Gators open series against Miami tonight

The No. 12 Gator baseball team (5-0) will play the first of a three-game series against No. 10 Miami (3-1) tonight at 6:30.

The teams will play Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude the series on Sunday at noon.

Tonight's game will feature a marquee matchup between two outstanding pitchers. Reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week Patrick Keating is 6-0 at McKethan Stadium and has a 1.98 ERA in those starts. Miami's Chris Hernandez is 12-0 as a starter after winning all 11 games as a freshman last season, on his way to national Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors.

Tampa native Alex Panteliodis will get the start on Saturday. The freshman earned his first win last weekend against then-No. 8 Louisville, going six innings, giving up five hits and allowing two runs.

Clearwater native Riley Cooper is coming off the best game of his career, hitting a go-ahead grand slam and a career-high four RBI in a win over Eastern Michigan Wednesday night.

Cooper, who is also a receiver on the Gators' football team, said he likes what he's seeing from the team early in the season.

'We're a lot more close as a team this year,'' he said. "I'm not with the guys as much all year because of football, but you can just tell it's just a close-knit group. And a lot of guys are playing really well right now. We're excited about this team.''

Walker and Calathes say TV incident overblown

It may have looked like a heated argument between sophomore guard Nick Calathes and freshman guard Erving Walker at the end of the LSU game Tuesday night, but both players said at Thursday's practice it was no big deal.

ESPN captured what appeared to be an animated disagreement between the two as the game slipped away from the Gators down the stretch. But the two said it was just emotions overflowing, which if often a part of the game.

"It was something minor that just happened,'' Walker said. "Right then and there, it was over in that same situation. It was just a little disagreement, a little miscommunication.''

Calathes concurred.

"It was not a fight at all,'' he said. "It was the heat of the moment, we were down and I think we were just in the moment. It was nothing big. Me and Erv are as cool as can be.''

Florida coach Billy Donovan said he's not concerned about any friction or disruption of team chemistry because of the incident.

"I just think that’s two guys wanting to win and you’re always going to have those type of things,'' he said. "I thought if anything it was a sign that both those guys care. I really didn’t think much of it.''

UF coach Billy Donovan: "We know what's at stake''

The plan remains the same for the Gator men's basketball team in the final three, critical games of the regular season: take each game one at a time. But that doens't mean they don't know what's on the line.

Florida needs some wins if the Gators are going to get an invite into the NCAA Tournament.

Florida coach Billy Donovan said Thursday morning that while the Gators won't look any further than Sunday's 2 p.m. home game against Tennessee, they are well aware of the situation they are in.

"I think our guys know that (what's at stake),'' Donovan said. "All the teams acorss the country know where they're at, and what they are playing for. I'm just excited that we're in the mix of it. There's a lot of teams out there that are not even in the mix of it.''

At 21-7 and 8-5 in the SEC, the Gators still have work to do to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resume. Florida's RPI was 41 heading into Tuesday night's loss at SEC-leader LSU, but two of its next three opponents won't do much to help that rating. Kentucky and Mississippi State have an RPI of 61st and 84th respectively.

Fortunately, two of the three are at home, where the Gators are 15-0 this season. But those final two homes games are Tennessee and Kentucky.

Donovan refuses to even entertain any thoughts beyond Tennessee. Afterall, he said, it's the way he's always done it. He's not changing now.

"It's not really about the next three games,'' he said. "I remember when we had (Joakim) Noah, (Al) Horford and (Corey) Brewer and this time of year people wanted to talk about March and the NCAA Tournament and didn't even want to talk about right now. I think it's so easy for people to want to fast forward and speculate and talk about something that's a week or 10 days from now. What you want to be able to do, is when you get to that point and time of the season that everybody wants to talk about, is you say you know what? 'We didn't look past this time and we took advantage of this time.' And I think in order to do that, I know it's all coaching cliche, but you've got to go one game at a time.

"The biggest game of our season right now is against Tennessee on Sunday - because it's our next game up,'' he added. "We want to be able to play well and put ourselves in a position to win. I don't know if there's any other way to look at it. . . I think you worry about yourself and your own team. Whether that's right or wrong, I don't know, but since I've been coaching that's always been the way I've done it.''

Order Gator football season tickets now

With the recession still looming, the University Athletic Association has announced 2009 football season ticket prices will remain the same as the past two seasons.

Ticket ordering is now underway.

Anyone who currently has season football tickets, as well as those who are trying to order for the first time, will receive a one-page form detailing their season-ticket order - which will include the 2009 season ticket and booster contribution invoice.

Fans have until Friday, April 3, to order tickets via the following options:

1. Online at GatorZone.com/tickets

2. By calling G.A.T.O.R.S, the UAA's automated telephone system. Dial 1-877-428-6742.

3. By calling a UAA ticket office specialist at (352) 375-4683, ext. 6800, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

4. By mail, returning your payment in the enclosed envelope.

Log onto www.GatorZone.com/tickets for more information.

The season ticket ordering process for the 2009 football season is underway.

Johnson remains under court order

GAINESVILLE - The restraining order placed on UF offensive lineman Carl Johnson earlier this month will remain in effect until at least April, an Alachua County judge ruled Tuesday morning.

At the request of Johnson's attorney, Huntley Johnson, Judge Robert Cates issued a continuance of the case. The judge is now expected to rule on the case on April 7.

Johnson was arrested on Feb. 16 on charges he violated a temporary restraining order that had been filed against him on Feb. 9 by a UF student and former girlfriend of Johnson's.

Johnson's arrest was based on an allegation he knowingly violated the injunction by sitting on a UF campus bus, approximately three feet across the aisle from the woman who filed the injunction.

Attorney Dean Galigani said Tuesday Johnson's attorney requested the continuance, and the woman did not oppose.

Johnson did not attend Tuesday morning's hearing. His attorney has declined comment.

Donovan: NCAA Tournament, SEC Title not sole focus

GAINESVILLE - As Florida prepares to play its final four regular season games, the big question is whether the Gators will collapse and fold like last season, or rally for a strong finish as it enters the SEC Tournament at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa (March 12-15).

The Gators will play LSU tonight at 9 on ESPN, then host Tennessee on Sunday in Gainesville. Florida will play at Mississippi State next week, then close out the season with Kentucky at home on March 7.

Last season, the Gators lost seven of their last 11 regular season games on their way to an NIT berth. Florida coach Billy Donovan said he isn't sure what this year's outcome will be, but he knows this is a much different team than the one that fell apart last year.

"These kids from my perspective are really, really trying hard,'' he said. "And how we finish up and what we do, the result may end up being the same, but it's not going to be for last year's reasons. We've gotten better in those areas.''

Florida is 21-6, 8-4 in the SEC and tied for first in the SEC East with Kentucky and South Carolina. The Gators are 4-3 with four games remaining. On paper, you could argue the Gators will lose two, then have a chance to go either way with Kentucky and Tennessee. If they go 0-4, the final 11 games will have the same result as last season.

But Donovan said while that's a concern, particularly for fans, winning isn't his only priority at this point. Getting this team better and playing with more chemistry is his greater goal.

"There's no question there's an expectation level that I have here,'' he said. "But I also know where this team started a year ago and I also know where they have progressed as a team. "And they have made some really strong, significant strides. And maybe the result of wins and losses you can compare to last year, but I can tell you I've enjoyed coaching these guys more this year than last because I just didn't think we worked like we needed to work.''

The Gators will be without Allan Chaney again tonight; This will be the fifth game he has missed since suffering a stress fracture. Sophomore Adam Allen is out for the year, and frshman Eloy Vargas is still trying to regain his playing strength after missing the first 11 games of the season with an ankle injury. And junior forward Vernon Macklin, a Georgetown transfer, is ineligible this season. Add them to the mix, and Donovan believes the future will be fine. Even if the present is shaky.

"I think the pieces of our team are there, we lost two starters off last year's team, and we lost a bunch of starters from the year before,'' Donovan said. "So there's some really good pieces on our team of kids who are really trying. But I also understand because of where the program got to two years ago, it has dropped off. That is the reality. And we're trying to build that back up. And I just don't know if all of a sudden you bring in another seven or eight guys in your program and that just happens. I think there's a process. How long that process is? I'm not so sure. But I feel like our guys are getting better.''

Gator signee Boynton a Naismith finalist

Florida basketball signee Kenny Boynton is one of five finalists for the 2009 Naismith Boy's High School Player of the Year.

The list is determined by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists and administrators from around the country, which based its criteria on player performances this season.

Winners will be selected in early March and will be recognized at the annual Naismith Awards banquet March 23, 2009 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta.  The Naismith Trophy is the most
prestigious national award presented annually to high school basketball's player of the year.

Boynton, a 6-foot-2 guard from American Heritage School in Plantation, averaged more than 30 points per game this season.

Here are the other finalists:

DeMarcus Cousins, LeFlore High School (Mobile, AL)

Derrick Favors, South Atlanta High

Renardo Sidney, Fairfax Senior High, (Los Angeles, CA)

John Wall, Word of God Christian Academy, (Raleigh, NC)

Gators jump 13 spots in Collegiate Baseball poll: Keating SEC Player of the Week

Following its sweep over then-No.8 Louisville last weekend, Florida jumped 13 spots to No. 12 in the Collegiate Baseball poll released Monday afternoon.

It was the largest jump of any school in the nation in this week's poll.

Also on Monday, senior pitcher Patrick Keating was named the SEC Player of the Week after capturing the Gators' season opener with a seven-inning outing, and a career-high seven strikeouts,in a 6-3 win Friday night.

Keating allowed four hits and three runs (two earned) without issuing any walks to the Cardinals, who were a unanimous preseason selection as the Big East Conference favorite. Keating twice struck out Louisville All-American Chris Dominguez, the Big East's Preseason Player of the Year, and limited him to an 0-for-3 performance. In addition, Keating was on a 75-pitch count and threw 72 pitches in seven full innings. He also improved to 6-0 as a starter at McKethan Stadium and has a 1.98 earned run average in those starts.

Florida (3-0) will host No. 14 Miami (3-1) in a three-game series beginning Friday night.

Gators earn sweep of Vanderbilt; Hodge becomes winningest Gator

GAINESVILLE - Led by the balanced scoring of five players in double figures, including 17 from freshman guard Erving Walker (PHOTO LEFT), Florida picked up a huge SEC East victory with an 82-68 win over Vanderbilt Saturday afternoon at the O’Connell Center.

It was the second win this season over Vandy. Florida is now 15-0 at home this season.

After losing three of five games, Florida (21-6, 8-4 SEC) has now won its last two home games as the Gators prepare to go on the road to face SEC-West leader LSU Tuesday night. Florida remains in a three-way tie for first place in the SEC East with Kentucky and South Carolina as of Saturday afternoon.

“These were huge wins for us on our home court,’’ said sophomore guard Nick Calathes, who had 14 points and four assists despite playing with flu-like symptoms.  “It’s definitely great to take care of business on our home court. Now we’ve got LSU and I think we’ll be ready.’’
 

Florida jumped out to a 15-point lead midway through the first half on its way to a 40-23 halftime lead. Vanderbilt (16-10, 5-7), which had won four of its last five games, was held scoreless nearly eight minutes in the first half as Florida went on a 12-0 run.

Vanderbilt managed to pull within 55-41 on two free throws by George Drake with 12:30 remaining in the game, but the Gators hit back-to back 3-pointers by Calathes and junior guard Dan Werner to take the lead back to 20.

“That was a problem,’’ Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. “We talked about if we could get a couple of stops there and get a couple of points, we’d be okay. Then they hit those 3’s back-to-back and it was back to clawing our way in.’’

Florida shot 60 percent or better in both games against the Commodores this season. On Saturday, Vandy was 6-of-18 from 3-point range.

“I thought we played really well, our defense inside,'' Calathes said. "Ogilvy (A.J., Vandy center) is a beast, and I thought we played him really well and our team played well together. Our matchup zone really shook them up a little bit. Dan (Werner) stepped up and banged with those guys, and Kenny (Kadji) really stepped up big time. I thought he brought a lot of energy.’’
 

Along with Walker, four other Gators were in double figures: Werner (11), Alex Tyus (10), Walter Hodge (12) and Calathes (14). Kadji, the freshman reserve, also had seven points and four blocked shots in 16 minutes.

With the victory, Hodge, a senior, took over the top spot in Florida history for victories as a Gator. Hodge has been a part of 113 wins at Florida.

“I think for him, it probably will make him realize that he was here with Florida basketball at a very, very special time,’’ UF coach Billy Donovan said. “. . . Walter is all about winning. He’s a solid, good basketball player who I trust and he’s all about the right things. He’s all about winning and doing what he can to help the team. And I do think because that’s his makeup, that’s a great tribute to him because that’s what he’s all about.’’

Tebow receives his Wuerffel Award

GAINESVILLE - Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has received his 2008 Wuerffel Trophy, presented by the All Sports Association of Ft. Walton Beach.

The award is named for former UF quarterback Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner, and is presented to the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. Tebow was notified that he would be receiving the award in December.

Past winners include Rudy Niswanger (LSU -2005), Joel Penton (Ohio State - 2006) and Paul Smith (Tulsa - 2007).

"To win the SEC championship is a dream come true, and then to get this award - Danny's award is just great - it'[s very humbling,'' Tebow said when notified about the award. "I want to take this platform I have by being a quarterback and being a the University of Florida and use that to help people and use that to share my message about helping people and about helping people's lives. That's the reason I think I've been blessed to have the success that I've had.''