Kevin O'Sullivan addresses reported blow up on NCAA staff, Pirates players: 'I handled it properly'
Florida baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan was reportedly quite upset with a schedule change on the third day of the Conway Regional. Upset enough to draw the attention of reporters on site for how he handled things.
According to a report from Brian Bailey of WNCT-TV in Greenville, N.C., O’Sullivan was “very upset with the schedule change” on Sunday. The game was moved from its original start time of 12:06 p.m. ET to 1:06 p.m. ET because a game the previous evening went late into the night.
Per Bailey, O’Sullivan ripped into the NCAA staff present in Conway and “reportedly” had things to say to the East Carolina Pirates as they crossed the field ahead of the game.
Kevin O’Sullivan addressed the situation after the game. He was asked by reporters if he cared to comment on his pregame chirping.
“I don’t want to address that right now. I handled it properly,” Kevin O’Sullivan said, as the reporter chimed in for follow-up. “At the end of the game, yes.”
In the end, Florida lost 11-4, ending its run in the postseason. It was a disappointing ending for the Gators in a season marred by injury.
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But, quite simply, the team’s starting pitching didn’t show up in the postseason outside of a stellar Game 2 outing by Aidan King. It’s hard to advance when surrendering double-digit runs in multiple games.
So Kevin O’Sullivan certainly had his reasons to be upset. His team did not respond well to the later first pitch time on Sunday, promptly falling behind 7-1 by the end of the third inning.
As for O’Sullivan, he’s been the head coach at Florida since 2008. He’s had a remarkable run of success with the Gators, including winning the 2017 national title.
Florida has won nine NCAA Super Regionals under Kevin O’Sullivan’s direction, while also claiming 10 NCAA Regional titles under his watch. Florida went 39-22 this season.