It has been a long time since Florida Gators baseball lost four-consecutive games.
UF last dropped four straight in 2013 when it endured a pair of four-game losing streaks, one five-game losing streak and a six-game losing streak.
The Gators would go on to finish that season 29-30, the only losing campaign under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
Now, No. 1 Florida comes into the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, having lost four in a row for the first time since 2013. It started the slide with a loss at home to Georgia and then went to Mississippi State only to get swept in a three-game series.
Now, a date with either MSU or LSU looms in the distance. The winner of the first-round matchup will face UF in the second round of the conference tournament on Wednesday.
The Gators (41-15, 20-10 SEC) need to be careful with this matchup.
Although the Bulldogs and LSU aren't ranked, UF showed vulnerability in Starkville, Mississippi. Its bullpen was specifically weak as it gave up 16 earned runs in three games.
Junior pitcher Brady Singer was expected to be a starter against MSU but was held out due to a hamstring injury, likely due to precautionary measure.
Singer is the presumed Game 1 starter. Jackson Kowar and Jack Leftwich will also see action should Florida make it past the second round.
Tommy Mace stepped into the rotation against Mississippi State and threw 6.1 innings of one-run baseball.
“He threw outstanding, even more than I thought,” O’Sullivan said in a release. “We’ll really need him down the stretch.”
Singer was named SEC Pitcher of the Year and to the First-Team All-SEC list Monday.
Joining him on the First-Team was relief pitcher Michael Byrne. Byrne struggled against MSU but is one of the most consistent presences out of the bullpen with a team-low 2.06 ERA.
Joining the two on the list were catcher JJ Schwarz and third baseman Jonathan India.
India was named SEC 2018 Player of the Year and leads the team with a .365 batting average.
Schwarz was selected as a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, an honor annually given to the country’s best collegiate catcher. After two down years offensively, he has turned it around in 2018 with a .325 average, the second-highest on the roster among players with at least 15 at-bats. Schwarz’s 66 hits on the season also leads the team.
In addition to being named to the First-Team All-SEC, India and Singer were also named semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the most outstanding player in collegiate baseball in the country.
However, in the midst of receiving all these accolades, the Gators will have to focus their attention on finding an elusive conference win and on the road in Alabama.
Play begins Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
You can follow Chris O’Brien on Twitter @THEChrisOB and contact him at cobrien@alligator.org
Junior pitcher Brady Singer was named SEC Pitcher of the Year and is a semifinalists with teammate Jonathan India for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation's finest collegiate baseball player.
