S. Carolina faces challenge from Florida in CWS finals

Staff report

OMAHA, NEB.

No one argues that the Southeastern Conference is the class of college baseball this year.

Now it’s time to find out who truly is best in the league, and nation, when defending champion South Carolina and Florida meet in the College World Series finals starting Monday.

The Gamecocks (53-14) and Gators (53-17) shared the SEC Eastern Division title with a Vanderbilt team that also made it to the CWS final four.

Florida won the conference tournament, beating Vanderbilt, and South Carolina owns a record 14 consecutive NCAA tournament victories.

South Carolina won two of three games against Florida in the regular season, but that was all the way back in March.

Their finals matchup marks the first time since 1998 that two teams from the same conference will square off for the championship.

“We know it’s not easy. We know there’s a long way to go in this thing,” Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “But you have to get there. So we’re excited for playing for the national championship but we’re going to be business as usual for the next couple days.”

O’Sullivan hasn’t announced a starting pitcher for Game 1. Sophomore Hudson Randall (11-3) and freshman Karsten Whitson (8-0) are available. Randall earned the win in the Gators’ CWS opener against Texas on June 18, and Whitson (8-0) started against Vanderbilt on June 20.

Gamecocks coach Ray Tanner said he was leaning toward starting freshman Forrest Koumas (6-1), who last pitched June 5.

South Carolina’s biggest concern is the availability of closer Matt Price, who threw 90 pitches and got out of three bases-loaded situations in a season-long 52/3 innings in Friday’s 3-2, 13-inning win over Virginia.

“What are the chances of rain on Monday?” Tanner said, laughing. “We’re certainly going to be able to use two days [off], but a third might not be bad.”

The forecast actually calls for a 40 percent chance of scattered storms on Monday.

“We have to try to get Matt turned around as best we can in the next few days and go from there,” Tanner said.