CONWAY, S.C. — There is no mystery as to what happened to the Gators in their two losses to East Carolina in the NCAA Tournament.

Starters Liam Peterson (Friday) and Pierce Coppola (Sunday) managed to record only 10 outs combined, with Coppola lasting into the top of the third inning Sunday before exiting an 11-4 loss that ended Florida’s season. The Pirates advanced to face host Coastal Carolina on Sunday night in the Conway (S.C.) Regional.

Peterson lasted only 1 1/3 innings in Friday’s 11-6 loss to the Pirates, and on Sunday, Coppola escaped trouble in the first inning after loading the bases with a walk, hit batsmen and a bunt single. Two strikeouts opened the door for his early escape. But in the second inning, a walk, two singles and a throwing error by third baseman Landon Stripling proved too much to overcome, even as Coppola struck out the final three batters of the inning. East Carolina scored two runs, and after Justin Nadeau‘s single scored Stripling in the top of the third to make it 2-1, Florida’s momentum quickly stalled when Coppola walked East Carolina leadoff hitter Ryley Johnson in the bottom of the frame.

That was the end of Coppola’s afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium. In two innings, he allowed three hits, three runs (two earned), walked three, struck out five and hit a batter. Meanwhile, Pirates freshman Lance Williams limited the Gators to three runs over five innings.

East Carolina (35-26) scored five runs in the third and led 7-1 after three innings, the same recipe the Pirates used in Friday’s win when they led 6-0 after three innings. The Pirates scored 22 runs and pounded 27 hits in the two wins over Florida.

For the Gators, their season ends for the first time since 2022 somewhere other than the College World Series. Florida (39-22) surprised most by even making the NCAA Tournament after starting 1-11 in the Southeastern Conference. However, despite numerous injuries and a shaky pitching staff at times, the Gators won 14 of their final 18 conference games to earn an at-large bid.

They were the No. 2 seed in the Conway Regional but were ambushed by No. 3-seed East Carolina twice.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: ECU first baseman Austin Irby proved a pain in Florida’s side. Irby went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and three runs scored Sunday. That came after he was 4-for-5 with a homer, three RBI and three runs scored in Friday’s victory over the Gators. 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The 6-foot-7 Coppola arrived at Florida as a promising prospect from New Jersey whose career has been derailed by injuries. Still, he opened the season as the No. 2 starter and pitched excellent in wins over Air Force and Dayton (10 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 20 SO). However, after a short outing against Miami on March 1, Coppola missed more than two months until returning to the mound May 4 at South Carolina. The hope was that Coppola could regain his form and provide a boost to the rotation with former starter Jake Clemente moved to a late-inning role. Instead, Coppola struggled Sunday and threw only 26 strikes in his 57 pitches.

KEY MOMENT: None loomed bigger for Florida than when head coach Kevin O’Sullivan walked to the mound to remove Coppola after back-to-back balls to Colby Wallace in the third. Coppola walked Ryley Johnson to lead off the inning, which prompted O’Sullivan to call on reliever Billy Barlow, who grew close to Coastal Carolina’s campus in North Myrtle Beach. It was not a good homecoming performance. Barlow faced three batters and gave up three hits. By the time Clemente took over and got out of the inning, East Carolina led 7-1.

QUOTE OF NOTE I: “They beat us handily two times. Obviously, it’s always tough when your season comes to an end. You can see the pain they are going through right now. I care about these guys. The resiliency they showed this year, it’s just tough. East Carolina deserves to move on. We’ll get back to Gainesville, have our exit meetings and prepare for next year.” — Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan

QUOTE OF NOTE II: “I thought our offense was good. We continued to put pressure on them with our short game and stealing bases. I knew that makes them uncomfortable.” — ECU coach Cliff Godwin

UP NEXT: Florida’s season comes to an end at a road regional for the first time since 2019 when the Gators were eliminated in the Lubbock (Texas) Regional. Florida’s streak of never winning a regional title after losing its first game remains intact.

NOTABLES

• Florida’s seven-game winning streak in elimination games at NCAA Regionals was snapped.
• The Gators (39-22, 15-15 SEC) finished the season with wins in 19 of their last 27 games.
• Making his third-career NCAA Tournament start, Coppola pitched two-plus innings with three runs allowed (two earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out five.
• Boser extended his hitting streak to 10-straight games with a leadoff infield single in the first.
• The Gators are 138-90 across 40 NCAA Tournament appearances.

  • Florida is 91-54 all-time at NCAA Regionals.

• Florida is 4-2 all-time against East Carolina including 0-2 at neutral sites.
  

— Sullivan Bortner contributed to this report.