Florida two victories away from the College World Series

GAINESVILLE ? The MLB First-Year Players Draft is out of the way.

Now, Florida needs to play like a team that just had nine players drafted, including five in the first three rounds.

The Gators are two victories away from reaching the College World Series for the third consecutive season. Florida, the nation?s No.1 overall seed, plays host to North Carolina State in the Gainesville Super Regional. The best-of-3 series begins at 2 p.m. today, with Game 2 scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday. Should a deciding Game 3 be required, it would be at 1 p.m. Monday.

The winner will advance to the CWS in Omaha, Neb., with play beginning June 15 at TD Ameritrade Park.

The Gators swept through their regional last weekend, winning all three games and could be even more relaxed against the Wolfpack. The uncertainty of the draft is no longer an issue for the players chosen over the three-day event.

?We?ve handled this draft thing probably as well as we could?ve this year,? Florida coach Kevin O?Sullivan said. ?The players were mature about it. I think the expectations they?ve handled great. They came back out on Wednesday really focused. We had a lot of smiling faces.?

N.C. State starting pitcher Carlos Rodon will try to erase those smiles Sunday. The left-handed freshman has been brilliant this season and is slated to start Game 2. The 6-foot-3, 234-pound Rodon is 9-0 this season with a 1.61 earned-run average. In 111 2/3 innings, Rodon has struck out 132.

He is one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, presented by USA Baseball, along with a familiar face ? Florida junior catcher Mike Zunino.

?He?s a great presence on the mound,? said Zunino, taken third overall in the draft by Seattle on Monday night. ?Obviously, his numbers are great. He?s got a great arm. We?re going to have to come out here and battle and have good at-bats.?

While Rodon?s resume is impressive, he?s still fairly new to postseason play at the college level. That?s not an issue for Florida?s Hudson Randall, who?ll start today for the Gators.

The junior, who was drafted in the seventh round by Boston, will be making his ninth career start in the NCAA Tournament. Randall is 4-1 in the tourney, logging 50 2/3 innings with a 2.84 ERA.

?He?s probably the best pitcher I?ve ever coached, top to bottom,? O?Sullivan said. ?He can locate and make big pitches in big situations. He fields the position and holds runners. He?s smart and competitive.?

O?Sullivan isn?t revealing who he?ll send out to go up against Rodon in Sunday?s game, but O?Sullivan?s options are enviable. The likely contenders are junior Brian Johnson (8-4, 3.56 ERA) and sophomore Jonathon Crawford (6-2, 2.92). Johnson was picked in the first round by Boston on Monday and has a career 1.10 ERA in 16 1/3 innings during the NCAA tourney. Crawford threw a no-hitter against Bethune-Cookman in UF?s tourney opener last Friday.

The matchup also features a former Eagle?s View standout on each side. Matt Bergquist was one of the Wolfpack?s stars last weekend in the Raleigh Regional. The junior second baseman hit .375 (6 for 15) with nine RBI. On the season, Bergquist is batting .217.

Florida?s Eagle?s View alum is closer Austin Maddox. The junior has 12 saves and is one away from tying the school?s single-season record.

Hays Carlyon: (904) 359-4377

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