Tuesday recap: O'Sullivan becomes Gators' all-time winningest coach

The SEC goes 10-1 on Tuesday, March 9

O'Sullivan breaks Florida's wins record

Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan became the winningest baseball coach in school history as the Gators defeated Georgia State 5-1.

O’Sullivan notched his 557^th all-time win, breaking the program record of 556 wins by Dave Fuller (1948-75). O’Sullivan’s first win came on Feb. 22, 2008 against Siena. Under O’Sullivan, the Gators have reached the College World Series seven times, winning the national title in 2017. Florida has won five SEC Championships and two SEC Tournament titles.

"It's a special night. Anytime you reach a milestone like this, there are so many people that are involved, whether it be the staff, coaches, players," O'Sullivan said. "It just seems like yesterday that I got hired by Jeremy [Foley]. And having Chip [Howard] here tonight. They went out on a limb and gave me the opportunity to run a program. I'm forever grateful for the opportunity."

In the record-setting win on Tuesday, Gator starter Garrett Milchin retired the first eight batters and finished with four scoreless innings and three strikeouts. Kirby McMullen belted a 2-run home run in the first inning to set the tone on offense. The Gators added a one run in the second and two more in the third. UF finished with only five hits in the win.

Young's hitting streak ends

Florida third-year sophomore outfielder Jacob Young had his 30-game hitting streak snapped on Tuesday. 

Young went 0-for-4 with a two strikeouts against the Panthers. He set the Florida record by hitting safely in 30 straight games with an eighth inning single on Sunday against Florida A&M. His streak began at the 2019 NCAA Lubbock Regional.

Ole Miss's Elko heats up

Ole Miss third baseman Tim Elko continued his torrid hitting to lead the Rebels to an 11-1 run-rule win over Alcorn State. He went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, one double, three RBIs and two walks in the win over Braves. He had a two-run double in the sixth and RBI single in the eighth. 

The reigning SEC Player of the Week is riding a 6-game hitting streak, where he is batting .550 (11-for-20) with 11 runs scored, two doubles, five home runs and 16 RBIs. He also has seven walks. 

For the season, he is batting .333 (15-for-45) with 13 runs, two doubles, five home runs and 17 RBIs. Prior to the streak, he was batting .120 (3-for-25) with no extra base hits and one RBI. Elko has raised his season batting average 213 points during the hitting streak.

Around the SEC:  

Vanderbilt third baseman Jayson Gonzalez had there hits and four RBIs, and left fielder Cooper Davis hit his first career home run and drove in three, as the Commodores beat Memphis, 10-4, at Nashville's Hawkins Field. Enrique Bradfield Jr. added two hits and three stolen bases, the latter giving him an NCAA-leading 11. It's Vandy's last game before a three-game road trip to Oklahoma State, starting Friday.

LSU scored the final eight runs to rally past Texas Southern 10-4 at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers trailed 4-2 before scoring three runs in the third inning and two in the fourth to take the lead. LSU added three runs in the eighth inning. LSU first baseman Tre’ Morgan went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, one double, one triple and four RBIs. He stroked a two-run double in the fourth and added a two-run triple in the eighth. Third baseman Cade Doughty, who missed the Oral Roberts series with an injury, returned to the lineup and belted a 2-run homer in the first inning. He finished 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBIs. Right fielder and leadoff hitter Dylan Crews scored three runs. Shortstop and nine-hole hitter Jordan Thompson went 2-for-3 and scored two runs.

Mississippi State recorded its second straight shutout with a 10-0 win over Grambling.  MSU used eight pitchers in the game, including the first start of the season from Will Bednar, who struck out five in two scoreless innings. No other pitcher threw more than one inning. MSU allowed only two hits and recorded 13 strikeouts. MSU left fielder Brad Cumbest went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Right fielder Tanner Allen hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning. Centerfielder Rowdey Jordan had a double and two RBIs.

Auburn scored four runs in the eighth inning for a 6-5 win against UAB at Regions Field in Birmingham. Auburn shortstop Brody Moore had the go-ahead two-run single. The Tigers took advantage of eight walks and three Blazers errors. Hayden Mullins tossed four innings in relief for the win. He allowed one unearned run and two hits and struck out eight.

Georgia centerfielder Ben Anderson and designated hitter Corey Collins combined for six hits in the Bulldogs' 5-2 win at Georgia Southern. Anderson went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and one double from the leadoff spot. Collins went 3-for-5 with one run, one double and two RBIs. He had RBI singles in the first and second inning. 

Kentucky designated hitter Trae Harmon delivered the go-ahead single in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead the Wildcats to a 6-5 come-from-behind win over Western Kentucky. Harmon finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the win. UK second baseman Austin Schultz also had two RBIs in the win. Right fielder John Harmon and third baseman Reuben Church both had two hits for the Cats.

Tennessee allowed four home runs in its 9-0 loss at Charlotte. UT starter Will Heflin took the loss after he allowed one run on two hits in one inning. Heflin was making his second start in five days for the Vols. He worked seven innings in the series opener with Georgia State and allowed one run one six hits with eight strikeouts. Tennessee shortstop Liam Spence recorded two of the Vols five hits. Charlotte hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning to extend the lead to 6-0.

Texas A&M posted its sixth straight win with a 7-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Aggies have allowed only six total runs during the six-game winning streak and have recorded three shutouts. The Aggies lead the SEC with four shutouts this season. Nathan Dettmer, Chandler Jozwiak and Chris Farrell combined on the 5-hit shutout. Dettmer logged 5 1/3 scoreless innings for his second win. Center fielder Ray Alejo went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and left fielder Ryan Targac had two RBIs to ace the Aggies offense.