The Basics
Game 65
Oral Roberts (52-12) vs No. 2 Florida (51-15)
Date: June 18
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Omaha, Neb. (Charles Schwab Field)
Watch: ESPN2 | Behind the Mic: ORU Sports Network | Live Stats: StatBroadcast

OMAHA, Neb. – The Oral Roberts baseball team will face the No. 2 overall seed Florida on Sunday night at 6 p.m. in the winner's bracket of the 2023 College World Series from Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

Sunday's contest will be broadcast on ESPN2, while an audio broadcast of the game will be available on the ORU Sports Network. Fans can also follow along with the games on ORU's Twitter, @ORUBaseball. 

Important Links
ORU Notes
Summit League Notes

Inside the Series
• Sunday's contest marks the first meeting all-time between the two clubs.

• Against first-time opponents this season, the Golden Eagles are 11-1.

Quick Hits  
• The Golden Eagles rallied from a three-run deficit to defeat TCU, 6-5, in the opening game of the 2023 NCAA College World Series Friday afternoon. Blaze Brothers played the hero for ORU as the senior belted a three-run go-ahead homer in the ninth over the left-field bullpen. The long ball marked the 12th of the season for the Lowell, Arkansas, native.

• The victory marked ORU's second all-time in the College World Series as the 1978 squad also won its opening game. The Golden Eagles, who are the third No. 4 seed to advance to the College World Series in NCAA history, have now won 24 of their last 25 contests and are 42-4 in the last 46 games.

• ORU has won seven straight games when trailing by 3-plus runs, which is the longest streak in a single season in D-I in the last five years. Three of those victories have come this postseason.

• Friday's victory marked No. 52 on the year for ORU, which set a new program record (D-1 era).

• The Golden Eagles will turn to senior left-hander Harley Gollert on the mound Saturday. Gollert holds a 10-1 record to go along with a 4.30 ERA and 88 strikeouts. The senior's 10 wins are the most by a Golden Eagle since 2017.

• Closer Cade Denton (first team), center fielder Jonah Cox (second team) and right-fielder Matt Hogan (third team) were named NCBWA All-Americans on Wednesday. This marks the first time since 1999 that a trio of Golden Eagles have earned All-America honors in a single season.

• Cox and Denton were also named First Team All-Americans by Perfect Game and the ABCA/Rawlings. The duo also received Collegiate Baseball All-America honors, becoming the first group of ORU players to earn multiple All-America honors in the same season since Mark Serrano in 2009. Cox's and Denton's first team selections were the first by a Golden Eagle since Brian Van Kirk in 2008.

• Denton is the third player in program history to earn an All-America selection in back-to-back seasons. (David Castillo - 2003-04/Dennis Bigley - 2004-05)

• Through 34 appearances this season, Denton, the NCBWA Stopper of the Year, has recorded a 1.95 ERA and 15 saves, which is tied for the most in the country. The junior's 34 appearances are tied for a program record in a single season. Among active players, Denton ranks third in career ERA (1.92).

• Cox continues to be one of the nation's premier hitters as the junior leads the country in hits (110), ranks third in triples (8), fifth in hits per game (1.7), 10th in batting average (.412), 14th in total bases (175) and 35th in stolen bases (28). The junior, who was named the Summit League Player and Newcomer of the Year, has hit safely in 62 of the 64 contests and is the program's all-time record holder for hits in a single season.

• On Friday, the Thornton, Colorado, native saw his program-best 47-game hit streak come to an end. The streak is the third-longest in NCAA history.  Cox was also named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and a midseason addition to the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List. 

• After dropping game one of the Eugene Super Regional on a walk-off, ORU returned the favor on Saturday with a walk-off victory of its own. On Sunday, the Golden Eagles overcame a 3-1 deficit to clinch their first super regional in program history. Dating back to the regular season, ORU has won 11 consecutive series. 

• The Golden Eagles advanced to their first super regional since 2006 after sweeping through the Stillwater Regional. The undefeated performance marked the third time in program history ORU has accomplished that feat in a regional (1978 & 2006).

• Closer Cade Denton, the Stillwater Regional Most Outstanding Player, registered three saves in three days and tied the single-season program record with his 15th in the title game. Jacob Godman, Jake McMurray, Mac McCroskey, Jonah Cox and Dalton Patten were named to the Stillwater Regional All-Tournament team. 

• The Golden Eagles secured their 30th NCAA Regional appearance and second straight after capturing their 21st Summit League Championship title with a 12-4 victory over South Dakota State. The win improved ORU to 72-7 all-time in the Summit League Championship and marked the 19th time in program history it has claimed both the regular season and tournament titles in the same season.

• In the latest Collegiate Baseball poll, the Golden Eagles moved up to No. 6 and have been ranked in the poll for nine straight weeks. The No. 6 ranking is the Golden Eagles' highest since 1983. In the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll, ORU jumped to No. 14. 

• The Golden Eagle offense led the Summit League in batting average, runs, hits, RBI, on-base percentage, stolen bases, slugging percentage, triples, total bases and walks. On the mound, ORU topped the conference in ERA, batting average against, WHIP, saves, innings pitched, hits allowed per nine innings, strikeouts-to-walk ratio, walks allowed per nine innings and strikeouts. Defensively, the Golden Eagles led the League in putouts, assists, double plays and fielding percentage.

• Nationally, ORU ranks first in fielding percentage (.984), second in win/loss percentage (.812), second in hits (732), fifth in batting average (.322), sixth in WHIP (1.28), seventh in ERA (3.99), ninth in runs (539), 13th in hits allowed per nine innings (8.02), 17th in on-base percentage (.415), 18th in scoring (8.4), 19th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.68), 19th in shutouts (5), 20th in triples (19), 22nd in walks allowed per nine innings (3.51), 23rd in sac flies (34), 27th in doubles (130) and 28th in walks (318).

• ORU returned 15 players from last year's NCAA Regional squad and welcomed 17 newcomers in the offseason.

• In the 2023 Summit League Preseason Coaches Poll, ORU was selected as the unanimous favorite to claim the regular season crown. The Golden Eagles received 42 points and earned all six first-place votes they could. McCroskey and Denton were named the Preseason Player and Pitcher to Watch for ORU as voted on by the league's seven head coaches. McMurray and Denton garnered Preseason All-Summit League honors from Perfect Game USA.

• Entering the 2023 season, ORU ranks sixth all-time in NCAA history with a .652 winning percentage. 

• Since 2001, ORU has made 18 NCAA Regional appearances, which rank as the most among Oklahoma schools.

• Head Coach Ryan Folmar, the NCBWA National Coach of the Year, is in his 11th season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and has compiled a 371-222 (.626) overall record. The Golden Eagle skipper currently ranks second all-time in program history in wins after passing Rob Walton, the Oklahoma State pitching coach, in the Stillwater Regional. 

Scouting the Opponent
• The Gators enter Sunday's contest riding a six-game win streak after rallying for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Virginia, 6-5, Friday night.

• Two-way standout Jac Caglianone leads the charge for Florida as the sophomore has belted a nation's best 31 homers to go along with 84 RBI. On the mound, Caglianone holds a 7-3 record to go along with a 3.78 ERA.

• The Gators will throw RHP Hurston Waldrep on Saturday.

For the latest information on ORU Baseball, follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play Store.

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