25 Cheers for 25 Years: Florida’s 2017 Baseball Breakthrough

JJ Schwarz #22 and Jonathan India #6 of the Florida Gators celebrate after beating the LSU Tigers 6-1 to win the National Championship at the College World Series on June 27, 2017 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images

As the final out hit JJ Schwarz’s glove on a warm June night in Omaha, the wait was over. Players sprinted across the diamond, dogpiling each other because after decades of close calls, the Gators were finally national champions. Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan was nearly speechless amid the celebration.

“It’s hard to describe in words... this means the world to me​,” he said, soaking in the program’s first College World Series title.

Florida’s championship journey wasn’t always smooth sailing. The team stumbled early, getting swept in its opening SEC series against Auburn,​ but the Gators only lost one other series for the rest of the season to finish 52–19 overall (21–9 SEC) and earn a share of the conference title​.

The team leaned on pitching and defense as Alex Faedo and Brady Singer anchored an elite rotation. On the other side, the lineup often got into funks (no Gator regular hit .300​) yet found clutch hits throughout the year, especially from Schwartz.

By season’s end, Florida was the No. 3 national seed in the NCAA Tournament, having gone through a gauntlet of a schedule and had a chip on its shoulder after two straight Omaha trips that had fallen short.

In postseason play, Florida was tested but didn’t fold. The Gainesville Regional held the first twist where an upset loss to Bethune–Cookman forced a do-or-die rematch early in the tournament.

Florida won 6-1 to advance to the Super Regionals, but people forget how close the season was to ending before the run started.

In the Super Regional, the Gators outlasted Wake Forest in three games – including a rain-delayed 11-inning walk-off in Game 1​ and a 3-0 shutout in Game 3 behind freshman Tyler Dyson (with Faedo closing)​.

The series win sent Florida back to Omaha, with the squad trying to manifest a championship ending.

Once in Omaha, the Gators rode its elite pitching to the finals. Faedo opened with a 7-inning, 11-strikeout masterclass to blank TCU 3-0, and Singer followed by beating Louisville 5-1​.

TCU then handed Florida a 9-2 defeat in the bracket final to force an elimination game​ – but Faedo answered with another brilliant 3-0 shutout of TCU (11 more Ks)​ to send the Gators to the championship series. Those two wins earned Faedo the CWS Most Outstanding Player honor​ and set up a finals showdown with LSU.

In the best-of-three CWS Finals, Florida took control.

Game 1: Singer struck out 12 Tigers​ and Florida edged LSU 4-3 despite a late rally. Game 2: Dyson delivered six innings of one-run ball in a poised outing​, and Liput drove in three runs as the Gators broke open a close game in the eighth​.

The Gators prevailed 6-1, sweeping LSU and finally hoisting the national championship trophy.

After so many near-misses, this title felt especially sweet for Florida.

“Pitching had been the bread and butter all year, but the hitters came through this tournament,” Faedo said, reflecting on how the team put it all together when it mattered most.

For O’Sullivan, who had been denied a title for years, the victory was deeply satisfying.

“I’m so happy for our players... glad it was this one​,” the Gators’ skipper said.

The win also made Florida one of six schools to win national championships in baseball, football and men’s basketball. By capturing the school’s first baseball crown, the 2017 Gators got rid of past demons and put Florida’s athletics program into a different tier.