Florida's baseball team has grown comfortable with single digits since April, allowing just one double-digit offensive output (North Florida's 10-5 win on April 3) and reaching the 10-run plateau just once (April 25's 10-1 win over Bethune-Cookman after roaring through February and March with a 24-3 record. The Gators have also maintained their status in the single digits of the college baseball polls, and are once again a consensus top-five team this week.
Florida's highest ranking, a No. 2 spot, comes from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association poll, where the Gators come in second to South Carolina and one spot ahead of Florida State, two teams they are a combined 5-1 against this season. Florida's at No. 3 and behind both of those teams in the Baseball America poll and USA Today Coaches Poll, earning six first-place votes in the latter, and No. 5 in the Collegiate Baseball poll that enthrones an Oregon team no other poll has in its top five. (The Collegiate Baseball poll is rather reactionary.)
The Gators don't have a great shot at climbing further in the rankings, with only a road trip to lightly-regarded Auburn and the SEC Tournament left before the NCAA Tournament field is selected. But they are No. 1 in RPI and have been for much of the year, and ESPN's Jeremy Mills has them slated as the No. 5 national seed in his latest NCAA Baseball Tournament bracketology.
The Gators play their last midweek game of the season against Samford tonight at 7:00 p.m., and will meet Auburn in a series from Thursday to Saturday. The game will be available on the Gator Radio Network and via Samford's premium video offering.