GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators have been waiting a year for this.

Players and coaches never said it publicly, rarely even mentioned it privately. But returning to the College World Series was the one common goal everyone in the program shared, and not solely because it’s the pinnacle of college baseball.

It had more to do with how close the Gators got to winning it all last season. Florida lost to South Carolina in the championship series and spent months thinking about what could have been.

Not making things any easier, the Gators played all season amid sky-high expectations that came with returning nearly every starter.

Nonetheless, the Gators are back in Omaha, Neb., with their sights set on winning it all.

“That was the thing that was hard for our team to deal with,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “It was one of those things that was the big elephant in the room. Nobody wanted to talk about it. It was kind of just there. It’s hard to get to Omaha, No. 1, but to add it that you’re supposed to get there and there’s so many things that can happen in this game that can keep you from getting to your ultimate destination, it has not been an easy road.”

The Gators (47-18) secured their third consecutive trip to Omaha by sweeping North Carolina State in a super regional. Their reward? Florida opens Saturday against the two-time defending champion Gamecocks, who have won 21 consecutive games in the NCAA tournament.

South Carolina’s streak includes 11 in a row in Omaha.

“I was excited,” Florida reliever Greg Larson said.

“Another chance to play them. They’ve had a great run. Just kind of thinking back to last year, we were going to run into them I felt like sooner or later, so why not first game in Omaha?”

Florida won three of four games against South Carolina this season, including the last three meetings. But recent success will mean little, if anything, when the teams take the field Saturday.

“Last time’s last time,” designated hitter/left-handed pitcher Brian Johnson said. “Doesn’t matter what you did last time. Doesn’t matter if you scored 10 or you didn’t score any.”

Florida has a good team, and everyone knows it.

Catcher Mike Zunino is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the nation’s best amateur player, and anchors a deep and versatile lineup that features five players selected in the first nine rounds of last week’s Major League Baseball draft. Florida also had four pitchers drafted, including ace Hudson Randall and the team’s top three relievers: Larson, lefty Steven Rodriguez and closer Austin Maddox.

All that talent was evident when the Gators started the season 20-1.

Nonetheless, Florida endured ups and downs, injury and adversity, and a late-season hitting slump in which the Gators lost eight of 17 games down the stretch.

O’Sullivan expected to deal with those kinds of things. The biggest challenge was trying to keep players focused and hungry during it all.

“It is challenging,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s one thing to be the underdog and not have expectations, but it’s another when there are expectations. It’s just not the external people. You in turn start putting pressure on yourself and you feel the pressure of trying to get your team back to where they should be, supposedly.

“And then you get the draft as well. I mean, that’s the other part of it, and it’s right there at the end of the season. There’s been a lot.”

Now, though, the most meaningful games are here. And how the Gators respond could make everything that happened in the last year an afterthought forever.

“I think we’re in a spot right now where everything’s kind of behind us and we’re just taking it one game at a time,” Larson said.

College World Series preview capsules

UCLA (47-14)

Coach: John Savage (274-205, eighth year)

Road to Omaha: Won Los Angeles Regional: beat Creighton 3-0, beat New Mexico 7-1, beat Creighton 13-5. Won Los Angeles Super Regional: beat TCU 6-2, beat TCU 4-1.

2012 record vs. CWS teams: 2-1.

Last CWS appearance: 2010.

All-time record in CWS: 3-7 (fourth appearance).

All-Star Alumni: Jackie Robinson, Chris Chambliss, Ron Roenicke, Don Slaught, Shane Mack, Todd Zeile, Jeff Conine, Mike Magnante, Eric Byrnes, Eric Karros, Troy Glaus, Chase Utley.

STONY BROOK (52-13)

Coach: Matt Senk (623-388-3, 22nd season)

Road to Omaha: Won Coral Gables Regional: beat Miami 10-2, lost to Central Florida 9-8, beat Missouri State 10-7, beat Central Florida 12-5, beat Central Florida 10-6. Won Baton Rouge Super Regional: lost to LSU 5-4 in 12 innings, beat LSU 3-1, beat LSU 7-1.

2012 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.

Last CWS appearance: None.

All-time CWS record: 0-0 (first appearance).

All-Star Alumni: Joe Nathan.

FLORIDA STATE (47-15)

Coach: Mike Martin (1,720-592-4, 33rd season).

Road to Omaha: Won Tallahassee Regional: beat UAB 2-1, beat Samford 8-1, beat Samford 5-2. Won Tallahassee Super Regional: beat Stanford 17-1, beat Stanford 18-7.

2012 record vs. CWS teams: 0-3.

Last CWS appearance: 2010.

All-time record in CWS: 26-40 (21st appearance).

All-Star Alumni: Dick Howser, Deion Sanders, J.D. Drew, Buster Posey, Stephen Drew, Terry Kennedy, Doug Mientkiewicz, Paul Wilson, Luis Alicea, Matt Diaz, Johnny Grubb, Rick Langford, Eduardo Perez, Paul Sorrento, Jody Reed, Marshall McDougall.

ARIZONA (43-17)

Coach: Andy Lopez (398-246-1, 11th season)

Road to Omaha: Won Tucson Regional: beat Missouri 15-3, beat Louisville 16-4, beat Louisville 16-3. Won Tucson Super Regional: beat St. Johnson’s 7-6 in 10 innings, beat St. John’s 7-4.

2012 record vs. CWS teams: 1-2.

Last CWS appearance: 2004.

All-time record in CWS: 33-27 (16th appearance).

All-Star Alumni: Casey Candaele, Trevor Crowe, Scott Erickson, Terry Francona, Ron Hassey, Gil Heredia, Trevor Hoffman, Craig Lefferts, Kenny Lofton, Joe Magrane, J.T. Snow.

ARKANSAS (44-20)

Coach: Dave Van Horn 362-197 (10th season).

Road to Omaha: Won Houston Regional: beat Sam Houston State 5-4, beat Rice 1-0, beat Sam Houston State 5-1. Won Waco Super Regional: lost to Baylor 8-1, beat Baylor 5-4, beat Baylor 1-0 in 10 innings.

2012 record vs. CWS teams: 3-3.

Last CWS appearance: 2009.

All-time CWS record: 9-12 (seventh appearance).

All-Star Alumni: Darrel Akerfelds, Eric Hinske, Jeff King, Cliff Lee, Les Lancaster, Tim Lollar, Kevin McReynolds, Mike Oquist, Tom Pagnozzi, Johnny Ray.

KENT STATE (46-18)

Coach: Scott Stricklin 313-163 (eighth season).

Road to Omaha: Won Gary Regional: beat Kentucky 7-6 in 21 innings, beat Purdue 7-3, beat Kentucky 3-2. Won Eugene Super Regional: beat Oregon 7-6, lost to Oregon 3-2, beat Oregon 3-2.

2012 record vs. CWS teams: 0-0.

Last appearance: None.

All-time CWS record: 0-0 (first appearance).

All-Star Alumni: Thurman Munson, Steve Stone, Dustin Hermanson, Matt Guerrier, Gene Michael, Emmanuel Burriss, Andy Sonnanstine, Bill Laskey, John Van Benschoten.

FLORIDA (47-18)

Coach: Kevin O’Sullivan (223-100, 5th season).

Road to Omaha: Won Gainesville Regional: beat Bethune-Cookman 4-0, beat Georgia Tech 6-2, beat Georgia Tech 15-3. Won Gainesville Super Regional: beat North Carolina State 7-1, beat North Carolina State 9-8 in 10 innings.

2012 record vs. CWS teams: 7-3.

Last CWS appearance: 2011.

All-time record in CWS: 11-15 (eighth appearance).

All-Star Alumni: Al Rosen, David Eckstein, Robby Thompson, Brad Wilkerson, Mike Stanley, Mark Ellis, Josh Fogg, Matt LaPorta, Ryan Raburn, David Ross, Doug Corbett, Rob Murphy.

SOUTH CAROLINA (45-17)

Coach: Ray Tanner (734-313, 16th season)

Road to Omaha: Won Columbia Regional: beat Manhattan 7-0, beat Clemson 5-4 in 12 innings, beat Clemson 43. Won Columbia Super Regional: beat Oklahoma 5-0, beat Oklahoma 5-1.

2012 Record vs. CWS teams: 3-4.

Last CWS appearance: 2011.

All-time CWS record: 28-17 (11th appearance).

All-Star Alumni: Mookie Wilson, Brian Roberts, Dave Hollins, Adam Everett, Justin Smoak, Landon Powell, Ed Lynch, Bill Landrum.