Florida Baseball Ready For Match up With Virginia

After routing the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday 15 to 3, the Florida baseball team will look to extend it’s winning streak to 11 games with a win Monday night against the Virginia Cavaliers in the College World Series. Florida has not faced Virginia this season but it is an opponent head coach Kevin O’Sullivan is very familiar with; he played at Virginia and also coached there for a short time as well. Coach O’Sullivan had this to say about the facing his alma mater. “They’re in a different league. So we just haven’t matched up in the postseason. But I still follow them. They’re playing as good as anybody in the country right now. And we know if you get to this stage of the game — we were either going to play Arkansas or Virginia. At this point, I don’t know if it really matters who you play. Everybody’s here for a reason. We’ll just treat it like any other game.” O’Sullivan isn’t the only one with UVA-UF ties, Virginia assistant coach Karl Kuhn grew up in Gainesville, graduated from Buchholz High and played one season for Florida in 1992. Florida’s success will lie in the left hand of 6 foot 7 sophomore A.J. Puk who is 3-0 since facing an off the field issue back in April. Punk has been lights out as of late striking out 54 batters in his last six starts. Florida catcher J.J. Schwarz says it has been obvious that Puk has turned his life around since the incident. “I think ever since the off-the-field issues he’s been a whole new guy,” Schwartz said. Luckily for Puk he will have his family, friends, Bobby Poyner and Taylor Lewis to back him on Monday. Puk grew up just four hours outside of Omaha allowing fans from his hometown in Iowa to be in attendance. Florida’s top two relievers Poyner and Lewis did not pitch on Saturday leaving them ready to go if Puk struggles early on against Virginia. Virginia edged Arkansas in the first game of the College World Series, a team Florida lost to in the opener of the SEC Tournament. Kevin O’Sullivan knows

Virginia won’t be an easy out on Monday. “When I coached there, I was fortunate that, when I got there, there were some talented pitchers. But just watching what Brian and his staff do what they’ve done, they’ve been as consistent as anyone in the country over the last 10 or 12 years.” The Gators will have to face UVA junior lefty Brandon Waddell (3-5, 4.15 ERA) Monday night. Game time is at 8ET, catch the action on 103.7 the Gator. Sound from interview with UF’s Monday Starter A.J. Puk