 1 p.m. and air on ESPN2.

The Gators (45-18) advanced by sweeping the regional over the weekend, beating Bethune-Cookman 4-0 and topping Georgia Tech by scores of 6-2 and 15-3.

N.C. State (43-18) clinched the Raleigh Regional late Monday night with a 9-7 comeback win over Vanderbilt. The Wolfpack won its opening game over Sacred Heart before losing to the Commodores in game two. It beat UNC-Wilmington and Vanderbilt on Sunday to force a deciding game on Monday.

Florida will be the home team on Saturday and visiting team on Sunday. If the series extends to Monday, a coin flip would determine which team is home.

UF's Brian Johnson Selected In First Round Of The MLB Draft By The Boston Red Sox

University of Florida junior left-hander/designated hitter Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) was selected in the first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday night by the Boston Red Sox with the 31st choice. He joins teammate Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.), taken third overall by the Seattle Mariners, as part of the first Gator duo to be picked in the first round since Robby Thompson (San Francisco Giants) and Rich Rice (Baltimore Orioles) went off the board together in 1983.

A second-team All-American by Louisville Slugger and one of the five players in the running for the 2012 John Olerud Award presented to the nation’s top two-way standout, Johnson has been chosen first-team All-SEC for the past two seasons. On the season, he is 8-4 with a 3.56 earned run average on the mound and has 68 strikeouts in 86 innings, to go along with a .310 clip, 40 RBI, 22 runs, 12 doubles and five homers. The southpaw tossed his first career complete game to oust fourth-ranked South Carolina from the SEC Tourney on May 25 and matched his career high with four hits in the semifinal round the following day against Vanderbilt. In his most recent outing, Johnson limited the high-powered Georgia Tech offense to one run on three hits over five innings on Sunday night as the Gators cruised to a 15-3 victory over the Jackets to punch their fourth-straight ticket to Super Regionals.   

In 2011, Johnson was a semifinalist for both the John Olerud Award and the Dick Howser Trophy and was chosen to the Watch List for the Golden Spikes Award. The dual threat was 8-3 with a 3.62 ERA in 79.2 innings. He appeared in 16 games, with 15 starts, registered 72 strikeouts and permitted 15 walks and had a .307 average with 29 RBI, 26 runs, 21 walks, 11 doubles and five homers. He started in all 10 SEC series and was 4-3 with a 4.67 ERA in 54 innings, notching 43 strikeouts. Johnson hit .330 in league play with 12 runs, 12 RBI, 10 walks and five doubles.

During his rookie season in 2010, Johnson was chosen as a Freshman All-American by Baseball America, Louisville Slugger, NCBWA and Yahoo! Sports and he made the SEC’s All-Freshman Team as both a starting pitcher and at designated hitter. Over 16 appearances on the mound, including 14 starts, the left-hander was 6-4 with a 4.03 ERA and totaled 51 strikeouts in 73.2 innings. He was the Gators’ designated hitter in 27 games and batted .405 (34-for-84) with 21 RBI, 13 runs, nine walks, five doubles, four homers and two grand slams. The southpaw was 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA in nine league starts and batted .362 (17-for-47) in 16 SEC contests.. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on April 5 and again on May 3 and led the Orange and Blue with a .500 (14-for-28) postseason average and hit .474 (9-for-19) with seven RBI in five NCAA Tourney games. Johnson was tabbed as the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Gainesville Regional after going 5-for-8 (.625) at the plate and twirling seven shutout innings in the championship game. He Went 3-for-5 with a leadoff homer in the third inning against Florida Atlantic and limited the Owls to six hits in seven shutout innings.

UF's Mike Zunino Taken In First Round Of The MLB Draft By Seattle Mariners

University of Florida junior catcher Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) was selected in the first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday night by the Seattle Mariners. Chosen third overall, Zunino is the first Gator taken in the opening round since Matt LaPorta was picked seventh by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007. Since the Draft's inception in 1965, this marks the 13th time in school history that a UF player has been a first-round choice and Zunino becomes the highest player chosen in school history.

Earlier today, Zunino was named one of the three finalists for the 2012 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com. A first-team Louisville Slugger All-American who is also a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award, he leads the Gators in total bases (154), RBI (60), doubles (27), homers (18), sacrifice flies (9) and slugging percentage (.667). A two-time first-team All-SEC recipient and two-time member of the league’s All-Defensive Team who is hitting .316, Zunino has registered a .994 fielding percentage, with three errors in 474 chances, and has thrown out almost a third of the runners who have attempted to steal on him.

Over the weekend, Zunino was voted to the NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team for the third-consecutive season after belting homers in consecutive games against No. 24 Georgia Tech as the top-ranked Gators (45-18) advanced to Super Regionals for the fourth-straight campaign.

In 2011, he became just the second Gator to be voted the SEC Player of the Year, as LaPorta had been recognized in 2005 and 2007. One of the three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award, Zunino was chosen as a first-team All-American by the ABCA, Baseball America and Perfect Game, earned second-team honors from Louisville Slugger and was a third-team choice by the NCBWA. He was also first-team All-SEC and a member of the SEC All-Defensive Team.

He hit a team-best .371 and led the SEC in total bases (178), hits (98), runs (75), doubles (23, tied with teammate Preston Tucker) and homers (19) in helping the Gators finish as the national runner-up following their second-consecutive trip to the NCAA College World Series for the first time in school history. Zunino also paced UF’s offense in slugging percentage (.674), on-base percentage (.442), multiple-hit games (29) and multi-RBI games (19, tied with Tucker) and had career-highs in RBI (67) and walks (32). The catcher batted .422 in SEC play, with 36 runs, 33 RBI, 14 doubles and eight homers.

As a rookie in 2010, Zunino was chosen to Baseball America’s Freshman All-America Team and was a member of the SEC’s All-Freshman Team. He started 51 games behind the plate and one as the designated hitter and hit .267 with 41 RBI, 31 runs, nine homers and seven doubles in 55 games played as the Gators made their first CWS appearance since 2005. He was 8-for-11 on the basepaths, caught 14-of-38 runners attempting to steal and had three pickoffs.

No. 1 Florida Overpowers No. 24 Georgia Tech, 15-3, To Capture Gainesville Regional

Junior Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) and senior Daniel Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) drove in four runs apiece, while junior left-hander Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) allowed one run in five innings as top-seeded Florida (45-18) exploded for seven runs on six hits with two out in the fifth frame on its way to a 15-3 victory over second-seeded Georgia Tech (38-26) to claim the NCAA Gainesville Regional on Sunday night at McKethan Stadium. The Gators set the tone by tallying four runs in the first inning and three in the second stanza.

Freshman second baseman Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor, Fla.) was voted as the event's Most Outstanding Player after batting .600 (6-for-10) over UF's three victories, with five RBI, four runs, two doubles, two walks and a homer.

The Gators notched their fourth-straight Regional title under fifth-year head coach Kevin O'Sullivan and secured their sixth Super Regional berth in school history, all in the past nine years (2004-05-09-10-11-12). UF captured its 10th NCAA Regional and has swept the last five Regionals it has hosted (2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012).

Next weekend, UF will host the winner of the Raleigh Regional, with Vanderbilt (35-27) and North Carolina State (42-18) playing a winner-take-all contest tomorrow night to determine who will be coming to the Sunshine State. Start times and dates for next weekend's eight best-of-three series around the country will be announced by the NCAA late Monday night.

"Obviously we're excited about moving on," O'Sullivan said. "Brian Johnson gave us a great start, especially early on – we got out to an early 7-0 lead, and Brian kept on throwing strikes. We kept tacking on runs there, which I thought was important. Georgia Tech has the type of offense where they can get a walk, then a single and the next thing you know there is a three-run homer. We needed to keep distancing ourselves and I thought we did a nice job there. We got some work out of the pen too. We're excited about moving forward, and just waiting to see who we play,"

After Johnson retired the Yellow Jackets in order to begin the game, the Gators used a pair of two-out, two-run hits by Pigott (2-for-4) and freshman Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.) off of senior Jake Davies (1-4) to build a 4-0 lead. Senior Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) (2-for-4) and Zunino (1-for-3, three runs) had drawn back-to-back one-out walks and a grounder by Johnson advanced both runners into scoring position. Pigott opened the scoring with his 13th double just inside of the first-base bag to drive in his teammates andTurgeon (2-for-3) followed with a walk. A throwing error by Davies on a failed pickoff attempt at second base enabled Pigott to take third and Turgeon to reach second base. Shafer chopped a single up the middle that expanded the lead to four runs.

Zunino cranked a three-run homer into the left-field bleachers in the second inning to boost the Gators' lead to 7-0. Junior Nolan Fontana (2-for-4, three runs) singled into center field with one down and Tucker sliced a single through the right side of the infield before Zunino blasted his SEC-leading 18th dinger for his second-straight outing with a big fly. The All-American now has seven career homers in NCAA Tournament play.

Johnson set down the first seven Georgia Tech hitters of the contest before senior Evan Martin (2-for-3, two runs) belted his first homer of the year to left field for a 7-1 count.

Freshman Josh Heddinger replaced Davies prior to UF's third at bat after the starter yielded seven runs and five hits in two innings.

Zunino collected his fourth RBI of the night with a sacrifice fly in the fourth that increased the Gators' margin to 8-1. Fontana had drawn a leadoff walk, stolen second for his team-leading 13th theft in 14 attempts and advanced to third on a fly-out to right field by Tucker. Zunino lofted Heddinger's first pitch to straightaway center field for his team-leading ninth sacrifice fly, matching the single-season school mark shared by Fontana (2011), Mark Kiger (2000) and Brad Wilkerson (1997).

The Gators tacked on seven more runs, their most in an inning this season, with two down in the fifth to put the game out of reach. Turgeon had poked a one-out double down the right-field line and junior Vickash Ramjit (Miami, Fla.) drew a two-out walk before freshman Josh Tobias (Greensboro, N.C.) blooped a double into left field to score both of his teammates. Fontana then singled into right field to score Tobias for an 11-1 margin. A base-hit by Tucker pushed Fontana into scoring position and Heddinger struck out Zunino on a pitch that should have ended the inning. However, a wild pitch allowed Zunino to reach base, filling the bags full of Gators, and Johnson earned a free pass to score Fontana. Pigott sliced a two-run single into right field and Turgeon added another RBI single to put Florida up 15-1 and end the night for Heddinger (2.2 IP, 6 H, 8 R).

Johnson (8-4) worked five innings, giving up three hits and a run with four Ks, before freshman Bobby Poyner (Wellington, Fla.) took the mound in the sixth. GT junior Sam Dove connected on his third homer of the year with one down for a 14-2 score.

After sophomore Karsten Whitson (Chipley, Fla.) threw a scoreless seventh with a couple of strikeouts, the Jackets completed the scoring in the eighth on a pinch-hit sacrifice fly by freshman A.J. Murray. The sac fly brought across Martin, who had a leadoff triple off of freshman reliever Johnny Magliozzi (East Milton, Mass.).

Senior Greg Larson (Longwood, Fla.) (0.1 IP) and junior Austin Maddox (Jacksonville, Fla.) (1.0 IP) closed out the victory for the Gators, who held an 11-6 advantage in hits and did not commit any errors.

No. 1 Florida Baseball Defeats No. 24 Georgia Tech, 6-2, In Winner's Bracket Contest

Junior Hudson Randall (Atlanta, Ga.) allowed one run over 5.2 innings to pick up the win and No. 1 Florida (44-18) used a three-run fourth inning and home runs by junior Mike Zunino (Cape Coral, Fla.) and senior Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) on its way to a 6-2 victory over No. 24 Georgia Tech (37-25) in front of 4,584 fans on Saturday night at McKethan Stadium.

With the triumph, the top-seeded Gators improved to 2-0 in the NCAA Gainesville Regional and await the winner of tomorrow’s elimination game at noon between the second-seeded Yellow Jackets and third-seeded College of Charleston (38-21), which ousted fourth-seeded Bethune-Cookman (34-27) this afternoon by an 8-2 margin. Florida can advance to next weekend’s Super Regional with one more win, while the survivor in tomorrow’s first game will need a victory over the Gators to force an if-necessary game on Monday at 7 p.m.

“I think it was a very well played game by both sides,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “It was emotional on both sides. It felt like a Friday night game in our league, and I’m sure in their league as well. We just got that one inning in the fourth where we scored three runs, and I really think [Preston] Tucker’s home run in the ninth was huge. It gave us a little bit more cushion. Hudson [Randall] was great, as always. He battled tonight, gave up some hits, but made some great pitches when he needed to, and then Steven [Rodriguez] came in behind him. I think the home run by Mike [Zunino] changed the momentum for us. It was a great game by both teams; we just had a couple of innings where we scored quickly in numbers. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

In the top of the second, senior Daniel Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) drew a one-out walk from junior starter Buck Farmer (8-4), stole second with two down and advanced to third base when the relay throw by sophomore catcher Zane Evans went into center field. Farmer countered with an inning-ending strikeout of freshman Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.).

Georgia Tech used three-straight singles in the bottom of the inning off of Randall (8-2) and broke the ice on a two-strike base-hit by sophomore Mott Hyde (2-for-4) into left center field.  Sophomore Daniel Palka (3-for-4, two runs) had a one-out single into right field and Evans followed with a base-hit into left field for runners on the corners. Hyde opened the scoring with a RBI single that brought home Palka but Randall prevented further trouble by having sophomore Paul Kronenfeld hit into a 4-6-3 double play.

The Gators answered in the third on a game-tying sacrifice fly by junior Nolan Fontana (Winter Garden, Fla.) (2-for-3). Junior Vickash Ramjit (Miami, Fla.) (2-for-3) began the inning with his fifth double of the campaign into right center and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Josh Tobias (Greensboro, N.C.). Fontana’s fly ball to straightaway center field, his third sac fly of the year, enabled Ramjit to come home with the equalizer.

Sophomore Kyle Wren poked a one-out double to left field in the home part of the stanza and Randall responded with a strikeout of junior Sam Dove before walking junior Brandon Thomas. The right-hander thought he had struck out senior Jake Davies to close the frame but the umpires reversed the call and sent the Gators back onto the field. Randall then ended up striking out the slugger.

Florida erupted for three runs on three hits in the fourth to build a 4-1 advantage. Zunino began the inning with his SEC-leading 17th homer that cleared the wall in left center. It was his sixth career round-tripper in the NCAA Tournament and came on a 0-1 pitch from Farmer. Pigott was plunked with one down and freshman Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor, Fla.) doubled to right field to give the Gators a pair of runners in scoring position and raise his hitting streak to eight games. Shafer blooped a single into left field to bring across Pigott and alertly took second on the relay throw. Ramjit’s third sacrifice fly into left field plated Turgeon with the fourth run.

Randall retired the first two Yellow Jackets in their at bat before yielding back-to-back singles by Hyde and Kronenfeld. The righty caught freshman Thomas Smith looking for his third strikeout to send the game to the fifth inning with the Gators ahead by a 4-1 score.

Fontana earned a free pass to start the fifth and was safe at second on a fielder’s choice by Tucker, as Hyde committed a throwing error. Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall was ejected for arguing with the umpires about the play. Farmer had Zunino line into an 8-4 double play, erasing Fontana at second base, then had junior Brian Johnson (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) fly out to center field.

Palka doubled with one down in the sixth for Georgia Tech and went to third on an infield single by Evans (2-for-4). With runners on the corners, Randall struck out Hyde and was replaced by junior Steven Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.). Over 5.2 innings, Randall scattered eight hits and gave up one run, with five strikeouts and one walk. Rodriguez had senior pinch hitter Evan Martin line out to Tucker in right field to strand the runners and preserve UF’s three-run margin.

The Gators’ bid for another run on a two-out single by Johnson in the seventh fell by the wayside when Fontana was thrown out at the plate on a throw by right fielder Palka. Fontana had led off with a base-hit into left field and had stolen second with two down before attempting to scamper home on a hard-hit single into right field by Johnson.

Rodriguez recorded the first two outs in the bottom of the seventh via groundout and his first strikeout of the outing before Dove and Thomas connected on back-to-back base hits to left field. Rodriguez forced Davies into a fielder’s choice for the out at second to maintain the three-run Gator lead heading to the eighth.

Senior Jarrett Didrick took over for Farmer (7.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 5 K, 3 BB) prior to the eighth and set down the Gators in order. Palka started the bottom of the inning with a single up the middle and went to second on a grounder by Evans. Rodriguez had Hyde ground out to Tobias for the second out and Martin brought the Jackets within 4-2 on an RBI single into left field. Although an error on the relay throw home by Shafer allowed Martin to take second, Rodriguez had Smith ground out to Fontana to complete the inning.

The Gators finalized the 6-2 margin in the ninth on a towering two-run blast by Tucker that cleared the scoreboard overlooking right field. Fontana had singled with two down through the left side and Tucker belted a 1-1 offering from Didrick (2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R) out of the yard for his 15th round-tripper of the year and 10th in NCAA play to extend his school record. Rodriguez put down the Yellow Jackets 1-2-3 to nail down his fourth save of the season. The lefty permitted four hits and one run over 3.1 innings and had a pair of strikeouts. Georgia Tech out-hit Florida, 12-9, but saw its six-game winning streak halted with the defeat.

Crawford throws no-hitter in Gators' 4-0 win over Bethune-Cookman

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Gators sophomore right-hander Jonathon Crawford threw a no-hitter in his first career NCAA Tournament appearance on Friday night.

Crawford walked one and struck out five in Florida's 4-0 win over Bethune-Cookman in the first round of the Gainesville Regional.

Crawford's no-hitter is the first in the postseason for Florida since John Burke's no-hitter against Furman in the NCAA East Regional in 1991.

The only baserunner allowed by Crawford was a walk to Jake Welch with one out in the third inning.

McCumber ties for Second as Gators Wrap-up Season with Tie for 12th at NCAA Championship

The University of Florida men’s golf team shot a final round 294 (+10) to finish their tournament at 26-over, 878, good for a tie for 12th overall. For the tournament, the Gators were led by junior Tyler McCumber (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) who finished in a tie for second place overall after finishing his tournament in two-under, 211.

“We’re obviously disappointed that we didn’t make the match play but I’m proud of our guys and thought they did a great job of battling all week,” said head coach Buddy Alexander. “Hopefully we can learn from this and gain some valuable experience for down the road.”

McCumber, who finished three strokes behind Thomas Pieters of Illinois, capped off his impressive run at the NCAAs with a final round 73. After dropping a shot on the 12th, McCumber made back-to-back birdies at the par-4 13th and par-3 14th to get to one-under. A bogey at 15 brought McCumber back to even for the round. After closing his opening nine with a trio of pars, McCumber made a birdie on the par-5 first to get back into the red. Unfortunately for the junior, he bogeyed the second and fifth. McCumber was able to get a shot back by making birdie at the par-3 sixth but while playing aggressively to catch Pieters and try to get UF into the top-8 he dropped a shot at eight and closed his round at one-over, 72. McCumber finished his solid junior season with four top-5 finishes and played his best during the team’s biggest events with a tie for third at SECs and a tie for second at NCAAs.

“I can’t say enough about how Tyler played this week,” Alexander said. “He just played some terrific golf all week and to finish tied for second at NCAAs is a big deal.”

Senior Michael Furci (Sayville, N.Y.) rounded out his collegiate career with a final round 73 (+2). Furci got off to a hot start with birdies on the par-4 10th and the par-4 12th. A bogey at the 16th saw Furci turn in one-under, 35. Unfortunately, Furci could not keep up to strong play and came in with four bogeys against a lone birdie to finish his NCAA Championship at nine-over.

“It always stings when you see a guy like Michael play his last round,” Alexander explained. “He’s a great kid and he played well for us all week.”

After a difficult second round, freshman J.D. Tomlinson (Gainesville, Fla.) was able to bounce back nicely with a two-over 73. On the day, Tomlinson tied for the team lead with four birdies but gave back shots with four bogeys and a double.

Junior T.J. Vogel (Cooper City, Fla.) saw a successful debut season in the Orange and Blue come to a disappointing close with a final round 76. On the day, Vogel made three birdies countered by six bogeys and a double to close his NCAA Championship at nine-over, 222.  Despite the poor finish at NCAAs, Vogel had an impressive season for the Gators recording nine top-10 finishes, including a pair of victories.   

Freshman Eric Banks (Truro, Canada) rounded out the Gators lineup with a final round 78.

The Gators put together an impressive 2011-12 season which included three tournament victories and seven top-3 finishes. The Gators will return a strong lineup in 2012-13 with their entire roster expected to return with the exception of seniors Furci and Zach Lee (Ponte Vedra, Fla.).