HOOVER, Ala.-- The Florida Gators baseball team on Saturday fell to Georgia, 8-7, in the SEC Tournament Semifinals despite leading 6-0 after the third inning. Florida gave up four runs across the seventh and eighth innings and largely relied on relief pitching after starter Russell Sandefer exited the game in the second inning due to injury and fell victim to a rain delay, after which Georgia bounced back and took the lead. Here's everything head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said, via a transcript from ASAP Sports, after the loss. Florida now turns its attention to the NCAA Tournament, where the Gators have locked up a hosting bid for regional play but will have to see if they did enough to earn a top-eight seed. Opening Statement KEVIN O'SULLIVAN: Well, first of all, congrats to Georgia. They obviously played really, really well today. That's what they do. They just chipped away. I thought our pitching was good today. It was unfortunate that Russ got hit with that line drive. But fortunately enough for us it's not broken. That's probably the best his stuff has looked all year long. Yeah, although it's disappointing, I'm really proud of the way our team played this week. I think we maybe opened up some eyes to other people around the country that may not have seen us play. And we've come such a long way. I think this weekend kind of puts us in a position for our team to be ready for the postseason. Q. The importance of playing in the SEC tournament, some teams come in here and they don't play their best guys, but to you, how does this tournament help you prepare for the rest of the tournament? KEVIN O'SULLIVAN: I think it goes back to, like, the ninth and tenth weeks of the year. Everybody's playing for something, whether it be a top 8 national seed, be one of the top 16 seeds to host. Some teams are playing just to get into the tournament. We have never taken this tournament lightly. We've always stayed with our rotation. The only time I think we may have done that is if we had to play on a Tuesday and we couldn't bring back our No. 1. But, no, we try to come here to win it. Every game's important. Like I said, it was unfortunate today with Russ because that's about as good of stuff as he's had all year long. I'm looking at the board and he's throwing 96, 97, and he's throwing his fastball to both sides of the plate. That was the best he's looked. So lucky enough for us immediately they got him an X-ray and they came in and, I said, You already got one? That's awesome. It came back negative, so he'll be ready to go next week. We got three good starters. Our bullpen's healthy for the very first time. We've got our lineup pretty much set now, and we'll see what happens with the draw. I know a lot of people asked if we should be a top 8 national seed. My answer every year is the same thing. It's out of my hands. It's in the committee's hands. I do think that we are one of the top 8 teams in the country, but it's not my decision to make. Q. I know you talked about this before as far as Georgia goes, but speak to the length of their lineup and what that ability gives them with that offensive game they got. KEVIN O'SULLIVAN: Yeah, it's almost like no matter how many runs you score you almost feel like it's not enough. I thought that, you know, after the rain delay, there was a couple tough hops there at third, and they got things rolling there. I didn't think Josh pitched poorly at all. I think he just left some balls out over the plate. We didn't give it to 'em. It's not like we walked a few guys and gave up a three-run homer or stuff. They just put some really good at-bats against one of the best arms in the country. I'm really pleased with how we played this weekend, or this week for that matter. I think it definitely prepares us for next weekend. Q. Was there any thought to putting Jackson on in the 8th inning when he ends up getting the sac fly that gives 'em the lead? KEVIN O'SULLIVAN: No. You pick your poison. It's like - and for me, the thought did cross my mind, but those are the opportunities -- like, Josh needs to face Jackson in that spot. Like, if he comes out successful, boy, does he feel really good about himself. So those are the type of battles within the game that you go you know what? Let's go mano-a-mano. Let's go head-to-head and see what happens. And I think that's important for players to go through that, and pitchers for that matter. Q. Every team you have is different in some way, shape, or form. What has been different about this Florida team that maybe people don't see, don't read about that kind of sets themselves apart, in your mind? KEVIN O'SULLIVAN: I think our resiliency. We got swept at Alabama, we turned it around. I'm really proud of the way we have improved offensively, how we improved pitching-wise, and defensively we've come a long way. And they have worked awfully hard. It's a tight-knit group, and yeah, they're disappointed that they lost. I flat-out told 'em in the dugout, "I'm proud of the way you guys played this week; we don't need to hang our heads." We'll get back home, give 'em a day off tomorrow, practice early on Monday, get ready to watch the selection show, give 'em the rest of Monday off and then get ready for the regional. Sign up for our free Florida Gators newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news!
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Josh Butler is trying to make a comeback after a strong run of games in 2024. But he knows he faces an uphill battle, and he’s not afraid to show it. Well, sometimes you have to be honest. Just ask Dallas Cowboys cornerback Justin Butler. Butler, who played only one game last year after rehabbing from a torn ACL in 2024, is very active on social media. He posts content often and one of his latest posts was a funny yet real look at what lies ahead of him as he tries to crack the 53-man roster. Butler shares tough “POV” In an Instagram reel, Butler recorded himself shaking his head in frustration with the caption: “POV: you gotta guard (George Pickens), CeeDee (Lamb), (KaVontae Turpin), and Ryan (Flournoy) everyday and they’re in their prime right now.” If he’s going to make the cut, that’s indeed what Butler has to achieve every day in practice starting in OTAs next June 1. You can see the short video below. In the caption, Butler added some Gen Z slang: “Iron sharpening iron, boxing all that then aura farming.” Butler is trying to make a comeback Stepping up as a backup in 2024, Butler played solid football throughout five games for the Cowboys. He recorded five pass deflections, one sack, and 21 tackles (17 solo). He likely would have kept it up but a torn ACL knocked him out for the year and a big portion of 2025. Now, under his third defensive coordinator in as many years, Butler will try to make the cut. It won’t be easy. Right now, virtual roster locks at cornerback are: DaRon Bland, Cobie Durant, Shavon Revel Jr., and Devin Moore (draft pick). Beyond them, the likes of Reddy Steward, Caelen Carson, free agent signing Derion Kendrick, and others will be fighting for a couple of spots at most. The good news is Butler gets to showcase his talent against one of the best wide receiver groups in the NFL, as he joked about. He’s one of the biggest mysteries of the Cowboys offseason. We’ll see how it pans out.
The 2025-26 NBA MVP is going to have to play like it in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. On Saturday, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced breakout playoff performer guard Ajay Mitchell will miss Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs as they look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. During the playoffs, Mitchell is averaging 15.1 points, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game on 46 percent shooting. He scored a career-high 28 points in Oklahoma City's close-out Round 2 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. As ESPN's Tim McMahon noted, Jalen Williams, who Mitchell replaced in the starting lineup, is questionable with a hamstring injury. Even if available, having missed seven of the Thunder's first 11 playoff games, it's hard to know what to expect from the 2025 All-Star. That puts the onus on reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to have a more efficient outing after an uncharacteristically poor shooting start to the series. Ajay Mitchell's injury, Jalen Williams' uncertainty add pressure to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander heading into Game 4 Through three games in the Western Conference Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 26.7 points and 11 assists per game but is shooting just 39.1 percent on 21.3 field-goal attempts per game, including 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City wasn't impacted by his second sub-40 percent shooting performance of the series in Game 3, when its bench out-scored San Antonio's, 76-23. But as deep as the Thunder are, even they can't rely on their bench to be responsible for such a wide scoring differential going forward. With the Spurs desperate for a win to tie the series and his team ailing, the Thunder need Gilgeous-Alexander operating at a high level on the offensive end to head back home one win away from a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. It's a good thing for Oklahoma City that the four-time All-Star wasn't named MVP by accident. If anyone's capable of putting his team on his back and delivering a win, it's Gilgeous-Alexander. He may have to do so to avoid the Western Conference Finals becoming a best-of-three.
While speaking at the New York Giants Town Hall in Manhattan this past Monday night, second-year Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart acknowledged that "the most important thing" he learned as a rookie is that he has "to be on the field." However, Dart added that he will "go right through" an opponent who is standing in his path during a key play. That comment led some to wonder if he won't do a better job of protecting himself this coming season after he took far too many crunching hits as a rookie. While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Dart was asked about conversations he has had with head coach John Harbaugh and the rest of the new Giants' staff about better protecting himself moving forward. Jaxson Dart learning to be "situationally" smart "That was one of our first meetings with [passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan], just pulling up my tape and just going over situationally, like, is it worth the risk here in this situation," Dart explained, per the Giants' website. "And that's what we talk about a ton, is situationally just being smart." Dart was forced out of games on five occasions to get checked for a concussion from last preseason through Week 18 of his rookie campaign. One of those checks resulted in the signal-caller missing a pair of November games while he was in the concussion protocol. Later in the season, Dart defiantly said he was "going to play aggressive." He also insisted that star quarterbacks such as Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs "take hits, too." Dart sang somewhat of a different tune on Thursday. Jaxson Dart "hated" missing games as a rookie "[Senior offensive assistant Greg Roman] talked about it today," Dart continued. "It's important for the quarterback to make sure how he's feeling one play that he's going to feel that same way the next play. And at the same time, just having the experience last year of sitting out two games, I hadn't done that in my career. So, I just hated that time of not being out there with my teammates. So obviously, I understand the most important thing is to be out there. So, you just grow and learn from things. And I think I'm going to do a good job at it this year for sure." Harbaugh and Co. won't want to completely change the playing style that makes Dart such a valuable weapon. That said, everybody involved realizes that Dart can't make good use of his abilities if he is sidelined due to injuries.
