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Tag: Florida Sports

  • Florida needs 13 innings but KOs Clemson, advances to College World Series

    Florida needs 13 innings but KOs Clemson, advances to College World Series

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    CLEMSON, S.C. — Michael Robertson’s two-run double in the bottom of the 13th inning on Sunday night sent Florida to an 11-10 victory over Clemson, and with it, the Gators earned a berth in the College World Series.

    After Clemson took a 10-9 lead in the top of the 13th, Florida’s Luke Heyman and Tyler Shelnut reached on singles in the bottom of the inning. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, Clemson intentionally walked Brody Donay to load the bases.

    Robertson ripped a double to left-center field, scoring Jaylen Guy, who was a pinch-runner for Heyman, and Shelnut followed with the winning run.

    Robertson’s clutch hit sent Florida (34-28) to Omaha, Neb., for the 14th time. The Gators won the championship in 2017 and finished second last year.

    The Gators claimed the dramatic victory after the Tigers (44-16) had delivered big play after big play to keep their season alive.

    In the top of the ninth inning, Florida led 9-6 and was two outs from advancing when the Tigers’ Cam Cannarella stepped to the plate with runners on first and second. He laced the first pitch to right field for a game-tying three-run home run.

    Clemson was in deep trouble again in the bottom of the 10th, when Florida had runners on first and second with two outs. Ashton Wilson drove a deep fly over Cannarella’s head, but the Clemson center fielder was able to track it down in the air and make the catch at the wall with his back to home plate.

    With two out and the bases empty in the 13th inning, Clemson’s Alden Mathes ripped an 0-2 pitch to right field for the go-ahead run.

    Luke McNeillie (4-6) pitched the last two innings for the win, although he served up Mathes’ home run in the 13th.

    In Game 1 of the super regionals at Clemson on Saturday, the Gators defeated the Tigers 10-7.

    Ethan Darden (5-5) took the loss. He pitched 1-1/3 innings, allowing four hits, plus the tying and winning runs.

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    Associated Press

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  • FSU advances to College World Series; Florida tops Clemson in Game 1

    FSU advances to College World Series; Florida tops Clemson in Game 1

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — James Tibbs III hit his third home run of the game, a two-run shot in the top of the 12th inning, and Florida State defeated UConn 10-8 on Saturday, sweeping the Tallahassee Regional for a berth in the College World Series.

    After Max Williams led off the 12th with a single and Cam Smith flied out, Tibbs drove a 1-0 pitch deep over the fence in right field for the go-ahead runs. In the bottom of the inning, Conner Whittaker allowed a two-out single but struck out Paul Tammaro to end it and send the eighth-seeded Seminoles to Omaha, Neb., for the 24th time. They have never won the national championship.

    Tibbs’ dramatic home run was his third two-run shot of the game. It was his 31st home run of the season and his 100 RBI are tied for first in the nation. He went 5-for-6 with six RBI on Saturday. Williams had three hits and scored twice.

    In the top of the ninth, Florida State (47-15) loaded the bases on a walk, a single and an error. Then Drew Faurot lifted a fly to left field and Jordan Williams scored from third. The next two batters flied out to end the inning.

    UConn’s Matt Malcolm tied it with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth.

    Connecticut (35-26) loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth inning. Luke Broadhurst laced a double to center field, scoring three runs and giving the Huskies a 7-6 lead. Earlier, he had an RBI-single in the first inning and a two-run home run in the fifth. He finished 4-for-5 with six RBI.

    In the top of the eighth, Jaxson West tied it up with a leadoff home run to right field.

    There were eight home runs in the game, six by Florida State.

    In Game 1 of the matchup on Friday, FSU set NCAA super-regional records for the most runs scored in a game and largest margin of victory in a 24-4 victory. Jaime Ferrer hit two of Florida State’s five home runs, and Tibbs III and Marco Dinges each added four RBIs. The Seminoles drew 15 walks and struck out just once. Five of their 18 hits were homers, including two-out shots by Dinges and Williams. Smith and Tibbs each drew two-out, bases-loaded walks in the third inning for an 8-0 lead.

    Caglianone’s 32nd HR helps Florida beat host Clemson 10-7 in Game 1

    CLEMSON, S.C. — Jac Caglianone hit his 32nd home run of the season to spark Florida’s seven-run fifth inning, and the Gators beat Clemson 10-7 on Saturday to win Game 1 of the best-of-three Clemson Super Regional.

    Florida (33-28) can clinch a berth in the College World Series with a win in Game 2 on Sunday.

    Caglianone, a former standout at Tampa’s Plant High, hit an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left field for a three-run home run to give the Gators the lead for good before Michael Robertson’s RBI single capped the explosion and made it 9-4 in the top of the fifth.

    Tristan Bissetta hit a solo shot for Clemson (44-15) in the home half of the inning, and Jarren Purify scored on a sacrifice fly before a groundout by Blake Wright drove in Alden Mathes in the bottom of the sixth to pull the Tigers within 9-7.

    Caglianone, a projected top-10 pick in the upcoming MLB draft, finished 2-for-4 with a walk. Dale Thomas went 2-for-5 with an RBI, and Tyler Shelnut hit a solo homer for Florida.

    Jimmy Obertop drew a two-out walk to load the bases before and advanced to second, while Mathes scored on a wild pitch. Bissetta walked to again load the bases, and Jack Crighton took four consecutive balls to get Wright home and give Clemson a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.

    Purify led off the second inning with a triple and scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0, and after Ashton Wilson’s sacrifice fly drove in Cade Kurland to get Florida on the scoreboard in the top of the third, Obertop led off the home half of the inning with a homer to make it 4-1.

    Mathes finished 3-for 5-with two runs for the Tigers.

    Brandon Neely came on in the sixth and pitched four scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out seven for Florida to earn his fourth save of the season.

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    Associated Press

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  • ReliaQuest Bowl kicks off Dec. 31 games on ESPN; Gasparilla Bowl is Dec. 20

    ReliaQuest Bowl kicks off Dec. 31 games on ESPN; Gasparilla Bowl is Dec. 20

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    TAMPA, Fla. — The ReliaQuest Bowl will kick off the Dec. 31 games at noon on ESPN, and the Gasparilla Bowl is set for Dec. 20, the Tampa Bay Bowl Association and ESPN announced as part of ESPN’s 2024-25 football bowl schedule release Thursday.

    What You Need To Know

    • The ReliaQuest Bowl will be played at noon Dec. 31 at Raymond James Stadium

    • The Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., also at Raymond James Stadium

    • Both games will be broadcast on ESPN

    • The announcements were made as part of ESPN’s 2024-25 football bowl schedule release Thursday

    The game, which is played at Raymond James Stadium, matches teams from the Southeastern and the Big Ten conferences. 

    “We are thrilled to kick off an exciting day of games leading into the New Year’s holiday,” ReliaQuest Bowl Chairman Greg Orchard said.  

    Tickets will go on sale to the public in the fall through Ticketmaster, with details to come. Premium ticket packages are available now through the bowl office by calling 813-874-BOWL. 

    The Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl is set to take place at Raymond James Stadium on Friday, Dec. 20, at 3:30 pm ET and will air on ESPN.

    The teams for that game are selected from a group that includes the SEC, Atlantic Coast Conference and the American Athletic Conference.

    Along with announcing the game date, the Gasparilla Bowl said it extended its partnership with Union Home Mortgage as the title sponsor for another two years, making the company the longest-tenured title sponsor in the bowl’s history.

    Ticket information for the Gasparilla Bowl will be announced later this fall. 

    The dates and times for Orlando’s two bowl games also were revealed Thursday.

    The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will move to New Year’s Eve this year, and the Pop-Tarts Bowl shifts to a Saturday, Dec. 28.

    The Citrus Bowl, played at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, features the top teams from the Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences. The 2024 game will be the 79th and will kick off at 3 p.m. on ABC.

    The Pop-Tarts Bowl, which last year became a national sensation for its mascot and production, will start at 3:30 p.m. and also will air on ABC. Top teams from the ACC and Big 12 compete in the game at Camping World Stadium.

    Tickets to both of this year’s games can be purchased now through Florida Citrus Sports. They won’t go on sale to the general public until the day after this year’s teams are selected Dec. 8.

    This year’s bowl season will include the expanded 12-team College Football Playoffs for the first time. First-round games will be Dec. 20 and 21 at campus sites. The quarterfinals are Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, 2025, with the semifinals set for Jan. 9 and 10 and the championship game on Jan. 20.

     

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    Spectrum Sports Staff

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  • For Mayfield, other Bucs, OTAs providing valuable work time

    For Mayfield, other Bucs, OTAs providing valuable work time

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     TAMPA, Fla. — The Buccaneers are going through their final week of OTAs.

    For quarterback Baker Mayfield, this year’s organized team activities are much different than a year ago.

    What You Need To Know

    • Bucs wrapping up OTAs this week 
    • Bucs offense busy installing offense under new OC Liam Coen
    • Team will have one more June minicamp before training camp in late July 
    • Tampa Bay Buccaneers

    This year, number 6 is armed with a new contract and learning a new offense being installed by new Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen.

    “Nobody has played a down yet, everybody is working for the same goal but mentality wise this team were hungry and back at it,” said Mayfield, who signed a three-year, $100-million deal with the Bucs in the offseason. “It’s really awesome that we have everybody here on offense, going through that so everybody’s hearing it were all talking about it, learning from it, good and bad plays, that’s what this time period is about, you can’t win or lose ball games right now you can only try to get better.”

    Bucs Head Coach Todd Bowles has also seen players in this camp who were not expected to be at these voluntary activities, like veteran Mike Evans who showed up today, a sign his team his hungry to get started.

     

    “There’s a lot of guys that want to win, said Bowles, who led the Bucs to a division crown and wildcard playoff win last season. “The chemistry starts here and continues in training camp, so it’s important for these guys to come in.  

    “We understand it’s voluntary and we thank them for coming in, you know they know they need to work, they’re very professional about it and they try to help the young guys.”

    With mandatory minicamp coming up next week, it’s these practices that set the tone for training camp.

    “You we really want to stress the mental aspect of the game right now,” Mayfield said. “(And) try and learn as much as you can to where it comes to live bullets during training camp it’s second nature.”

    Mandatory minicamp will take place June 11-13 with training camp set to begin in late July.

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    Mike Cairns

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  • Florida falls to Oklahoma, just misses Women’s College World Series title series

    Florida falls to Oklahoma, just misses Women’s College World Series title series

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    OKLAHOMA CITY  — Jayda Coleman hit a game-ending homer in the eighth inning to give Oklahoma a 6-5 victory over Florida in the Women’s College World Series semifinals on Tuesday.

    The victory moved the Sooners into the championship series with a chance at an unprecedented fourth consecutive title.

    What You Need To Know

    • Florida lost to Oklahoma 6-5 in eight innings Tuesday at the Women’s College World Series

    • With the victory, the Sooners advanced into the championship series and a shot at their fourth title in a row

    • The Gators on Monday forced the decisive game with a 9-3 victory

    • Oklahoma’s Jayda Coleman homered off Keagan Rothrock’s 154th pitch of the game to give the Sooners the win

    Coleman sent Keagan Rothrock’s 154th pitch of the game just past the outstretched glove of left fielder Korbe Ortis and over the fence. She thrust her arms above her head as she rounded the bases and was mobbed by teammates at the plate as fans screamed in the stadium just a half-hour drive from the Oklahoma campus in Norman.

    Ella Parker homered and drove in three runs for the second-seeded Sooners (57-7), who will play top-seeded Texas (55-8) in the best-of-three championship series starting Wednesday night. Oklahoma has won five of the past seven national titles and seven overall. Texas has never won a national title.

    Oklahoma defeated Texas in the championship series in 2022. This year, Texas won the Big 12 regular-season title, while Oklahoma won the conference tournament. The rival schools both will leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference next season.

    Texas is 3-0 in the World Series this year, each game a one-hit shutout.

    Oklahoma, meanwhile, lost to fourth-seeded Florida 9-3 a day earlier and had to rally from a three-run deficit in Tuesday’s elimination game.

    Florida led 5-2 Tuesday when Oklahoma’s Cydney Sanders hit a two-run homer to center in the fourth inning. In the sixth, Parker tied it with a two-out RBI single that scored Avery Hodge from second.

    Kelly Maxwell retired all six Florida batters in the seventh and eighth innings to set up the finish.

    Parker made it 2-2 in the first with a two-run homer to second. Jocelyn Erickson, who won a national title with Oklahoma last season before transferring, hit a two-run homer for Florida in the top half.

    All the Gators’ runs came on home runs. Ariel Kowalewski’s homer in the second, a two-run shot and her eighth of the year, put Florida up 4-2, and Reagan Walsh’s solo shot in the third made it 5-2.

    Parker singled in the fifth and tried to stretch it into a double. She collided with Skylar Wallace at second, and the ball was dislodged as Wallace’s forearm hit Parker’s helmet. Wallace was called for obstruction, making Parker safe at second. Both players stayed on the ground for a short time before getting up.

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    Associated Press

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  • Florida advances to NCAA Baseball Super Regionals

    Florida advances to NCAA Baseball Super Regionals

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    STILLWATER, Okla. — Ashton Wilson gave Florida the lead for good with a two-run single in the second inning and reliever Fisher Jameson retired all 10 Oklahoma State batters he faced to close out the game, leading the Gators to a 4-2 victory over the 11th-seeded Cowboys on Monday in the championship game of the Stillwater Regional.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Gators defeated the Cowboys 4-2 in the Stillwater Regional championship

    • With the victory, Florida advanced to the NCAA Baseball Super Regionals

    • Ashton Wilson’s two-run single in the second inning put Florida ahead for good

    • UF next will play Clemson on Friday or Saturday

    Florida (32-28), runner-up to LSU last season and unseeded this year, will head to the best-of-three Clemson Super Regional to take on the sixth-seeded Tigers beginning Friday or Saturday.

    Florida took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning against Cowboys starter Tommy Molsky. No. 9 hitter Michael Robertson was hit by a pitch leading off, and Jac Caglianone followed with a one-out double. Wilson plated both with a single to right field.

    Oklahoma State (42-19) pushed a run across in the top of the fourth when Zach Ehrhard scored all the way from first base on a double down the left-field line by Aidan Meola.

    Dale Thomas singled, stole second and scored on a one-out single by Robertson as Florida got the run right back in the bottom of the inning.

    The Cowboys loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the fifth against reliever Frank Menendez but managed only Ehrhard’s sacrifice fly to get within a run.

    Colby Shelton sent a full-count pitch over the fence in left field leading off the sixth to put the Gators to cap the scoring.

    Jameson pitched the final 3-1/3 innings, striking out four to notch his third save of the season. Menendez, who had not been involved in a decision all season, notched the win.

    Molsky (6-3) suffered the loss after allowing two runs on three hits and a walk in three innings.

    Oklahoma State knocked Florida into the losers’ bracket with a 7-1 victory on Saturday. The Gators bounced back to beat the Cowboys 5-2 on Sunday, forcing one last game for the title.

    Florida lost 18-4 to LSU in the CWS title game last season. The Gators have been to the event 13 times, winning their only championship in 2017 with a 6-1 victory over LSU. Florida also finished second in 2005 and 2011, losing to Texas and South Carolina, respectively.

    Oklahoma State has made 20 College World Series appearances. The Cowboys have finished as the runners-up five times, most recently in 1990. They won their only championship in 1959, beating Arizona 5-0.

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    Associated Press

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  • Florida stuns Oklahoma in Women’s College World Series semis, must do it again

    Florida stuns Oklahoma in Women’s College World Series semis, must do it again

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    OKLAHOMA CITY  — Florida has backed three-time defending national champion Oklahoma into a rare must-win situation.

    Shortstop Skylar Wallace hit two home runs to lead the Gators past the Sooners 9-3 in the Women’s College World Series semifinals on Monday, but Oklahoma still can win a record fourth consecutive national title.

    What You Need To Know

    • Florida routed three-time defending champion Oklahoma 9-3 in the Women’s College World Series semifinals

    • The teams will play again Tuesday, and the winner will advance to championship series

    • Skylar Wallace homered twice to lead the Gators

    • The Sooners haven’t faced an elimination game in the NCAA Tournament since the 2022 World Series semifinals against UCLA

    Because the Sooners entered the game undefeated in bracket play and the Gators had a loss in the double-elimination format, Oklahoma remains alive. Monday’s game started three hours late because of rain and lightning, and the delay led the NCAA to move the winner-take-all rematch to Tuesday.

    Oklahoma hasn’t faced an elimination game in the NCAA Tournament since the 2022 World Series semifinals against UCLA. The Sooners beat the Bruins 15-0 to start an NCAA-record 20-game tournament win streak.

    Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso hopes for a similar response this time.

    “This is really going to be a call-out,” she said. “They know it. They know what’s going on. They know what’s at stake. Who are we? What are we made of?”

    Reagan Walsh had three hits, including a three-run homer, for the fourth-seeded Gators (54-14). Florida pounded 10 hits.

    “I mean, this offense is unreal,” Wallace said. “We take a lot of pride in our swings, all of our work. So we’re never doubting who we are as hitters. We stick to our approaches. We make the pitchers work a lot. You could tell today, I mean, we were firing. We had nothing to lose, playing free.”

    Top-seeded Texas and No. 8-seeded Stanford were to play Monday night in the other semifinal. The Cardinal needed a victory to avoid elimination.

    Florida freshman Keagan Rothrock, who leads the nation in victories, threw 130 pitches in seven innings to improve to 33-8. She threw 95 pitches in a victory against Alabama on Sunday.

    “Keagan Rothrock — just her ability to bear the load, but more importantly the way she competes — there’s an opportunity in those games that most average freshmen are going to get nervous,” Florida coach Tim Walton said. “She found a way to get another gear and get better.”

    Tiare Jennings hit a two-run homer for the Sooners, the 97th blast of her career. Nicole May got the starting nod for Oklahoma, but she lasted just two innings and gave up four runs on six hits for the second-seeded Sooners (56-7).

    Florida opened the scoring in the first inning when Walsh’s single scored Korbe Otis.

    The Gators scored again in the second when Kendra Falby sent a hard shot down the left-field line. Oklahoma’s Rylie Boone misjudged it, and the ball bounced to the wall. Falby circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run. Wallace followed with a homer over the right-field fence to make it 3-0.

    Oklahoma’s powerful offense didn’t register a hit until the fourth inning. The Sooners finally got on the board when Kinzie Hansen’s slow-rolling single knocked in Kasidi Pickering.

    Walsh’s homer in the fourth put Florida up 7-1, and Wallace’s second homer, a two-run shot, made it 9-3.

    The Sooners saved Kelly Maxwell, who hasn’t pitched since Saturday. Gasso didn’t second-guess her decision to rest her ace.

    “I can’t keep leaning on Kelly to take us all the way through,” she said. “You know what, though? This team has to step up as well. We didn’t play well enough to win this game all around. It wasn’t just pitching. It was all the way around.”

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    Associated Press

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  • FSU wins NCAA Tallahassee Baseball Regional; Florida stays alive in Stillwater

    FSU wins NCAA Tallahassee Baseball Regional; Florida stays alive in Stillwater

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Max Williams hit a three-run home run to cap a nine-run fifth inning, and No. 8 national seed Florida State went on to defeat UCF 12-3 on Sunday night to claim the championship at the Tallahassee Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

    The Seminoles (45-15) advance to the super regionals, which begin on Friday.

    Jack Zyska, who hit the go-ahead home run in UCF’s win over Stetson earlier in the day, went deep to stake the Knights (37-22) to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. That score held until the fifth, when FSU scored nine runs on five hits.

    Cam Smith hit a two-run home run with one out to get the big inning rolling. Three batters later, Jaime Ferrer laced a two-run double down the left-field line. Jaxson West delivered a two-out, two-run single and Williams followed with his three-run blast.

    The Knights scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Then Florida State wrapped it up with a three-run seventh, the only hit coming on Marco Dinges’ single to shortstop.

    Earlier in the day, UCF had defeated Stetson 5-2 in an elimination game.

    Florida stays alive in Stillwater, Okla., regional

    STILLWATER, Okla. — Ashton Wilson went 3-for-4 with two runs, Colby Shelton hit a three-run home run and Florida beat host Oklahoma State 5-2 Sunday night to remain alive at the Stillwater Regional.

    Florida again plays the Cowboys (42-18), who beat the Gators 7-1 Saturday to knock them into the elimination bracket, for the regional title on Monday.

    After Jac Caglianone walked to lead off the inning and Wilson followed with a single, Shelton hit a three-run home run over the wall in right field to ignite a four-run sixth for the Gators that capped the scoring.

    Florida starter Cade Fisher gave up two runs — one earned — on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 3-1/3 innings. Luke McNeillie came on and walked a batter before he was replaced by Brandon Neely, who struck out a career-high 11 and allowed a hit and three walks over 5-2/3 innings to improve to 3-4 this season.

    Colin Brueggemann hit a one-out double and scored when Tyler Wulfert reached on an error to give the Cowboys a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning.

    Nolan Schubart hit a two-out single in the bottom of the first and scored three pitches later when Zach Ehrhard hit an RBI double to right field that gave Oklahoma State a 1-0 lead.

    Earlier in the day, the Gators routed the Nebraska Cornhuskers 17-11 in an elimination game.

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    Associated Press

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  • Erickson’s 4 RBIs help Florida reach Women’s College World Series semifinals

    Erickson’s 4 RBIs help Florida reach Women’s College World Series semifinals

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    OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Jocelyn Erickson came up big and earned a shot at her former team.

    Erickson homered and knocked in four runs and fourth-seeded Florida beat No. 14 Alabama 6-4 on Sunday night to advance to the Women’s College World Series semifinals and eliminate the Crimson Tide.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Florida softball team defeated Alabama 6-4

    • Jocelyn Erickson drove in four runs for the Gators

    • Florida will play Oklahoma on Monday in the Women’s College World Series semifinals

    • The Gators must beat the Sooners twice to reach the championship series

    • Erickson transferred to Florida from Oklahoma, which has won three titles in a row

    Florida will play three-time defending national champion Oklahoma in the semifinals Monday. Erickson, a catcher, won a national championship with Oklahoma last season. The Gators will have to beat the Sooners twice to reach the best-of-three championship series, while Oklahoma will need just one win to move on.

    “I think it’s going to be fun seeing some old friends,” Erickson said. “It’s going to be definitely a competitive semifinals, so we’re getting after it.”

    Erickson broke a tie with Megan Bush for the school’s single-season RBI record and now has 84. Bush set the previous record of 80 in 2011.

    Korbe Otis and Ariel Kowalewski each added two hits for the Gators (53-14) in a game that started three hours late because of rain and lightning.

    Florida pitcher Keagan Rothrock recovered from a rough outing against Texas the previous night. The freshman gave up three earned runs on seven hits against Alabama and now is alone as the nation’s leader with 32 wins.

    “I think she turned the page,” Erickson said. “She was hitting her spots better, more focused, more determined. It’s a learning curve yesterday. It’s her freshman year. I’m really proud of her for turning the page.”

    Kayla Beaver got the start for Alabama and gave up two runs on six hits in four innings. Jocelyn Briski got the loss in relief for the Crimson Tide (39-20).

    The Crimson Tide finished ninth in the Southeastern Conference during the regular season but won their regional at home, then beat No. 3-seeded Tennessee on the road in super regionals. Alabama lost its World Series opener to UCLA, then beat Duke to keep the season alive.

    “It’s a team whose legacy is going to be they didn’t give up on each other; they kept working,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “Doesn’t matter what you do regular season, you get a whole new start and you can start fresh. I think they proved to everybody that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

    Alabama opened the scoring against Florida in the second. Bailey Dowling got on after a fielding error, and she scored on a grounder by Riley Valentine.

    Florida tied it in the third when Erickson’s single knocked in Skylar Wallace. Otis scored on a fielder’s choice after getting on with a walk to put the Gators up 2-1.

    Alabama tied it at 2 in the third when Marlie Giles singled to score Lauren Johnson.

    Reagan Walsh singled and knocked in a run in the fifth to put Florida back in front.

    Erickson came up with runners on first and third with two outs in the sixth, and Alabama switched from Briski to Alea Johnson to give her a different look. Erickson took a Johnson pitch over the center-field wall to make it 6-2.

    Alabama hung tough. Kali Heivilin’s RBI single in the sixth made it 6-4. But Rothrock put the Crimson Tide down in order in the seventh.

    Now, the Gators could derail Oklahoma’s attempt to become the first team to win four consecutive national titles.

    “I’m excited for the matchup,” Florida coach Tim Walton said. “You come to the Women’s College World Series, you get an opportunity to play Oklahoma, you’re doing something right. I am looking forward to it.”

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    Associated Press

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  • Florida State, Florida, UCF open with NCAA baseball regional victories

    Florida State, Florida, UCF open with NCAA baseball regional victories

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  — Carson Dorsey allowed two runs, one earned, and struck out seven over 8-2/3 innings to lead host Florida State to a 7-2 victory over Stetson on Friday in the opening round of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional Baseball Tournament.

    The Seminoles (43-15), seeded No. 8 nationally, move on to face the UCF on Saturday.

    Dorsey (6-4) scattered nine hits and walked only one. The junior college transfer barely missed pitching his first complete game, exiting after a single and Florida State error in the ninth.

    Stetson (40-21), which won the ASun Conference Tournament, got a runner to third before reliever Brennen Oxford struck out Yohann Dessureault to end the game.

    Florida State added to what was already the largest turnaround in the nation, winning 20 more games than last season.

    The Seminoles jumped out with solo homers in the first two innings from Daniel Cantu and Max Williams, who opened with a leadoff shot over the right-field fence in the bottom of the first.

    Marco Dinges went 2-for-4 with a walk, and Jaime Ferrer also had two hits for the Seminoles. James Tibbs III drew four walks and scored three runs.

    Sundean’s pinch-hit RBI in 9th lifts UCF over Alabama

    Pinch-hitter Andrew Sundean’s two-out, RBI single in the ninth inning broke a 7-all tie and sent second-seeded UCF to an 8-7 victory over No. 3-seeded Alabama in the Tallahassee Regional at the NCAA Tournament. Jack Zyska led the inning off with a walk and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Danny Neri. After Alabama reliever Alton Davis II got the second out on a fly ball, Sundean sent a single to left to bring home Zyska with the winning run.

    Alabama (33-24) got a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth. But UCF reliever Kris Sosnoski got William Hamiter on a groundout to end the game.

    It was a back-and-forth game, with Snell giving Alabama a 3-2 lead with a three-run homer in the first. UCF rallied with for a 6-5 lead in the fifth on RBI doubles by Matt Cedarburg and Zyska. Alabama tied the game a final time, 7-7, on Hodo’s RBI single in the eighth.

    Sosnoski (1-0) pitched the final two innings for the victory. Davis (4-2) took the loss for Alabama.

    UCF (36-19) will take on top-seeded and home-standing FSU on Saturday.

    Alabama plays Stetson to avoid elimination.

    Wilson’s hot hitting powers Florida past Nebraska

    Ashton Wilson doubled three times and hit his first home run for Florida, and the Gators opened the NCAA Stillwater Regional with a 5-2 victory over Nebraska. Wilson made just his fifth start of the season, all since May 16, after transferring from Charleston Southern. His two-run double in the third inning gave the Gators (29-27) the lead for good, and his homer to left field in the ninth put them up three runs.

    Freshman starter Liam Peterson (3-4) allowed two runs on four hits, walked three and struck out seven over 5-1/3 innings for the Gators, who will play Saturday against the winner of Friday night’s game between Niagara and Oklahoma State.

    Big Ten pitcher of the year Brett Sears (9-1) gave up three runs on 10 hits and a walk in five innings and took his first loss. The Cornhuskers (39-21), in their first regional since 2021, will play the Niagara-Oklahoma State loser in an elimination game on Saturday.

    The Gators, the national runners-up to LSU last year and in their 16th consecutive regional, went ahead 1-0 when leadoff man Cade Kurland hit Sears’ third pitch over the left-center field fence. Nebraska got that run back in the bottom of the first, but Wilson’s double down the left-field line in the third restored the Gators’ lead.

    Gabe Swansen’s homer in the sixth pulled the Huskers within 3-2. The Gators got their final runs on Kurland’s single in the eighth and Wilson’s first home run since April 16, 2023, when he played for Charleston Southern.

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  • Florida, Texas to meet Saturday for shot at Women’s College World Series semis

    Florida, Texas to meet Saturday for shot at Women’s College World Series semis

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    OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Fourth-seeded Florida will play top-seeded Texas on Saturday night at the Women’s College World Series, with the winner heading to the semifinals.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Gators will play the top-seeded Longhorns on Saturday in the Women’s College World Series

    • Florida defeated Oklahoma State 1-0 on Thursday night

    • Keagan Rothrock threw a two-hitter and Katie Kistler homered for the Gators

    • Oklahoma State will face eighth-seeded Stanford in an elimination game

    The Gators got a 1-0 victory against fifth-seeded Oklahoma State late Thursday night.

    Katie Kistler hit a solo homer for the game’s only run, and Keagan Rothrock threw a two-hitter to lead Florida.

    “What a great game,” Florida coach Tim Walton said. “Kind of a good old-fashioned softball game. Something we haven’t seen in a long time.”

    Rothrock, a freshman, struck out three and walked two. She threw just 94 pitches to claim the win for the Gators (52-13). It was her 31st victory of the season, which ties her for the nation’s lead.

    Oklahoma State’s Lexi Kilfoyl, a first-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American and a top-three finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, took the loss. She allowed just two hits and struck out five in six innings. It was just her fourth loss in 30 decisions this season.

    “I really think it was a good softball game,” Oklahoma State coach Kenny Gajewski said. “We just came up on the wrong end. They had the one big blow. It felt like a dogfight right from the start. I thought both pitchers were extremely sharp.”

    Kilfoyl took a no-hitter into the fifth before Kistler’s blast. Kistler immediately raised her right arm and pointed her index finger to the sky after connecting. It was just her fifth homer of the season.

    “All I felt was just straight joy looking at my teammates, everybody jumping up and down,” Kistler said. “I was happy to do it for my team and Keagan, as well, pitching her butt off that game.”

    Oklahoma State will play No. 8 Stanford on Friday in an elimination game. The World Series is a double-elimination tournament in bracket play before it shifts to a best-of-three format for the championship series.

    “Got our work cut out for us here,” Gajewski said. “But I like what this team has always done, and that’s respond. That’s all we can do at this point.”

    Oklahoma State had a chance to possibly produce some offense with the game still scoreless. With the bases empty and one out in the fifth, Oklahoma State’s Lexi McDonald got a hold of a Rothrock pitch and drove it to the wall. Florida’s Kendra Falby caught it and ran into the fence, where Korbe Otis immediately hugged her. Oklahoma State did not score in the inning.

    “Just going out there and being like, ‘I’m going to catch every ball,’” Falby said. “That’s all I was focused on. Like everything kind of just went, sound, and then it was just me and the ball. All I thought about was catching at that moment. I wanted to keep the game 0-0 again for Keagan because she was pitching amazing.”

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  • Sooner, then Gator: Florida’s Erickson back at WCWS with new team, bigger role

    Sooner, then Gator: Florida’s Erickson back at WCWS with new team, bigger role

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jocelyn Erickson might have more friends than anyone at the Women’s College World Series.

    Florida’s standout catcher and the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year spent last season at Oklahoma, where she started 32 games as a freshman and helped the Sooners win a third consecutive national championship.

    What You Need To Know

    • Florida catcher Jocelyn Erickson transferred from three-time national champ Oklahoma to Florida this season

    • The teams will meet Thursday night in the Women’s College World Series

    • They played in February, and the Gators lost 3-0 in Gainesville

    • Erickson said she has a bigger role at Florida and is happy

    Now, though, she will try to prevent the first four-peat in college softball history.

    Erickson and the fourth-seeded Gators (51-13) open WCWS play Thursday night against fifth-seeded Oklahoma State (49-10) in Oklahoma City. It’s a rematch from February, a game the Cowgirls won 3-0 in Gainesville.

    Thanks partly to that shutout, the Gators insist they won’t get caught looking ahead. But nobody would blame Erickson for keeping an eye on that other team from Oklahoma that’s playing in the opposite side of the bracket.

    After all, the Sooners were an integral part of Erickson’s life — and they’ll be linked forever. They spent countless hours practicing, meeting, traveling, chatting, playing, winning and celebrating. They even have matching championship rings.

    But Erickson chose to leave Oklahoma behind last July and transfer to Florida. The Arizona native wanted to be a full-time catcher and didn’t want to wait another year behind five-year starter Kinzie Hansen.

    “I just felt like I had more to offer and more to accomplish and more to give to a team,” Erickson said. “I’m so glad for my experiences there, and they definitely shaped me into who I am today.”

    Erickson has flourished in her new surroundings.

    The left-hander is hitting .383 with 13 home runs and 80 RBI, tying the program’s single-season mark set by Megan Bush in 2011.

    “I’m just trying to get as many as I possibly can,” Erickson said, while acknowledging she had no idea she was closing in on the school record.

    Erickson has been equally impressive behind the plate. She’s played a key role in the development of freshmen pitchers Keagan Rothrock and Ava Brown while allowing just one passed ball and six stolen bases.

    Erickson has thrown out 13 of 19 runners trying to swipe bags, earning a spot on the SEC’s all-defensive team. It was six steals too many, she said.

    “She’s fiery. She’s intense,” coach Tim Walton said. “Fiery is an understatement.”

    Erickson and roommate Korbe Otis, a junior who spent the past two seasons at Louisville, have emerged as two of the best transfers in the country. Otis leads the team with a .449 average as well as a .584 on-base percentage. Together, they’ve scored nearly a quarter of Florida’s 499 runs this season.

    “I think Coach Walton definitely hit the nail on the head with that matchup,” Otis said. “Us being able to thrive in a program like this just being who we are is exactly what I think we both wanted going into the transfer portal.”

    Coaches and teammates call Erickson the ultimate self-starter, someone who gets teammates on the practice field even during off-days.

    “That says a lot about her character,” Otis said.

    Seeking a bigger role was the main reason she left the defending national champs. She hit .337 as a freshman with the Sooners, with seven home runs and 32 RBIs. She played in four of the team’s five WCWS games.

    She returns wearing orange and blue, searching for another ring and potentially playing spoiler against her former coaches and teammates.

    “I’m just happy here,” Erickson said. “I felt like we really started to mesh at the beginning of the season … and felt the start of a national championship team.”

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  • Williams, Rothrock lead Florida to berth in Women’s College World Series

    Williams, Rothrock lead Florida to berth in Women’s College World Series

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mia Williams hit a two-run home run, Keagan Rothrock worked out of a seventh-inning jam to polish off a complete game for her 30th win, and fourth-seeded Florida finished off unseeded Baylor 5-3 on Sunday in the finale of the best-of-three Gainesville Super Regional.

    The victory earned the Gators a spot in the Women’s College World Series.

    What You Need To Know

    • Florida defeated Baylor 5-3 in a decisive Game 3 of the Gainesville Softball Super Regional

    • With the victory, the Gator advance to the Women’s College World Series

    • Keagan Rothrock worked out of a seventh-inning jam to polish off a complete game, her 30th win

    • Mia Williams, who entered play with a .167 batting average, hit her sixth homer of the season to give Florida a 4-0 lead

    Florida (51-13) won its fifth consecutive Game 3 in the super regionals, also doing so from 2017 to 2019 and most recently in 2022. The Gators had never made a super regional until Tim Walton took over in 2006. Since then, the Gators have played in 15 of them and made 11 WCWS appearances, winning back-to-back championships in 2014-15.

    Florida took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Jocelyn Erickson and an RBI single by Reagan Walsh.

    Williams, who entered play with a .167 batting average, pushed the Gators’ lead to 4-0 in the second with her sixth home run this season. That spelled the end for Bears starter RyLee Crandall (17-9), who retired just four batters. Aliyah Binford moved from third base to the mound to end the threat and finish the game.

    Baylor (36-23) answered with a run-scoring single by Sydney Collazos in the top of the fourth, and leadoff hitter Emily Hott’s 11th home run of the season — a two-run shot in the fifth to pull within 4-3.

    The Gators loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning, but Binford allowed only Ariel Kowalewski’s sac fly to keep Baylor within two runs.

    No. 9 batter Taylor Strain led off the seventh with an infield hit, and Hott drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch from Rothrock. Presleigh Pilon popped up a bunt for the first out. Shaylon Govan lined out to left field for the second, and Binford, the clean-up hitter, popped out to first to end the game.

    Rothrock (30-7) allowed three runs — two earned — on eight hits and two walks, striking out three.

    Binford went the final 4-2/3 innings for the Bears, allowing one run on two hits and six walks with three strikeouts.

    Baylor ended Florida’s 12-game win streak on Saturday with a 5-2 victory to force a third game. The Gators won the opener 4-2. Baylor finished with more hits in all three games.

    The Bears were playing in their seventh super regional — all since 2005 — and first since 2017, when the Bears advanced to their fourth WCWS. Baylor entered the game with a 6-6 record all time versus Florida, including a 3-2 mark in Gainesville.

    Baylor manager Glenn Moore took over the reins in 2001 after leading LSU for two seasons.

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  • Baylor softball forces 3rd game against Florida in Gainesville Super Regional

    Baylor softball forces 3rd game against Florida in Gainesville Super Regional

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla.  — Shaylon Govan hit a three-run home run, RyLee Crandall shut down fourth-seeded Florida, and Baylor forced a deciding third game in the Gainesville Super Regional with a 5-2 win on Saturday.

    The Bears (36-22) and Gators (50-13), who had won 12 in a row, meet on Sunday for a berth in the Women’s College World Series.

    A walk and a single to start off the bottom of the first set the stage for Govan’s blast, her 11th, to left-center off Keagan Rothrock (29-7).

    Crandall (17-8) scattered five hits and walked two while striking out six.

    Reagan Walsh led off the Florida second with a home run, but Baylor got that back quickly. Taylor Strain scored on a wild pitch after leading off the inning with a single.

    Skylar Wallace had an RBI single for Florida in the fifth, but Ana Watson added an insurance run in the sixth, coming around to score on a sacrifice fly after a leadoff single.

    Rothrock, a freshman who won the opening game in the best-of-three series 4-2, was pulled after Govan’s home run. Ava Brown pitched the rest of the game.

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  • Oklahoma tops FSU 4-2, knocks Seminoles out of NCAA Softball Super Regionals

    Oklahoma tops FSU 4-2, knocks Seminoles out of NCAA Softball Super Regionals

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    NORMAN, Okla. — Kasidi Pickering went 2-for-4 with a home run, Maya Bland threw two perfect innings of relief, and Oklahoma defeated Florida State 4-2 Friday night, sweeping the best-of-three Norman Super Regional and stretching its win streak to a record 17 consecutive games in NCAA Tournament play.

    What You Need To Know

    • Oklahoma sends Florida State home from NCAA Softball Super Regionals

    • Jaysoni Beachum and Kalei Harding homered for the Seminoles for the team’s only runs in a 4-2 loss

    • The Sooners clinched their fourth trip in a row to the Women’s College World Series

    • Oklahoma also had pounded FSU 11-3 on Thursday in the best-of-three-game series

    Oklahoma (54-6) clinched its eighth trip to the Women’s College World Series in program history and its fourth in a row.

    The Sooners beat Florida State 2-0 in a best-of-three series to win the 2023 WCWS. They also pounded the Seminoles 11-3 on Thursday night.

    After Jayda Coleman flied out to lead off the top of the third inning, Tiare Jennings singled to right, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a passed ball. Ella Parker walked on four pitches in a row, and Jennings scored when, a couple of pitches later, Parker was caught in a pickle and tagged out.

    Florida State’s Jaysoni Beachum led off the bottom half of the inning with a homer to make it 1-1.

    Coleman led off the fifth inning with a single and, after Jennings lined out, moved to third on a single down the line in right by Parker. Coleman scored and Parker took second on a wild pitch. After Alyssa Brito lined out, Pickering hit a two-out, two-run homer that made it 4-1.

    Kalei Harding hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth that cut the Seminoles’ deficit to two.

    Karlie Keeney (6-1) came on in relief of Kierston Deal with one out in the third and pitched 2-2/3 innings, allowing a run on three hits to earn the win. Bland pitched the sixth and seventh innings without allowing a baserunner to notch the save.

    Mimi Gooden came on in the sixth inning for Florida State (46-16) and allowed two runs on three hits over 1-2/3 innings, taking the loss for the Seminoles, runners-up at the 2023 and 2021 WCWS.

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  • Florida softball beats Baylor 4-2 to begin Gainesville Super Regional

    Florida softball beats Baylor 4-2 to begin Gainesville Super Regional

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Senior Katie Kistler hit a two-run double in the first inning, Korbe Otis smashed her ninth home run of the season in the fifth, and fourth-seeded Florida defeated Baylor 4-2 on Friday in Game 1 of the best-of-three Gainesville Super Regional.

    Florida (50-12), which extended its winning streak to 12 games, has a chance to sweep Baylor (35-22) on Saturday to advance to the Women’s College World Series. The Gators are playing their first super regional at home since 2021, when they were swept by rival Georgia with a pair of shutouts. Florida’s last super regional title at home came in 2019 against Tennessee.

    Jocelyn Erickson, the Southeastern Conference player of the year, tied it a 1-all in the first inning with a two-out RBI double down the left-field line. Kistler sent a shot into the gap in left-center field that rolled to the wall, and Skylar Wallace scored from first for a 3-1 lead.

    Wallace set a Division I record for most career runs with 303.

    Florida freshman Keagan Rothrock (29-6) retired 9 of 10 batters over the final three innings and closed with her fifth strikeout.

    Baylor pitcher Aliyah Binford (13-12) helped herself out with an RBI single in the first and a homer in the third.

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  • Former Florida signee Rashada sues Napier, others over failed NIL deal

    Former Florida signee Rashada sues Napier, others over failed NIL deal

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    GAINESVILLE, Fla.  — Former Florida recruit and current Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada is suing Gators coach Billy Napier and the program’s top booster over a failed name, image and likeness deal worth nearly $14 million.

    What You Need To Know

    • Quarterback Jaden Rashada on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Florida football coach Billy Napier and a top Gators booster

    • The lawsuit alleges fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement and other claims

    • The complaint follows a failed name, image and likeness deal reportedly worth nearly $14 million

    • Rashada is seeking a jury trial and at least $10 million in damages

    • The quarterback later signed at Arizona State and has since transferred to Georgia, Florida’s biggest rival

    The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Pensacola alleges Napier and booster and automotive technology businessman Hugh Hathcock made fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement, aiding and abetting fraud, civil conspiracy to commit fraud, negligent misrepresentations, tortious inference with a business relationship or contract, aiding and abetting tortious interference and vicarious liability. The complaint seeks a jury trial and damages of at least $10 million.

    “Sadly, this type of fraud is becoming more commonplace in the Wild West that is today’s college NIL landscape,” said attorney Rusty Hardin, who is representing Rashada. “Wealthy alumni, consumed by their schools’ athletic programs, are taking advantage of young people by offering them life-changing sums of money, only to renege on their commitments.

    “As the first scholar-athlete to take a stand against this egregious behavior, Jaden seeks to hold these defendants accountable for their actions and to expose their as-yet unchecked abuse of power.”

    Florida had been under NCAA investigation since last June regarding Rashada’s recruitment. The NCAA asked the school not to conduct its own investigation and said it would notify the institution “soon regarding the projected timeline of the investigation.”

    But in March, the NCAA halted investigations into booster-backed collectives or other third parties making NIL compensation deals with Division I athletes.

    The Gators may have thought they were off the hook. But Rashada’s lawsuit puts them back in the spotlight.

    Rashada, who threw for 5,275 yards and 59 touchdowns at Pittsburg (Calif.) High School, initially agreed to play for Miami in the fall of 2022. According to the lawsuit, the Hurricanes promised Rashada a $9.5 million NIL deal.

    Napier and Hathcock lured Rashada from his Miami commitment with an NIL deal worth $13.85 million, which violated NCAA bylaws, the lawsuit said. According to the complaint, Napier vouched for the collective and said Rashada would receive $1 million on signing day.

    “But before Rashada could arrive on Florida’s campus, the … contract was terminated — suddenly and without warning,” according to the lawsuit.

    Rashada was granted his release a month later after his NIL deal fell through. The Athletic reported that then-Gator Collective Chief Executive Officer Eddie Rojas sent a termination letter to Rashada and his reps on Dec. 7. He later signed with father’s alma mater, Arizona State. He spent one season in Tempe before landing at Florida’s biggest rival, Georgia.

    Rashada bailed on Florida after the Gator Collective — an independent fundraising group that was loosely tied to the university and paid student-athletes for use of their NIL — failed to honor a multiyear deal that was signed by both sides.

    The bombshell came a little more than two months after Rashada switched his verbal commitment from Miami to Florida. Rashada, his representatives and the Gator Collective had presumably agreed to terms on the lucrative deal at the time of his flip.

    The Gator Collective has since been disbanded.

    Other defendants include Marcus Castro-Walker, the school’s former director of player engagement and NIL, and Velocity Automotive Solutions LLC, which was owned by Hathcock and was slated to provide most of the funding for Rashada’s deal.

    The complaint includes text messages that allegedly document fraudulent promises and inducements, including several telling Rashada’s agent “we look forward to setting him (Rashada) up for life.”

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  • Florida, Florida State softball advance to NCAA Super Regionals

    Florida, Florida State softball advance to NCAA Super Regionals

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    FLORIDA — Florida State and Florida are headed to the NCAA Super Regionals later this week after winning their Regional tournaments over the weekend.

    FSU, seeded No. 15, will head to the Norman (Okla.) Super Regional, where it will take on No. 2 Oklahoma at 7 p.m. Thursday in a best-of-three rematch of last year’s national championship. Fourth-ranked Florida will face Baylor at noon Friday to start the best-of-three Gainesville Super Regional.

    The Seminoles advanced to their 10th super regional round in 11 years by going 3-0 at the Tallahassee Regional. To wrap up the Tallahassee title, they pounded Auburn 10-4 at the Seminole Softball Complex. Earlier in the tournament, FSU edged Chattanooga 3-2 on Friday and then outslugged UCF 5-1 on Saturday.

    The Gators pounded South Alabama 9-1 on Sunday to wrap up its undefeated run in the Gainesville Regional. Florida also had defeated South Alabama 9-1 on Saturday and shut out Florida Gulf Coast 6-0 on Friday.

    Florida universities were well-represented at the Regionals, with UCF, Florida Atlantic and Florida Gulf Coast University also competing. But they all were in the same two regionals, and only one team could advance out of each. 

    UCF rallied past Auburn 11-6 in Game 1 but then fell to Auburn 2-1 Saturday night after its loss to FSU earlier in the day. FAU lost to South Alabama 1-0 on Friday and to FGCU 3-2 on Saturday. FGCU fell to South Alabama 5-1 later Saturday.

     

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  • Florida joins antitrust lawsuit challenging NCAA’s NIL rules

    Florida joins antitrust lawsuit challenging NCAA’s NIL rules

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida on Wednesday joined an antitrust lawsuit filed by the states of Tennessee and New York, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia that challenges the NCAA’s rules restricting how athletes can commercially use their name, image, and likeness and prohibiting compensation for recruits.

    What You Need To Know

    • The state of Florida on Wednesday joined an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA

    • The lawsuit challenges the name, image and likeness restrictions of the college sports governing body

    • The original lawsuit was filed Jan. 31 by Tennessee, New York, Virginia and the District of Columbia

    • The legal case said the rules hurts the states’ economies and the welfare of their athletes

    The lawsuit says the restrictions are anticompetitive and violate the Sherman Act. It says enforcement of the rules harms “the states’ economies and the welfare of their athletes, and should be declared unlawful and enjoined.”

    Florida is joining the lawsuit, originally filed on Jan. 31, after reports in January that the NCAA was investigating Florida over its recruitment of class of 2023 quarterback Jaden Rashada, who signed with Florida in December 2022 but never enrolled and later enrolled at Arizona State. The NCAA also announced Level II sanctions against Florida State during the same month, accusing its athletic program of using NIL payments to entice recruits. The NCAA said it sanctioned Seminoles assistant coach Alex Atkins and an unnamed booster for impermissible recruiting activity and facilitating impermissible contact with a NIL-related booster.

    The lawsuit says the NCAA changed its rules to permit college athletes to earn certain types of compensation from their NIL. “But, after allowing NIL licensing to emerge nationwide, the NCAA tried to stop that market from functioning” by allowing NIL compensation for current athletes but enforcing its rules for prospective athletes, including those in the transfer portal.

    In a statement, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “It appears no one could ever comply with these ever-changing and unfair regulations that limit the ability of student athletes to negotiate in good faith. I am taking legal action to reverse the unlawful restrictions the NCAA has placed on Florida universities and our collegiate athletes.”

    The NCAA restrictions prohibit prospective student-athletes from discussing NIL opportunities with schools and collectives prior to enrollment, including: 

    • Negotiating with collectives, 
    • Reviewing NIL offers prior to making enrollment decisions,
    • Learning about the full scope of NIL-related services schools might offer upon enrollment. 

    In late February, U.S. District Judge Clifton Corker in the Eastern District of Tennessee issued a preliminary injunction that bars the organization from enforcing its rules prohibiting NIL compensation for recruits, but that ruling covered one district. If the NCAA appeals, the case would go to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overseeing Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. Florida is part of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

    Corker’s ruling undercut what has been a fundamental principle of the NCAA’s model of amateurism for decades: Third parties cannot pay recruits to attend a particular school.

    The judge wrote the NCAA’s stance likely violates antitrust law because Congress so far has been unwilling to give the association an antitrust exemption. The judge said athletes with a limited recruiting window are hurt by not being able to know their true value before committing to a school.

    The NCAA said it would review the ruling and talk with its member schools about possible policy changes. But the NCAA said turning rules supported by its members “upside down” will only make an already chaotic situation worse and lessen protections keeping athletes from being exploited.

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  • Rays place closer Pete Fairbanks on injured list with nerve-related issues

    Rays place closer Pete Fairbanks on injured list with nerve-related issues

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    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.  — The Tampa Bay Rays placed struggling closer Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list with nerve-related issues before Monday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers.

    What You Need To Know

    • Tampa Bay closer Pete Fairbanks has periodically been experiencing numbness in his fingers

    • The Rays have added him to their 15-day injured list

    • Fairbanks has gone 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in eight games

    • Tampa Bay recalled reliever Kevin Kelly from Class AAA Durham to fill Fairbanks’ spot

    Fairbanks has experienced numbness in his fingers at times over the past few years, and the problem flared up again on Saturday and Sunday.

    “Felt like he had a little bit of a zinger in his hand just playing catch,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “Got treatment the entire day on Saturday. We were still optimistic that he was going to be good to go on Sunday, but it repeated itself Sunday before the game.”

    Fairbanks has had tests on his shoulder and arm, with additional testing to be done.

    “We’ll continue to kind of check boxes to see if we can narrow it down,” Cash said. “Not sure where it’s going to go, but felt like it was time to rest and run some imaging from his neck to shoulder all the way down to the fingers to see if we can see anything.”

    Fairbanks has had a frustrating season, going 0-2 with a 9.00 earned run average in eight games. The right-hander has allowed eight runs — seven earned — over seven innings.

    The Rays recalled reliever Kevin Kelly from Class AAA Durham to take Fairbanks’ spot on the roster.

    Cash plans to fill the closer role by looking at matchups, with Colin Poche, Jason Adam, Shawn Armstrong and Garrett Cleavinger all expected to get chances.

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