Pat Dooley’s High Five (June 2nd)

Of course, it was a big deal when Florida was announced as a regional host site for the NCAA Baseball Tournament which will take place this weekend.

You always want to be at home, sleep in your own beds, play in the facility you know best. There are no guarantees, however.

For example, since moving to the new ballpark, Florida is 3-4 and hasn’t escaped the regionals.

Here’s a look in today’s High Five of the last five Florida Regionals:

1. 2022: It was exciting with the finale moved back to Monday against Oklahoma in a Game 7. The Sooners prevailed 5-4 in an intense game. Shoot, the whole weekend was intense.

2. 2021: This was Florida’s first chance to host a regional in Condron BallPark and boy did they fall flat. They were eliminated in two games including an embarrassing 19-1 loss to South Alabama to end the season.

3. 2019: This was the year before the regionals and everything else were wiped out by CODID-19. Florida had a rare traveling experience for a regional and were eliminated in three games by Dallas Baptist in Lubbock, Texas, and only scored seven runs in three games.

4. 2018: You know how the Super Regional ended with Austin Langworthy’s homer off the glove of the right fielder to end the game. The regional was pretty scary, too, with Florida taken to the brink by Florida Atlantic before prevailing 5-2.

5. 2017: It was around this time that people started calling it “Rainsville” because of all the delays. Florida didn’t look like the team that would eventually win the title when it lost to Bethune in the regional and win another game in 12 innings. And in the Supers, two of the three games went to 11 innings. But this team found a way and ended up champions in Omaha.