Baseball vs Bethune-Cookman, Wed 2/28, 6:30 pm

I felt a jolt when the kid was announced and felt he might well be Jeff Gidcumb's kid. Giddy was a Gator great on the 1988 team that raised the Gators a full step into national prominence, the first trip to the CWS. He and current Santa Fe coach Johnnie Wiggs were one of the great starting combos. Gidcumb owns several of the top pitching records, including #1 in wins, games started, innings pitched and hits allowed. He's #4 in complete games and is high in other categories. (I can't help mentioning that Wiggs holds the season record for pickoffs with 23, #2 in that category is 16.) Gidcumb only played two years in an era when a large portion of the team were JUCO transfers, but he still ranks high in some career stats.

1988 was the first year in the Mac- before it was known as the Mac. It was much smaller than the final version and average attendance in that great season was under 1000. The team won both the SEC Championship and the SEC Tournament. The Regionals were six teams- no Super Regionals- and the Gators played all five of the other teams: George Mason, W; NC ST, L; Tulane, W; noles, W; and beat Stetson to reach Omaha. That Regional is one of my favorite Gator memories from any sport.

The kid only played as a PH last night, but I wish him the best.