Hurston Waldrep hit another gear in NCAA Tournament
OMAHA, Neb. — The Florida Gators were close in 2022 — so close. There’s a strong argument that the Gators would have beaten the Oklahoma Sooners if not for a rain delay that messed with the final game of the 2022 Gainesville Regional. Kevin O’Sullivan and his staff knew what they had coming back and one piece could tip the scales from good to great. Enter Hurston Waldrep.
Now, Florida is on the brink of elimination and they will turn to Waldrep.
It’s not the first time Kevin O’Sullivan has handed the ball to Waldrep with the season in the balance. After dropping a game to Texas Tech in the Gainesville Regional it was Waldrep’s task to keep Florida alive. He also needed to go deep into the game to help Florida’s bullpen. The same task he will be asked to accomplish Sunday afternoon.
The fourth-year junior surrendered just five hits and one run over seven innings against the UConn Huskies. Waldrep struck out 12 and walked two in his 101-pitch outing that lasted seven innings.
“Hurston really stepped up,” Jac Caglianone said after the game. “We needed a big outing out of him and he rose to the challenge.”
Waldrep in the NCAA Tournament
Waldrep has outdone himself in the NCAA Tournament. He has allowed just two earned runs in 21 innings — a 0.86 ERA. He struck out 37 (15.9 strikeouts per nine innings).
In his first start at the College World Series, Waldrep faced Oral Roberts. He won his 10th game of the season by pitching six innings, limiting Oral Roberts to one run, seven hits, and three walks, while striking out 12.
In three postseason starts, Waldrep hasn’t pitched less than six innings or struck out less than 12 batters. He’s been an force.
“Anytime that guy gets on the mound is a great advantage for us,” catcher BT Riopelle said after the game.
Waldrep can be as good as he has been but the Florida offense will need to find itself. The Gators are batting just .214 (30-140) in Omaha. The top three batters in the lineup are hitting just .154 (8-52). The Gators have gotten contributions from a couple of unlikely sources in the run to get here, but on the brightest stage you need your biggest stars to shine.
“Your best players have to play the best when it matters the most to win games like this,” Riopelle said. “It’s one pitch that completely changes the game.”
The Gators have been resilient this season. Florida has 21 come-from-behind wins on the year. They have lost just two three-game series on the season and are one win away from a program record. The team has shown they won’t back down from a challenge.
“This team has shown fight the entire year. We’ve had a situation in regionals we had to win three in a row, and we were able to do that,” Kevin O’Sullivan said after the loss to LSU. “We’ll need some other guys to step up in the pen. But we certainly feel confident that they will. We’ve got a bunch of guys that have not even stepped on the mound yet. They’ll be ready to play tomorrow.”
