Florida has won seven of its last eight games vs. MSU including a sweep in the team's last trip to Starkville in 2022.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators carry a five-game winning streak into their sixth SEC series of the campaign this weekend against Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss.
All three games of the set will be broadcast on linear television, beginning with Friday night's 8 p.m. ET opener on SEC Network. ESPN will cover game two on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET while Sunday's finale airs on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET
Owning three-consecutive SEC victories after a sweep of Mizzou, the Gators (25-14, 4-11 SEC) have won each of their last two series against the Bulldogs (23-14, 5-10 SEC). Florida took two out of three in Gainesville last season (W 7-6, L 12-2, W 4-3) and delivered a sweep in the team's most-recent visit to Dudy Noble Field from May 6-8, 2022 (8-6, 9-3, 6-2).
As a result, the Gators have claimed seven of the last eight matchups backed by a 25-13 overall record and 9-6 road mark in the series under Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan. Across 124 all-time meetings, Florida leads the series, 72-52, featuring a 30-25 record in Starkville.
Pitching Matchups
Friday | 8 ET (SECN)
Saturday | 8:30 ET (ESPN)
Sunday | 3 ET (ESPN2)
Florida
RHP Liam Peterson (5-2, 3.63 ERA)
RHP Aidan King (4-1, 2.68 ERA)
TBA
MSU
LHP Pico Kohn (4-1, 3.26)
RHP Evan Siary (0-1, 3.91 ERA)
RHP Karson Ligon (3-4, 5.13 ERA)
GATOR BOYS STAY HOT
The Gators are currently riding a five-game winning streak after defeating No. 9 Florida State (W, 5-4), sweeping Missouri (11-2, 5-0, 3-2) and run-ruling Stetson (14-4) in seven frames. In those five games, Florida outscored its opponents by a 38-to-12 margin. The keys to the recent run have been an improved eye at the plate (32 walks to 26 strikeouts) and an elevated performance from the pitching staff: 2.08 ERA, .201 batting average against and 52-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio. UF hurlers have allowed just nine earned runs in the last five contests.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Through 39 games, Florida remains ranked inside the top-50 teams nationally across 10 statistical categories. Led by the fifth-most strikeouts per nine innings (11.8) in the country, the Gators also rank 11th in shutouts thrown (four), 12th in fielding percentage (.981), 16th in home runs (61), 29th in slugging percentage (.515), 29th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.57), 37th in hits allowed per nine innings (8.24), 42nd in hit-by-pitches (65), 45th in hits (372) and 46th in doubles (77). Florida's four shutouts thrown sit second in the SEC behind Vanderbilt's five.
LAST TIME OUT
Following a weekend sweep of Missouri, the Gators kept the momentum going with a seven-inning rout of Stetson on Tuesday (14-4) for their eighth run-rule victory of the season. Florida used a 13-hit attack in six offensive innings to erase a 4-1 deficit with 13 unanswered runs. Marking their ninth comeback win of the campaign, the Gators plated 11 of their 14 runs with two outs. The victory improved Florida to 21-3 in non-conference play, 10-2 in midweeks (7-0 at home) and 12-3 vs. in-state competition.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Mississippi State enters the week with a 23-14 overall record, including a 5-10 mark in SEC play. The Bulldogs are coming off an impressive series win over No. 15 Alabama but currently sit 13th in the conference standings, just one spot ahead of the Gators. Mississippi State has been solid offensively, posting a .301/.404/.521 slash line with 58 home runs and 36 stolen bases through 37 games. On the mound, the pitching staff owns a 3.65 ERA, tallying 412 strikeouts against 117 walks over 308.0 innings. Defensively, the Bulldogs have committed 37 errors for a .970 fielding percentage on the season.
BOMBS AWAY BOBBY
In the Tuesday win over Stetson, infielder Bobby Boser became the first Gator to launch three home runs in a single game since Jac Caglianoneaccomplished the feat vs. Cincinnati on Feb. 26, 2023. His trio of long balls went to all three fields: first to right, then center and lastly left-center. In doing so, the UF third baseman set a new career high in single-season RBI (42) and extended his on-base streak to 19-straight games. With hits in 16 contests during that span, Boser has batted .360/.442/.667 while popping seven homers and swiping six bags. Boser's 13 multi-RBI games are three more than any other Gator while his 15 multi-hit performances rank second on the team. With multiple hits in three of UF's last four SEC tilts, Boser has raised his conference batting line to .322/.394/.441.
RED HOT HEYMAN
In UF's last 12 games dating back through the series at Ole Miss, catcher Luke Heyman has gone 18-for-44 with a .409/.469/.750 batting line, four home runs, three doubles, 12 RBI and 12 runs scored. The UF backstop has also been the Gators' best hitter in SEC play, leading the team in batting average (.370), on-base percentage (.443), slugging percentage (.722), homers (five), RBI (15), runs (10) and hits (20). Having caught all 66 innings of Florida's last eight contests, Heyman has solidified himself as one of college baseball's premier defensive catchers. He paces the SEC in runners caught stealing (11), putouts (322), chances (350) and fielding percentage (1.000).
MURDERER'S ROW
Florida's retooled lineup features five qualified hitters with an OPS above .930 and batting average over .300 in catcher/designated hitter Brody Donay (1.142, .327), Boser (1.077, .327), infielder Colby Shelton (1.044, .370), infielder Brendan Lawson (.992, .313) and Heyman (.931, .304). Those five players have accounted for 72.1% of the Gators' home runs this season (44 of 61) and 60.1% of run production (161 of 268 RBI).
BELTIN' SHELTON
Ranking first in the SEC in doubles (17) and third in hits (57), Shelton has reached base in 38 of 39 contests while collecting multiple hits in 21 games. Starting every game at shortstop this year, Shelton paces Florida in hitting with a .370/.440/.604 slash line. The junior has refined his approach this season, cutting his strikeout rate down to 10.3% after fanning at a 26.4% clip one year ago. Shelton has drawn more combined walks (15) and hit-by-pitches (five) than strikeouts (18).
KING OF THE CONFERENCE
Thanks to 5 2/3 shutout frames vs. Missouri last Saturday, right-hander Aidan King enters his seventh-career start as the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week. The honor marked his second weekly accolade, as he was also named the sole recipient of SEC Pitcher of the Week on March 3. With two quality starts to his credit, King boasts a 4-1 record, 2.68 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 3.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 40 1/3 innings.
THE PETERSON FILE
Ranked as Baseball America's top college pitcher for the 2026 MLB Draft at No. 3 overall, right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson takes a 3.63 ERA and .236 batting average against into his weekend start in Starkville. Peterson's gaudy 13.8 K/9 ranks third in the SEC (behind Tennessee's Liam Doyle and LSU's Kade Anderson) and ninth nationally, as the right-hander has fanned 61 batters in 39 2/3 frames. A major component in his 2025 success has lied in his ability to limit the long ball, reducing his home runs per nine down to 0.5 this season from a 2.1-mark one year ago.
CLEMENTIME
By sealing Florida's victories over No. 9 FSU on Tuesday as well as the series-clinching win vs. Missouri on Saturday, UF closer Jake Clemente earned his first-two career saves. He retired all six Seminoles he faced, striking out four, before tossing 1 1/3 scoreless, no-hit frames to finish off the Tigers. In his last five relief appearances, Clemente is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA, 0.87 batting average against and 12-to-five strikeout-to-walk ratio. Four of his last five outings have been scoreless.
RESPECT THE LAW
Lawson has produced a walk-off hit in each of Florida's last two games. The rookie delivered a single to win it 3-2 in the ninth vs. Missouri in the series finale before swatting a two-run double to run-rule Stetson, 14-4, on Tuesday. The big swings pushed Lawson to 41 RBI on the season, just one shy of Boser for the team lead. The Canadian freshman is now hitting .313/.445/.547 backed by eight homers and six doubles.
STEALING THE SHOW
The Gators have stolen 55 bases in 67 attempts (82.1%), equating to 1.4 steals per game. For reference, the Gators averaged 0.7 steals per game last season. After 38 contests, the Gators have already surpassed their 2024 steals total (43) across a total of 66 games. Boser paces the team with 11 steals in 12 attempts, which is tied for seventh in the SEC.
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Florida has secured nine come-from-behind victories in 2025. Last season, the Gators delivered 21 wins in comeback fashion, featuring 12 of the team's 13 SEC wins. Florida trailed in six of its 2024 postseason victories and claimed five-straight NCAA Tournament elimination games to keep its season alive. Going back two seasons, 22 of the 2023 Gators' program-record 54 victories came via comebacks.
ON DECK
The Gators return home to host Georgia Southern at Condron Family Ballpark on Tuesday, April 22. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators carry a five-game winning streak into their sixth SEC series of the campaign this weekend against Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss.
All three games of the set will be broadcast on linear television, beginning with Friday night's 8 p.m. ET opener on SEC Network. ESPN will cover game two on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET while Sunday's finale airs on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET
Owning three-consecutive SEC victories after a sweep of Mizzou, the Gators (25-14, 4-11 SEC) have won each of their last two series against the Bulldogs (23-14, 5-10 SEC). Florida took two out of three in Gainesville last season (W 7-6, L 12-2, W 4-3) and delivered a sweep in the team's most-recent visit to Dudy Noble Field from May 6-8, 2022 (8-6, 9-3, 6-2).
As a result, the Gators have claimed seven of the last eight matchups backed by a 25-13 overall record and 9-6 road mark in the series under Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan. Across 124 all-time meetings, Florida leads the series, 72-52, featuring a 30-25 record in Starkville.
Pitching Matchups
Friday | 8 ET (SECN)
Saturday | 8:30 ET (ESPN)
Sunday | 3 ET (ESPN2)
Florida
RHP Liam Peterson (5-2, 3.63 ERA)
RHP Aidan King (4-1, 2.68 ERA)
TBA
MSU
LHP Pico Kohn (4-1, 3.26)
RHP Evan Siary (0-1, 3.91 ERA)
RHP Karson Ligon (3-4, 5.13 ERA)
GATOR BOYS STAY HOT
The Gators are currently riding a five-game winning streak after defeating No. 9 Florida State (W, 5-4), sweeping Missouri (11-2, 5-0, 3-2) and run-ruling Stetson (14-4) in seven frames. In those five games, Florida outscored its opponents by a 38-to-12 margin. The keys to the recent run have been an improved eye at the plate (32 walks to 26 strikeouts) and an elevated performance from the pitching staff: 2.08 ERA, .201 batting average against and 52-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio. UF hurlers have allowed just nine earned runs in the last five contests.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Through 39 games, Florida remains ranked inside the top-50 teams nationally across 10 statistical categories. Led by the fifth-most strikeouts per nine innings (11.8) in the country, the Gators also rank 11th in shutouts thrown (four), 12th in fielding percentage (.981), 16th in home runs (61), 29th in slugging percentage (.515), 29th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.57), 37th in hits allowed per nine innings (8.24), 42nd in hit-by-pitches (65), 45th in hits (372) and 46th in doubles (77). Florida's four shutouts thrown sit second in the SEC behind Vanderbilt's five.
LAST TIME OUT
Following a weekend sweep of Missouri, the Gators kept the momentum going with a seven-inning rout of Stetson on Tuesday (14-4) for their eighth run-rule victory of the season. Florida used a 13-hit attack in six offensive innings to erase a 4-1 deficit with 13 unanswered runs. Marking their ninth comeback win of the campaign, the Gators plated 11 of their 14 runs with two outs. The victory improved Florida to 21-3 in non-conference play, 10-2 in midweeks (7-0 at home) and 12-3 vs. in-state competition.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Mississippi State enters the week with a 23-14 overall record, including a 5-10 mark in SEC play. The Bulldogs are coming off an impressive series win over No. 15 Alabama but currently sit 13th in the conference standings, just one spot ahead of the Gators. Mississippi State has been solid offensively, posting a .301/.404/.521 slash line with 58 home runs and 36 stolen bases through 37 games. On the mound, the pitching staff owns a 3.65 ERA, tallying 412 strikeouts against 117 walks over 308.0 innings. Defensively, the Bulldogs have committed 37 errors for a .970 fielding percentage on the season.
BOMBS AWAY BOBBY
In the Tuesday win over Stetson, infielder Bobby Boser became the first Gator to launch three home runs in a single game since Jac Caglianoneaccomplished the feat vs. Cincinnati on Feb. 26, 2023. His trio of long balls went to all three fields: first to right, then center and lastly left-center. In doing so, the UF third baseman set a new career high in single-season RBI (42) and extended his on-base streak to 19-straight games. With hits in 16 contests during that span, Boser has batted .360/.442/.667 while popping seven homers and swiping six bags. Boser's 13 multi-RBI games are three more than any other Gator while his 15 multi-hit performances rank second on the team. With multiple hits in three of UF's last four SEC tilts, Boser has raised his conference batting line to .322/.394/.441.
RED HOT HEYMAN
In UF's last 12 games dating back through the series at Ole Miss, catcher Luke Heyman has gone 18-for-44 with a .409/.469/.750 batting line, four home runs, three doubles, 12 RBI and 12 runs scored. The UF backstop has also been the Gators' best hitter in SEC play, leading the team in batting average (.370), on-base percentage (.443), slugging percentage (.722), homers (five), RBI (15), runs (10) and hits (20). Having caught all 66 innings of Florida's last eight contests, Heyman has solidified himself as one of college baseball's premier defensive catchers. He paces the SEC in runners caught stealing (11), putouts (322), chances (350) and fielding percentage (1.000).
MURDERER'S ROW
Florida's retooled lineup features five qualified hitters with an OPS above .930 and batting average over .300 in catcher/designated hitter Brody Donay (1.142, .327), Boser (1.077, .327), infielder Colby Shelton (1.044, .370), infielder Brendan Lawson (.992, .313) and Heyman (.931, .304). Those five players have accounted for 72.1% of the Gators' home runs this season (44 of 61) and 60.1% of run production (161 of 268 RBI).
BELTIN' SHELTON
Ranking first in the SEC in doubles (17) and third in hits (57), Shelton has reached base in 38 of 39 contests while collecting multiple hits in 21 games. Starting every game at shortstop this year, Shelton paces Florida in hitting with a .370/.440/.604 slash line. The junior has refined his approach this season, cutting his strikeout rate down to 10.3% after fanning at a 26.4% clip one year ago. Shelton has drawn more combined walks (15) and hit-by-pitches (five) than strikeouts (18).
KING OF THE CONFERENCE
Thanks to 5 2/3 shutout frames vs. Missouri last Saturday, right-hander Aidan King enters his seventh-career start as the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week. The honor marked his second weekly accolade, as he was also named the sole recipient of SEC Pitcher of the Week on March 3. With two quality starts to his credit, King boasts a 4-1 record, 2.68 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 3.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 40 1/3 innings.
THE PETERSON FILE
Ranked as Baseball America's top college pitcher for the 2026 MLB Draft at No. 3 overall, right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson takes a 3.63 ERA and .236 batting average against into his weekend start in Starkville. Peterson's gaudy 13.8 K/9 ranks third in the SEC (behind Tennessee's Liam Doyle and LSU's Kade Anderson) and ninth nationally, as the right-hander has fanned 61 batters in 39 2/3 frames. A major component in his 2025 success has lied in his ability to limit the long ball, reducing his home runs per nine down to 0.5 this season from a 2.1-mark one year ago.
CLEMENTIME
By sealing Florida's victories over No. 9 FSU on Tuesday as well as the series-clinching win vs. Missouri on Saturday, UF closer Jake Clemente earned his first-two career saves. He retired all six Seminoles he faced, striking out four, before tossing 1 1/3 scoreless, no-hit frames to finish off the Tigers. In his last five relief appearances, Clemente is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA, 0.87 batting average against and 12-to-five strikeout-to-walk ratio. Four of his last five outings have been scoreless.
RESPECT THE LAW
Lawson has produced a walk-off hit in each of Florida's last two games. The rookie delivered a single to win it 3-2 in the ninth vs. Missouri in the series finale before swatting a two-run double to run-rule Stetson, 14-4, on Tuesday. The big swings pushed Lawson to 41 RBI on the season, just one shy of Boser for the team lead. The Canadian freshman is now hitting .313/.445/.547 backed by eight homers and six doubles.
STEALING THE SHOW
The Gators have stolen 55 bases in 67 attempts (82.1%), equating to 1.4 steals per game. For reference, the Gators averaged 0.7 steals per game last season. After 38 contests, the Gators have already surpassed their 2024 steals total (43) across a total of 66 games. Boser paces the team with 11 steals in 12 attempts, which is tied for seventh in the SEC.
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Florida has secured nine come-from-behind victories in 2025. Last season, the Gators delivered 21 wins in comeback fashion, featuring 12 of the team's 13 SEC wins. Florida trailed in six of its 2024 postseason victories and claimed five-straight NCAA Tournament elimination games to keep its season alive. Going back two seasons, 22 of the 2023 Gators' program-record 54 victories came via comebacks.
ON DECK
The Gators return home to host Georgia Southern at Condron Family Ballpark on Tuesday, April 22. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.
