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USF baseball to open NCAA Tournament play against Florida Gators

The Bulls will be making their 14th NCAA appearance and first in three seasons.
 
USF players celebrate following the final out of their 8-7 win Sunday against UCF in the American Athletic Conference tournament final in Clearwater.
USF players celebrate following the final out of their 8-7 win Sunday against UCF in the American Athletic Conference tournament final in Clearwater. [ BEN SOLOMON | Ben Solomon, American Athletic Conference ]
Published May 31, 2021|Updated May 31, 2021

For the third time since 2015, USF’s quest for an NCAA baseball title will commence with a two-hour trek up Interstate 75.

The Bulls (28-27), who earned an NCAA Tournament berth by winning the American Athletic Conference tournament, learned Monday they’re a No. 4-seed in the four-team Gainesville Regional, where they open against top-seeded Florida (38-20) Friday at noon.

The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network. Ticket information can be found at this link.

The regional’s other two teams: Miami (32-19) and South Alabama. The winner of the double-elimination event advances to the best-of-three Super Regional, where a College World Series berth will be at stake.

USF, the only No. 6 seed to win the AAC tourney, is making its 14th NCAA appearance and first since 2018. It never has appeared in a Super Regional.

Other state schools in the 64-team NCAA field are Florida State (30-22), which will play in the Oxford, Miss., regional; and Jacksonville (16-32), which is headed to Columbia, S.C. The Dolphins won the Atlantic Sun tournament despite going 3-15 in league play in the regular season and winning only once in April.

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