When the Florida Gators of the smaller diamond arrived in College Station for the 2019 SEC Tournament earlier this week, they did so as a reeling club, losers of six of their last nine contests, and as the rare Florida softball team that appeared to be heading for an uphill road to the Women’s College World Series.
And yet, after Saturday, the Gators left the heart of Texas as champions — and quite possibly won’t have to leave Gainesville to pave their path to Oklahoma City.
That’s how good the Gators were in winning four games in four days at the sparkling Davis Diamond this week, beginning their run with a late rally to stun South Carolina on Wednesday and capping it with a gritty 2-1 win over Alabama on national television on Saturday: They went from reeling to rolling, and in barely a blink.