College World Series: Texas A&M 6, Gators 0 – Four Aggie pitchers combine for a 4-hit shutout to end the Gators’ postseason run

June 20, 2024

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES at CHARLES SCHWAB FIELD
Texas A&M 6, Gators 0

WHAT HAPPENED: The magic of the postseason was finally over for the Gators. They had entered the NCAA Tournament with a record above .500 and had won five straight elimination games before losing to the Aggies on Wednesday night. The Texas A&M starter Justin Lamkin dominated the Gators for the second time in the CWS, this time with five shutout innings. He allowed three hits and struck out nine. Meanwhile, Gators starter Liam Peterson could only take out one of the five batters he faced and let four Aggies walk before he was replaced by Fisher Jameson with one out and the bases loaded in the Aggies’ two-run first inning. Texas A&M (52-13) advanced to face Tennessee in the CWS championship series. The Gators finish the season with a record of 36-30 after winning eight of 11 postseason games.

GAMEPLAY: The selection for the Gators is not large, but if Jac Caglianone He hit his 104th hit of the season with a single to lead off the eighth inning, tying the school’s single-season record, which is also shared by former teammates. Mark Kiger And Patrick Osborn in the last 22 years. Kiger and Osborn accomplished the feat in the 2002 season.

KEY MOMENT: Texas A&M led 3-0 in the sixth period when Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan demanded closer Brandon Neely to keep the game close with a runner on base and one out. Neely has been outstanding in the postseason and pitched well again on Wednesday night, but Caden Sorrel turned a 3-2 pitch from Neely into a two-run homer to make it 5-0 and put the game out of reach on a night when the Gators were sluggish on offense.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Caglianone was the first batter in both games Wednesday, the first time in his UF career he batted at the top of the batting order. He hit 2 for 2 with a single, three walks (one intentional), a stolen base and three runs scored in Florida’s 15-4 victory over Kentucky. He hit 2 for 4 in the second game and reached base safely in 14 of 19 plate appearances in the CWS, an incredible .737 on-base percentage.

AMAZING STATISTICS: The Gators scored 10 of 18 runs with runners in scoring position in their wins over NC State and Kentucky. They scored 2 of 23 runs with runners in scoring position in their two CWS losses to the Aggies. UF went 1 of 11 in Saturday’s 3-2 loss and 1 of 12 on Wednesday.

HE SAID IT: “We’ve had a great year. There have been a lot of ups and downs. Our players have been through a lot of difficult moments. I’m incredibly proud of our team. I know a lot of our guys are extremely disappointed, but I speak from the bottom of my heart and I’m just incredibly proud of them, what they’ve accomplished and this experience here in Omaha.” – Head Coach of the Gators Kevin O’Sullivan

IN NUMBERS: 38 — NCAA record for strikeouts for Neely in the NCAA tournament. 14.25 — Strikeouts per nine innings for Neely in seven NCAA Tournament appearances. 145 — The Gators scored points in two consecutive games before being shutout by the Aggies. Florida had not kept a clean sheet since a 10-0 loss to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament on May 26, 2022.

NEXT: Florida will return home on Thursday. O’Sullivan and his team will soon begin preparations for the 2025 season, which begins next February at Condron Family Ballpark.

ACQUAINTANCE

The Gators reached the semifinals of the College World Series for the second year in a row.
- Florida finished third in the NCAA tournament.

Florida participated in the College World Series for the 14th time in the program’s history and the ninth time under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
- O’Sullivan led the Gators to Omaha in nine of the last 14 postseasons.

The Gators went 8-3 in the NCAA Tournament, with highlights including wins over No. 16 Oklahoma State (two), No. 3 Clemson (two), No. 11 NC State and No. 2 Kentucky.
- Florida finished the season 36-30 and finished with a 10-4 record.

Jac Caglianones With 104 hits this year, the Florida program tied the single-season record with Mark Kiger (2002) and Pat Osborn (2002).
- Caglianone finished his final college game with 2 for 4 and two singles, giving him a .419 batting average that year.
- Earlier in the day, Caglianone set the all-time program record with his 75th home run and 35th big fly of the season in a win over No. 2 Kentucky.

Caglianone finished his college career with an active on-base streak of 52 consecutive games.
- Caglianone scored a goal in 62 of 66 matches and reached the target safely in all but one match.

Caglianone made 16 of 36 hits in the 2024 NCAA Tournament with six home runs, four doubles, 16 runs, 14 RBI, 17 walks and five strikeouts.
- At the College World Series, he had a total of 11 hits and four home runs.

Florida’s bullpen went 1-0 with a 2.39 ERA, 26 1/3 innings pitched, 14 hits allowed, seven runs, 33 strikeouts and eight walks in the 2024 College World Series.

Brandon Neely finished the 2024 NCAA Tournament with seven appearances for a 1.88 ERA, 24 innings pitched, five runs allowed, 15 hits, six walks and 38 strikeouts.
- Neely pitched in 23.5% of Florida’s postseason innings (24 of 102).

Fisher Jameson faced at least eleven batters before allowing a leadoff double in the fifth inning.
- Jameson allowed just one run in 4 2/3 innings on three hits and five strikeouts.

Florida’s goal streak of 144 consecutive games – the third-longest in program history (May 27, 2022-June 19, 2024) – was snapped in the final game of the 2024 season.

The Gators have an overall record of 137-88 in the NCAA tournament.
- Florida’s record in the College World Series is 27-28.

Florida’s overall record against Texas A&M is currently 14-18 (1-6 neutral).
- The Gators are 13-12 against the Aggies under the head coach Kevin O’Sullivan (0-2 CWS).