Junior right-handed pitcher Brandon Neely has been invaluable for the Florida baseball team’s run throughout regional play. He entered the game for UF in the bottom of the third inning against Oklahoma State in an elimination game and put together a dominant performance.
The Gators held a three-run lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning and only needed three outs to survive and advance to the regional championship game.
After his 104th pitch of the game, Neely retired junior outfielder Zach Ehrhard for the final out of the contest, capping off a career-outing for Florida’s closer while inching UF to just one win away from a super regional berth.
Florida (31-28, 13-17 SEC) forced a winner-take-all Stillwater Regional championship game after defeating Oklahoma State (42-18, 19-9 Big 12) 5-2 Sunday.
Sophomore right fielder Ashton Wilson has been a pleasant surprise for head coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad after stepping into the starting lineup down the stretch of the season in absence of junior outfielder Ty Evans due to a wrist injury.
Wilson knotted the score at one apiece in the top of the fourth inning after driving a single up the middle, stealing second base, advancing to third on a sacrifice fly and later scored a run on a wild pitch thrown by Oklahoma State sophomore starting pitcher Carson Benge.
However, Florida’s left-handed pitcher Cade Fisher worked his way into trouble in the bottom half of the fourth. He allowed a leadoff double down the left field line to junior first baseman Colin Brueggemann allowing the Cowboys to regain the lead 2-1 and then walked the very next batter.
The shaky fourth frame for Fisher was enough for O’Sullivan to decide to pull him off the mound and bring in a freshman reliever in perhaps the biggest game of the season for the Gators.
Freshman pitcher Luke McNeilie’s name was called on to deliver in a crucially clutch moment for Florida. Though, McNeilie had far from his best stuff Sunday and was pulled after dealing just seven pitches while walking the only batter he faced to load the bases with one out.
With the game and season on the line, Neely took the bump and made an early statement foreshadowing what might have been his best outing in his Florida career to date.
He retired the next two Cowboy batters to get Florida out of the bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fourth while recording his first of a career-high 11 strikeouts.
Sophomore shortstop Colby Shelton has had an up-and-down season at the plate this year but he might just be catching fire at the right time for the Gators.
The Alabama transfer has a .261 batting average on the season but has gotten hot as of late. Shelton has recorded hits in five of his last 15 plate appearances with none other being as important as the three-run homer he sent to right field in the top of the sixth inning to give Florida a 4-2 advantage.
Sophomore catcher Luke Heyman kept the rally going for the Gators in the next at bat with a base hit to center field and later scored on another wild pitch thrown by Oklahoma State.
Neely was lights out en route to his scoreless outing for UF. The junior shoved for a career-high 11 strikeouts over 4.2 innings of work allowing just one hit and was a pivotal part of UF’s victory.
Next, Florida will take on Oklahoma State for the third time in three days for the right to advance to super regionals. First pitch will be at 3 p.m. in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
