OMAHA, Neb.- Florida and South Carolina don’t immediately come to mind when you’re talking about Southeastern Conference rivalries – unless it’s baseball.
The Gators (53-17) and defending national champion Gamecocks (53-14) play their biggest series to date when they meet in the College World Series finals beginning today.
Last year, the Gators traveled to Columbia, S.C., the final weekend of the regular season and won two of three to edge out the Gamecocks for the SEC title.
“But they got the last laugh,” said Florida catcher and SEC player of the year Mike Zunino. “They got to hold the national championship trophy up.”
Three months ago, South Carolina went to Florida and won two of three, and the teams ended up in a three-way tie with Vanderbilt for the best record in the league.