Just how rare was Gators’ improbable win over Virginia?

OMAHA, Nebraska — Obviously the dramatic 6-5 walk-off win for Florida over Virginia on Friday night at Charles Schwab Field was rare and special.

But to understand just how truly rare and special it was to rally from deficits of 4-2 in the eighth inning and 5-3 entering the ninth, winning on the strength of a trio of home runs by BT Riopelle, Ty Evans and Wyatt Langford over the final two innings, a deeper perusal of some facts and statistics are in order:

• Florida had never had a walk-off win in the Men’s College World Series. Friday was the 46th MCWS game the Gators have played in program history.

• The last time Florida won an NCAA Tournament game in which it trailed entering the ninth inning was 2010 vs Miami in the Super Regionals. The Gators had never won a MCWS game when trailing entering the ninth.

• Florida is just the second team to hit multiple home runs in the ninth inning or later of a single MCWS game — and the first to do it in a win — since the move to Charles Schwab Field in 2011.

• After Oral Roberts turned the trick earlier Friday to come from behind and beat TCU, this marked the first time in MCWS history that the winners of each of the first two games in Omaha trailed after eight innings.

• With three home runs Friday, Florida has now matched its program record with 132 home runs this season.

• Four of Florida catcher BT Riopelle’s five NCAA Tournament hits have been home runs.

• His homer to lead off the ninth inning was the first for Evans, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh, since April 11 vs another ACC opponent (Florida State).

• Evans, in fact, had as many at-bats vs. Virginia on Friday as he had in seven previous NCAA Tournament games.

• Virginia had been held scoreless through six innings only twice in 63 previous games this season prior to Florida starter Brandon Sproat turning the trick on Friday.

Then there were the intangibles, including an unwavering belief by the Florida players and coaches that they would come back.

“It’s hard to describe, really,” Langford said. “t’s kind of the makeup of our team. We’ve proved it many times throughout the year that we’re able to come back in these games and that we’re never out of a baseball game.”

Riopelle added that it took a total team effort, which is what he and Langford and their teammates continually insist the Gators are all about.

“We have a lot of good hitters that lineup together in the group down the line, one through nine,” Riopelle said. “Whenever another team has a lead and, say, we’re a home team or whatnot (and) we have the last chance to go at it, the pressure isn’t on us. … We know what we can do. We’ve shown it multiple times.”

Then there were the key contributions of players like Evans, who boosted his season’s batting average to .228 after going 2-for-2 vs. Virginia. This is the same player who went 3-for-33 (.091) in games played between April 2 and the end of May.

“You have to get special performances from people you don’t expect,”  O’Sullivan said. “It happens all the time in any sport.”