Carson Cashion

Gator nation rode high after a 3-1 start to the 2021 season, as Florida only fell to then-No. 1 Alabama in the opening month. The hot start was a distant memory after UF lost five of its last seven games to finish the season. 

The 2022 MLB Draft kicked off Sunday, and Florida made its presence known early.

Hunter Barco, the left-handed pitcher that served as Florida’s ace before a season-ending surgery, was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 44th overall pick.

Even after receiving a beat-down at the hands of the No. 1-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in the tournament finale, the team did more than enough in Hoover to bring postseason play back to Condron Ballpark.

Even after receiving a beat-down at the hands of the No. 1-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in the tournament finale, the team did more than enough in Hoover to bring postseason play back to Condron Ballpark.

Still, a fifth-inning explosion followed by a three-run sixth sufficiently iced a game in which the UF offense was nowhere to be found until it was too late. The seven-seeded Florida Gators fell in the Sunday finale to the top-seeded Vols’, 8-5.

Now, after 33 years on the job, the “Voice of the Gators” is calling it a career. After Florida baseball’s series against South Carolina, Hubert will retire.

Freshman starting pitcher Brandon Neely worked four scoreless innings, as the Gators (25-17, 8-12 SEC) topped the Wildcats (23-20, 6-14 SEC) 9-1.

Hunter Barco delivered a career-high strikeouts with 12 on Friday night, silencing the Georgia State Panthers in a 4-1 victory. 

Florida baseball will try to rebound from the error-plagued 2021 season, and the infield will feature a mix of veterans and newcomers that are tasked with pulling it off.

The pitching staff for the Gators this season will include plenty of youth, but sophomore Hunter Barco will look to produce a nationally recognized season.

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