The UF baseball team held a championship celebration for fans at McKethan Stadium on Wednesday night to commemorate its first ever NCAA title.
The event, hosted by Jeff Cardozo, allowed fans to see the Gators and their NCAA Tournament title for the first time since their 6-1 win over LSU on Tuesday night in Game 2 of the College World Series Finals.
The celebration kicked off with the team entering the field through an inflateable Gator tunnel as Alex Faedo hoisted their trophy into the air.
Cardozo then interviewed Faedo, Brady Singer, Deacon Liput and Mike Rivera about their journey to Omaha and what the experience meant to them. Both Singer and Faedo received standing ovations and the crowd wished Liput, who turned 21 on Tuesday, a happy belated birthday.
Coach Kevin O’Sullivan was next to sit in the hot seat, where he talked about his time at Florida and the team that won him his first CWS title.
“There will never be another team that does it a first time,” O’Sullivan said.
After interviews were done, the fans in attendance were permitted to enter the field to get autographs and take pictures with players and the trophy.
Over by the first base dugout, O’Sullivan was surrounded by members of the media and was asked about the pressure his team faced in Omaha.
“We just happened to have a gritty bunch that figured it out at the end,” O’Sullivan said.
Contact Jake Dreilinger at jdreilinger@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @DreilingerJake.
Alex Faedo hoists the NCAA Tournament trophy on Wednesday night during UF’s championship celebration at McKethan Stadium.
