Kevin O'Sullivan gushes about Florida's six seniors on Senior Day

Florida’s senior class’ final ride is coming to a close. Ahead of Florida’s series-ending matchup against Kentucky on Sunday, the Gators held their annual Senior Day celebration. During an in-game interview, UF head coach Kevin O’Sullivan pulled back the curtain on the special day.

“Well, it’s bittersweet, obviously. It’s a special day,” O’Sullivan said. “We look forward to it every year and, obviously, it was a really good, cool moment. I think we had six seniors and a manager that we were able to recognize today and obviously we’re hoping we can play a little bit better here in the second half of the game and send these guys off on a positive note.”

Utilityman Armando Albert, catcher Tanner Garrison, outfielder Jaylen Guy, relief pitcher Blake Purnell, left fielder/third baseman Tyler Shelnut, relief pitcher Ryan Slater and third baseman Dale Thomas participated in the Senior Day festivities.

However, it’s worth noting Purnell and Shelnut each have one year of eligibility remaining. Kevin O’Sullivan will look to help his seniors find a win in their final regular season game at home.

Nick Mingione reveals how SEC play prepares teams

In just over a week, the regular season will come to a close. While many teams will stress over their final games, Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione is happy to have his team soak in every bit of experience they can before the postseason begins.

“The margin of victory, I say this all the time, is so small. It’s absolutely minimal,” Mingione said. “You’re gonna look back every weekend and you’re gonna say, ‘Hey, there was one play here, one pitch here or one at-bat here.’

“That’s why our league plays for national championships. What was it? Fourteen of the last 15 years? It’s because the margin of victory is so small in every game. This game right here feels like a super regional and you do that for 10 straight weeks in this league, it just totally prepares you.”

Kentucky is 19-7 in conference play this season, tied for second place in the SEC standings. The SEC Tournament will run from May 21-26 at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.

In the 2023 tournament, Vanderbilt topped Texas A&M to win the title, the Commodores’ fourth. LSU has the most championships with 12, most recently winning in 2017. Tennessee currently holds the No. 1 overall seed in the SEC with a 19-7 record in conference play.