1 » With the Florida Gators’ game against the Texas A&M Aggies under 48 hours away, now is as good of a time as ever to check on ESPN College GameDay’s promotional video for the contest set for Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

2 » Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren announced on Tuesday that cornerback Joe Haden has indeed been suspended by the NFL for failing the league’s banned substance policy (testing positive for Adderall); however, he is set to play in the team’s season opener on Sunday and every game from that point forward until his already-filed appeal is ruled on by the league. Haden’s suspension, should it be enacted after the NFL reviews his appeal, will be for four games. He would at that time become the second former Gators player in the last three years to receive a suspension for violating that policy as New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes missed the last four games of his rookie season in 2010 after testing positive for an ingredient that was contained in his ADHD medication.

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Tags: baseball, Brandon Spikes, Brittany Schutte, Cheyenne Coyle, Cleveland Browns, Draft, Joe Haden, Kasey Fagan, Los Angeles Dodgers, Michelle Moultrie, MLB, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, New England Patriots, NFL, Sami Fagan, softball, Steven Rodriguez, Texas A&M Aggies, Tim Walton

1 » The United States won its sixth-straight World Cup of Softball on Monday, defeating Australia 3-0 in Oklahoma City, OK thanks to a two-RBI double by Samantha Fischer and an “inside the park home run” off of a perfectly placed bunt by former Florida Gators centerfielder Michelle Moultrie. Already up 2-0, the Americans extended their lead by another run when Moultrie’s bunt was fielded and thrown well past the first baseman and rolled alongside the right field wall. She went home-to-home in approximately 12 seconds and provided a highlight play that none will soon forget. “In big games like this, any time they give you a little bit, you have to take as much as you can and try to do what you can for your team,” Moultrie told the Associated Press.

Unfortunately Moultrie and her teammates will not have the opportunity to showcase their skills on what was once the sport’s biggest stage as softball was voted out of the Olympics by the International Olympic Committee in 2005 because of a lack of participation and competition gap. A bid is currently being put together to add softball (along with baseball) back to the games in 2020. Instead, the United States will play in some other events and try to win their eighth-straight world championship in an starting July 13 in Canada. (Japan, the other top team in the world along with the U.S., did not participate in the World Cup for “financial reasons,” according to the AP.)

2 » As part of the new NCAA Football 13 video game produced by EA Sports, users are able to place former Heisman Trophy winners on any team they so choose. To go along with this new feature, the company has been producing a number of commercials to promote the gameplay option including this one of former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in a Georgia Bulldogs uniform. The end of the commercial also has a short clip of Herschel Walker in a Gators uniform.

Tags: EA Sports, Georgia Bulldogs, Michelle Moultrie, NCAA Football 13, softball, Tim Tebow, World Cup of Softball

1 » Florida Gators senior guard Mike Rosario, playing with the Puerto Rico National Team in the 2012 Centrobasket Championship, registered seven points and three rebounds in his team’s easy 92-60 win over Panama on Monday. Puerto Rico is set to take on the Bahamas at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday as they continue in the event and hope to earn a bid to the 2012 London Olympics.

2 » In Brazil with the USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team, Florida head basketball coach Billy Donovan improved to 3-0 in international competition as the Americans defeated host Brazil 83-64 on Monday in the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. The United States has already qualified for the 2013 FIBA U18 World Championship set for next summer but still has plenty to accomplish in this tournament. The U.S. will take on Argentina on Tuesday in a semifinal game for the opportunity to play for the tournament title against either Canada or Brazil.

3 » Gators junior runner Tony McQuay was named a semifinalist for The Bowerman the biggest award in collegiate track & field on Tuesday, becoming the fifth student-athlete from Florida to receive the distinction in the last three years. Though UF has yet to bring home the prestigious award, McQuay has as legitimate of a shot as anyone before having won the national title in both the indoor and outdoor 400-meter dash. He also anchored the Gators’ 4×400-meter team that captured the outdoor national championship and was one of the two top performers for the Florida men’s track & field team that swept the indoor and outdoor 2012 NCAA Championship.

4 » The 2011-12 athletic season has come to an end for the Gators and though some highly ranked Florida teams missed out on opportunities at national titles (baseball, gymnastics, lacrosse, softball), UF also brought home a school record three NCAA Championships thanks to sterling efforts by men’s track & field (indoor and outdoor) and women’s tennis. The NCAA Indoor title for men’s track and field marked the third-straight for the program, and women’s tennis completed their quest to win back-to-back titles with their victory this season. The Gators also won eight individual national titles including six in track & field and one in gymnastics.

Tags: baseball, Billy Donovan, FIBA, FIBA Americas Championship, field, gymnastics, lacrosse, Mike Rosario, NCAA, NCAA Indoor Championship, NCAA Outdoor Championship, Olympics, softball, tennis, The Bowerman, Tony McQuay, track, USA Basketball

A tumultuous weekend and up-and-down season came to a conclusion for No. 5 Florida Gators softball as the team fell 1-0 to the South Florida Bulls and failed in their bid to advance out of the Gainesville Regional in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

Florida (48-13) lost the first game of the regional but won consecutive contests in the loser’s bracket on Saturday to move on to the finals against USF (48-11). The Gators were hoping to win and force a second game on Sunday but instead lost the contest and failed to reach the Women’s College World Series for the fifth-straight season.

Sophomore right-hander Hannah Rogers (28-8) got the nod to start and pitched a complete game, allowing one earned run on four hits with no walks and four strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Her lone blemish came in the top of the fourth when an infield single allowed the Bulls to score what would end up being the game-deciding run.

Rogers’s complete game performance was matched by South Florida starter Sara Nevens, who allowed five hits and three walks but struck out 12 including two important batters in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Florida rallied to load the bases with no one out but failed to cross the plate as Nevins struck out consecutive batters and forced an infield groundout to get out of the frame unscathed.

Senior center fielder Michelle Moultrie, playing her last game in orange and blue, was the only Florida batter to register more than one hit as she went 2-for-4 on the afternoon. She concluded her UF career as the team’s all-time leader in batting average (.385), stolen bases (83) and stolen base attempts (99). Moultrie also picked up a number of awards during her tenure with the Gators including 2010 SEC Player of the Year, 2011 WCWS Co-Most Outstanding Player, 2011 WCWS All-Tournament Team and a number of All-American honors.

It is the first time since 2006 that Florida did not move on to the Super Regional.

Though he did not get into specifics regarding the incident that led to him eventually suspending three of his starters, head coach Tim Walton spoke more about the general situation following Sunday’s loss at Pressly Softball Stadium in Gainesville, FL.

Continue Reading » Florida softball eliminated from NCAA Tourney; Walton speaks on suspension decision

Tags: All-Tournament, Cheyenne Coyle, Hannah Rogers, Kasey Fagan, Michelle Moultrie, Most Outstanding Player, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, Sami Fagan, Sara Nevins, softball, South Florida Bulls, Tim Walton, University of Florida, Women's College World Series

One day after suffering emotional turmoil both on and off the field, No. 5 Florida Gators softball kept their national championship hopes alive by taking down the Central Florida Knights and Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in consecutive games on Saturday in the Gainesville Regional at Pressly Softball Stadium in Gainesville, FL.

Florida (48-12) eliminated Central Florida (39-19) in the afternoon contest and topped Florida Gulf Coast (39-23) in the evening game, winning 7-1 and 6-2 respectively, thanks to solid offensive efforts and efficient pitching performances.

Freshman first baseman/right-handed pitcher Lauren Haeger got it done at the plate and on the mound for the Gators, smacking two home runs and tossing the final two innings of the first game before starting the second game on the hill and smacking her third bomb of the day in the latter contest. Haeger combined to go 4/7 with three homers, four RBIs, three runs and two walks and also tossed 7.0 innings giving up three earned runs on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts while picking up her 15th victory.

Florida freshman left fielder Briana Little (2/4, 2 RBI, R) was solid against UCF as was sophomore RHP Hannah Rogers, who improved to 28-7 after striking out five while giving up just four hits and one walk in 5.0 innings.

Rogers returned in the evening game to close out FGCU, allowing one hit and striking out a batter in two innings of work. The Gators also received an offensive boost from junior catcher Kelsey Horton (3/4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R), who smacked two homers of her own and had a big smile on her face both times she crossed the plate.

Senior center fielder Michelle Moultrie, who also threw out a runner at the plate to save a run, went 4/4 with two runs scored in the second game

Florida will take on South Florida on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the finals of the Gainesville Regional. UF will have to defeat USF twice in order to move on to the Super Regional round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

Tags: Briana Little, Central Florida Knights, Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, Gainesville Regional, Hannah Rogers, Kelsey Horton, Lauren Haeger, Michelle Moultrie, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, Pressly Softball Stadium, softball

Friday was a rough day for No. 5 Florida Gators softball, which not only lost 2-1 to the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in the second game of the 2012 NCAA Gainesville Regional at Pressly Softball Stadium but did so without three of their star players.

Prior to the game, head coach Tim Walton announced that junior shortstop Cheyenne Coyle, sophomore outfielder Kasey Fagan and freshman third baseman Sami Fagan were suspended for undisclosed reasons. He said following the contest that the situation is being handled internally but that the trio is suspended indefinitely for the remainder of the season and could be kicked off the team permanently.

More definitive on the subject was Kevin Fagan, the father of Kasey and Sami, who told the Ocala Star-Banner the three players are no longer with the team and are “free to go anywhere they want.” He added that “an altercation on the team…[left] the team sort of divided and Walton felt like it was in his best interest to get rid of those three.”

It was not all bad news for Florida before the game, however, as the Gators also learned junior catcher Brittany Schutte would return after missing more than two months of action with a broken jaw. Schutte went 0/2 with a walk.

FGCU (38-22) got on the board first as Florida (46-12) sophomore right-handed pitcher Hannah Rogers gave up a solo home run in the top of the second. The Gators tied things up in the bottom of the next inning, rallying to score a run brought home by a single from freshman first baseman Lauren Haeger (2/3, RBI).

The Gators and Eagles stayed tied at 1-1 for the next two innings, but Florida Gulf Coast went back on top in the sixth as Rogers (27-7, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) coughed up her second solo homer of the game. Florida was unable to answer and lost the game, which dropped them into the loser’s bracket of their own regional.

UF has lost seven of their last 11 games and now must win four-straight contests to advance to the Super Regional portion of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Florida will face Central Florida at 3:30 p.m. in an elimination game for the opportunity to advance to a second elimination game immediately following the contest at 6 p.m.

Tags: Brittany Schutte, Cheyenne Coyle, Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, Gainesville Regional, Hannah Rogers, Kasey Fagan, Lauren Haeger, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, Pressly Softball Stadium, Sami Fagan, softball, Tim Walton

1 » No. 12 Florida Gators men’s tennis (16-9) continued its hot play in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, completing a 4-0 sweep of the No. 24 Harvard Crimson (23-3) to advance to the round of 16. Florida clinched the doubles point and received singles victories from No. 53 senior Nassim Slilam (6-2, 6-3), No. 66 sophomore Spencer Newman (6-4, 6-2) and sophomore Florent Diep (6-1, 6-4) to grab the victory and move on to the round of 16 for the third-straight season. UF will resume play on Friday against No. 5 Ohio State at noon.

2 » Gators softball, one day after falling hard in a bid for a conference tournament title, learned Sunday that they have earned the No. 5 overall seed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Florida (46-11) will open the tournament as hosts of the Gainesville Regional, which will also feature Florida Gulf Coast, Central Florida and South Florida. UF is 2-2 this season against the field with victories over FGCU (5-0) and USF (3-2) and losses to UCF (2-0) and USF (4-1). The Gators will play their first game on May 18 at 6 p.m. against FGCU. Should Florida be the victor of their regional, they will take on the winner of the Los Angeles Regional featuring No. 12 UCLA, Florida State, San Diego State and Hofstra. UF would likely host the Super Regional in that scenario.

3 » Five-star point guard Kasey Hill, a 2013 Gators’ commitment and the No. 8 player in the country according to Rivals, received high praise from ESPN’s Dave Telep on Thursday. Telep, who has attended five AAU events since March, said Hill stood out as the top performer at the adidas VIP Run and thinks he is one of two players who could be considered the best point guard in the class of 2013. “The most improved player I’ve seen? That would be point guard Kasey Hill,” he wrote. “He’s refined his approach to the point guard slot and in my mind, become an elite player and impact recruit. There’s a difference between being highly rated and being an impact signee. He’s the best point guard Billy Donovan has ever recruited.”

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Tags: AAU, Baltimore Ravens, Billy Donovan, Deonte Thompson, Florent Diep, Gainesville Regional, Harvard Crimson, John Brantley, Kasey Hill, Matt Bonner, Miami Heat, Mike Miller, Nassim Slilam, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, NFL, San Antonio Spurs, softball, Spencer Newman, tennis, Udonis Haslem

No. 7 Florida Gators softball’s clutch hitting and dominant pitching both came to a halt on Saturday as the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide dominated the 2012 Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game and downed their rivals 10-1 in a run-ruled five-inning contest.

With home field advantage and arguably the best player in the tournament on their side, Alabama (50-7) beat up on Florida (46-11) for the third time in four matchups this season (all of which took place at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL).

The Crimson Tide hit Gators freshman right-handed pitcher Lauren Haeger early and often, rallying for two runs in the bottom of the first and tagging her for two homers (a three-run shot and two-run bomb) and six total runs in the third.

Florida cut Alabama’s 2-0 lead in half by scoring in the top of the second but left six players on base and did not plate another run for the remainder of the contest.

Haeger (14-5, 3.0 IP, 6 H, 8 ER, 4 BB, K) was pulled as the Gators faced an 8-1 deficit, but sophomore RHP Hannah Rogers (1.0 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, K) did not fare much better. Rogers allowed two more runs to score in the fourth and gave the Crimson Tide the necessary margin to end the contest early and claim their title.

Alabama won their first SEC Tournament Championship since 2010 while Florida will wait until next year to try and capture their first since 2009. Both teams will learn of their respective seedings in the 2012 NCAA Tournament during the selection show on Sunday at 10 p.m. live on ESPNU.

Haeger, freshman third baseman Sami Fagan and sophomore shortstop Cheyenne Coyle were named to the 2012 SEC All-Tournament Team following the title game.

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, All-Tournament, Cheyenne Coyle, Hannah Rogers, Lauren Haeger, Rhoads Stadium, Sami Fagan, SEC Championship, SEC Tournament, softball