The Florida Gators had lost their last three College World Series games entering the 2017 version of the event, had been broomed out of Omaha in a two-and-’cue appearance in 2016 and ousted in an elimination game in 2015.
Alex Faedo made sure that Florida could do nothing but win on Sunday.
Florida’s junior ace and newly-minted first-rounder in the 2017 MLB Draft dominated TCU for seven scintillating innings, scattering just two hits over them while punching out 11 batters to break his own program record for strikeouts in a College World Series appearance. And the Gators did enough at the plate to cobble together runs behind him, manufacturing a 3-0 victory that gives them an inside track to a national title.