Florida has won seven-straight games including six while scoring double-digit runs for the first time since 2003.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 8 Florida shifts its attention to a pair of midweek Atlantic Sun Conference opponents as it travels to Stetson on Tuesday before hosting North Florida on Wednesday at Condron Family Ballpark.
Tuesday's matchup against the Hatters in DeLand, Fla. is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Wednesday's meeting with the Ospreys will begin at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
Florida enters with an 86-36 all-time record against Stetson, including a 37-25 road mark. Under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan, the Gators are 11-2 overall and 4-2 on the road in the series. The two teams split a pair of games last season, with each program delivering a victory at home (Stetson 7-4, Florida 13-3).
As for North Florida, the Orange & Blue hold a 21-7 advantage in the series backed by a 16-4 home record. The Gators are 21-5 overall and 16-3 at home against the Ospreys under O'Sullivan, including an active eight-game winning streak and victories in 15 of the last 16 since 2013. That streak included two Gator wins in 2024, one in Jacksonville (10-0) and the other in Gainesville (13-4).
Pitching Matchups
Tuesday | 6:30 ET (ESPN+)
Wednesday | 6:30 ET (SECN+)
Stetson/UNF RHP Dylan Jacobs (1-0, 9.00 ERA)
TBA
Florida RHP Billy Barlow (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
TBA
GATORS IN THE POLLS
Florida jumped from No. 10 to No. 8 in the D1Baseball Top 25 after going 4-0 last week. The Gators are a unanimous top-10 team and are ranked as highly as No. 6 in the country per Baseball America.
SULLY SUPERLATIVES
Coming off the program's 14th trip to the College World Series and second in as many seasons, O'Sullivan enters his 18th campaign. Since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, Florida leads the sport with 290 SEC wins, 37 MLB debuts, 16 NCAA berths (T-1st), 10 top-eight seeds, nine College World Series trips, nine Super Regionals hosted and six SEC titles. The Gators have advanced to nine of the last 14 College World Series overall.
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Picked to win the conference in the Atlantic Sun Preseason Coaches Poll, Stetson is coming off a 41-22 season and its ninth ASUN Championship. The Hatters are 4-3 out of the gates this year highlighted by wins over UConn and Penn State on Opening Weekend. Offensively, Stetson has slashed .251/.370/.397 with eight home runs and 11 steals. As for the pitching staff, the Hatters wield a 5.08 ERA and 67 strikeouts to 28 walks over 62 frames. Defensively, Stetson has committed six errors for a .977 fielding percentage.
OUTLOOK ON THE OSPREYS
North Florida was slotted at seventh out of 12 teams in the ASUN Preseason Poll after going 21-30-1 one year ago. Off to a 6-2 start this season, the Ospreys swept Brown in a four-game set over the weekend in addition to defeating Notre Dame on Feb. 15. As a team, North Florida is batting .336/.436/.541 with nine homers and 10 stolen bases. On the mound, Osprey pitchers have worked to a 4.23 ERA with 74 strikeouts against 32 walks in 66 innings. UNF has fielded at a .948 clip thus far.
SMOKIN' 7-0 START
Florida's 7-0 record to open the season marks the team's best since the 2020 campaign (16-0) and the longest overall since winning eight in a row during the 2023 postseason (June 4-21). Following a 7-0 shutout victory in the season opener, the Gators have won six-straight games while scoring 10-plus runs for the first time in 22 years – since Feb. 19-March 1, 2003. Florida also kicked off the season with consecutive series sweeps for the first time since 2023.
DAYTON DOMINANCE
Posting run-rule wins in all three games of a series for the first time in program history, Florida's sweep of Dayton stood out in more ways than one. The sweep also signified the first time the Gators beat their weekend opponent by double digits in all three games since 2005 vs. Michigan State.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
After seven games, Florida is ranked inside the top-20 teams nationally across a whopping 14 statistical categories, headlined by a nation-leading 15.0 strikeouts per nine innings and 7.31 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Florida ranks second in the country in stolen bases (25), third in walks allowed per nine (2.05), fourth in WHIP (0.81), fifth in ERA (1.42), fifth in slugging percentage (.609), ninth in hits allowed per nine (5.21), ninth in batting average (.357), ninth in sacrifice flies (six), 12th in on-base percentage (.471), 12th in doubles (22), 17th in runs scored (74) and 18th in home runs (12).
PRISTINE PITCHING
Through seven games, UF pitchers have produced a 95-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio. All 22 UF pitching appearances and 53 of 57 innings pitched have featured at least one strikeout. UF pitchers have allowed just nine earned runs on 33 hits and 13 walks on the year, equating to a 1.42 ERA and .166 batting average against.
WORKING THE COUNT
Florida has drawn more walks (39) on the season than strikeouts (37) on top of 16 hit-by-pitches. In Sunday's series finale vs. Dayton alone, the Gators drew 10 walks and only struck out twice.
RUNNING WILD
Florida swiped 11 bags in four games last week, bringing the team's season total to 25 steals in 28 attempts. After seven games, the Gators are 58.1% of the way to reaching their 2024 steals total (43), and have stolen at least one base in every game this season - the first-such streak since 2020. Leading the way for the Gators, who rank second nationally in stolen bases, is outfielder Blake Cyr, who is a perfect 5-for-5 on the season.
LAYING DOWN THE B-LAW
Earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors as a result, rookie infielder Brendan Lawson had a week to remember. Helping lead Florida to a 4-0 record, Lawson drove in a team-high nine runs last week while producing hits and RBI in all four games. Starting every contest at first base, the Toronto, Ontario native went 6-for-15 (.400/.474/.667) and tallied 10 total bases, one home run, one double, four runs scored, two walks and one steal.
Lawson also recorded one RBI and one stolen base in the midweek win against Jacksonville. With his grand slam in the 11-1 mercy-rule win against Dayton on Saturday, the true freshman became the first Gator since Santino Miozzi in 2019 to hit a grand slam as his first-career home run. Lawson, who also finished with a 1.000 fielding percentage across 31 chances last week, is the only Gator to start every game this season and not record an error.
KURLAND COMES THROUGH
Junior second baseman Cade Kurland made the most of his opportunity off the bench on Sunday, belting a pair of two-run home runs, including the game-winning blast to invoke the mercy rule against Dayton in the finale. The performance represented the fourth multi-homer performance of his career. Kurland had a productive week overall, collecting five hits, five runs scored and seven RBI across four games.
PARKING/SHUTTLES
Fans are encouraged to park at the Fifield and IFAS lots during the weekend. An increased number of shuttles will be available for transportation to the ballpark each day.
* General Parking is available in the primary Condron Family Ballpark baseball lot and the Fifield parking lot located directly across Hull Road.
* Disabled parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the Condron Family Ballpark west lot with a valid Disabled Placard.
* RV Parking is available in the Fifield Flat lot. Reserved RV parking is not available for Florida baseball games. All motor home parking is on a first come, first-served basis.
* On-board generators are permitted, however exterior or pull-along generators are prohibited at all times. For safety reasons, all motor homes/RVs are required to utilize exhaust extensions or "smoke stacks" to channel exhaust fumes to the top of the motor home/RV.
* Overnight stays are only allowed on weekend series in the Fifield Flat lot.
* Do Not Park Illegally
* Park in designated parking spots (Do not park on grass or in No Parking Zones).
* Vehicles are subject to towing if they block streets, sidewalks, service drives, or fire lanes, or if illegally parked in a disabled space.
TRAFFIC PATTERNS ON GAME DAY
Those visiting Condron Family Ballpark on game day should be aware of updated traffic patterns surrounding the ballpark. Fans are advised to utilize Ballpark Way, which will serve as a connecting route to the ballpark from Archer Road.
ON DECK
The Gators host in-state rival Miami in a three-game series this upcoming weekend from Feb. 28-March 2. The opener is set for Friday night at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 8 Florida shifts its attention to a pair of midweek Atlantic Sun Conference opponents as it travels to Stetson on Tuesday before hosting North Florida on Wednesday at Condron Family Ballpark.
Tuesday's matchup against the Hatters in DeLand, Fla. is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Wednesday's meeting with the Ospreys will begin at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
Florida enters with an 86-36 all-time record against Stetson, including a 37-25 road mark. Under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan, the Gators are 11-2 overall and 4-2 on the road in the series. The two teams split a pair of games last season, with each program delivering a victory at home (Stetson 7-4, Florida 13-3).
As for North Florida, the Orange & Blue hold a 21-7 advantage in the series backed by a 16-4 home record. The Gators are 21-5 overall and 16-3 at home against the Ospreys under O'Sullivan, including an active eight-game winning streak and victories in 15 of the last 16 since 2013. That streak included two Gator wins in 2024, one in Jacksonville (10-0) and the other in Gainesville (13-4).
Pitching Matchups
Tuesday | 6:30 ET (ESPN+)
Wednesday | 6:30 ET (SECN+)
Stetson/UNF RHP Dylan Jacobs (1-0, 9.00 ERA)
TBA
Florida RHP Billy Barlow (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
TBA
GATORS IN THE POLLS
Florida jumped from No. 10 to No. 8 in the D1Baseball Top 25 after going 4-0 last week. The Gators are a unanimous top-10 team and are ranked as highly as No. 6 in the country per Baseball America.
SULLY SUPERLATIVES
Coming off the program's 14th trip to the College World Series and second in as many seasons, O'Sullivan enters his 18th campaign. Since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, Florida leads the sport with 290 SEC wins, 37 MLB debuts, 16 NCAA berths (T-1st), 10 top-eight seeds, nine College World Series trips, nine Super Regionals hosted and six SEC titles. The Gators have advanced to nine of the last 14 College World Series overall.
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Picked to win the conference in the Atlantic Sun Preseason Coaches Poll, Stetson is coming off a 41-22 season and its ninth ASUN Championship. The Hatters are 4-3 out of the gates this year highlighted by wins over UConn and Penn State on Opening Weekend. Offensively, Stetson has slashed .251/.370/.397 with eight home runs and 11 steals. As for the pitching staff, the Hatters wield a 5.08 ERA and 67 strikeouts to 28 walks over 62 frames. Defensively, Stetson has committed six errors for a .977 fielding percentage.
OUTLOOK ON THE OSPREYS
North Florida was slotted at seventh out of 12 teams in the ASUN Preseason Poll after going 21-30-1 one year ago. Off to a 6-2 start this season, the Ospreys swept Brown in a four-game set over the weekend in addition to defeating Notre Dame on Feb. 15. As a team, North Florida is batting .336/.436/.541 with nine homers and 10 stolen bases. On the mound, Osprey pitchers have worked to a 4.23 ERA with 74 strikeouts against 32 walks in 66 innings. UNF has fielded at a .948 clip thus far.
SMOKIN' 7-0 START
Florida's 7-0 record to open the season marks the team's best since the 2020 campaign (16-0) and the longest overall since winning eight in a row during the 2023 postseason (June 4-21). Following a 7-0 shutout victory in the season opener, the Gators have won six-straight games while scoring 10-plus runs for the first time in 22 years – since Feb. 19-March 1, 2003. Florida also kicked off the season with consecutive series sweeps for the first time since 2023.
DAYTON DOMINANCE
Posting run-rule wins in all three games of a series for the first time in program history, Florida's sweep of Dayton stood out in more ways than one. The sweep also signified the first time the Gators beat their weekend opponent by double digits in all three games since 2005 vs. Michigan State.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
After seven games, Florida is ranked inside the top-20 teams nationally across a whopping 14 statistical categories, headlined by a nation-leading 15.0 strikeouts per nine innings and 7.31 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Florida ranks second in the country in stolen bases (25), third in walks allowed per nine (2.05), fourth in WHIP (0.81), fifth in ERA (1.42), fifth in slugging percentage (.609), ninth in hits allowed per nine (5.21), ninth in batting average (.357), ninth in sacrifice flies (six), 12th in on-base percentage (.471), 12th in doubles (22), 17th in runs scored (74) and 18th in home runs (12).
PRISTINE PITCHING
Through seven games, UF pitchers have produced a 95-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio. All 22 UF pitching appearances and 53 of 57 innings pitched have featured at least one strikeout. UF pitchers have allowed just nine earned runs on 33 hits and 13 walks on the year, equating to a 1.42 ERA and .166 batting average against.
WORKING THE COUNT
Florida has drawn more walks (39) on the season than strikeouts (37) on top of 16 hit-by-pitches. In Sunday's series finale vs. Dayton alone, the Gators drew 10 walks and only struck out twice.
RUNNING WILD
Florida swiped 11 bags in four games last week, bringing the team's season total to 25 steals in 28 attempts. After seven games, the Gators are 58.1% of the way to reaching their 2024 steals total (43), and have stolen at least one base in every game this season - the first-such streak since 2020. Leading the way for the Gators, who rank second nationally in stolen bases, is outfielder Blake Cyr, who is a perfect 5-for-5 on the season.
LAYING DOWN THE B-LAW
Earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors as a result, rookie infielder Brendan Lawson had a week to remember. Helping lead Florida to a 4-0 record, Lawson drove in a team-high nine runs last week while producing hits and RBI in all four games. Starting every contest at first base, the Toronto, Ontario native went 6-for-15 (.400/.474/.667) and tallied 10 total bases, one home run, one double, four runs scored, two walks and one steal.
Lawson also recorded one RBI and one stolen base in the midweek win against Jacksonville. With his grand slam in the 11-1 mercy-rule win against Dayton on Saturday, the true freshman became the first Gator since Santino Miozzi in 2019 to hit a grand slam as his first-career home run. Lawson, who also finished with a 1.000 fielding percentage across 31 chances last week, is the only Gator to start every game this season and not record an error.
KURLAND COMES THROUGH
Junior second baseman Cade Kurland made the most of his opportunity off the bench on Sunday, belting a pair of two-run home runs, including the game-winning blast to invoke the mercy rule against Dayton in the finale. The performance represented the fourth multi-homer performance of his career. Kurland had a productive week overall, collecting five hits, five runs scored and seven RBI across four games.
PARKING/SHUTTLES
Fans are encouraged to park at the Fifield and IFAS lots during the weekend. An increased number of shuttles will be available for transportation to the ballpark each day.
* General Parking is available in the primary Condron Family Ballpark baseball lot and the Fifield parking lot located directly across Hull Road.
* Disabled parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the Condron Family Ballpark west lot with a valid Disabled Placard.
* RV Parking is available in the Fifield Flat lot. Reserved RV parking is not available for Florida baseball games. All motor home parking is on a first come, first-served basis.
* On-board generators are permitted, however exterior or pull-along generators are prohibited at all times. For safety reasons, all motor homes/RVs are required to utilize exhaust extensions or "smoke stacks" to channel exhaust fumes to the top of the motor home/RV.
* Overnight stays are only allowed on weekend series in the Fifield Flat lot.
* Do Not Park Illegally
* Park in designated parking spots (Do not park on grass or in No Parking Zones).
* Vehicles are subject to towing if they block streets, sidewalks, service drives, or fire lanes, or if illegally parked in a disabled space.
TRAFFIC PATTERNS ON GAME DAY
Those visiting Condron Family Ballpark on game day should be aware of updated traffic patterns surrounding the ballpark. Fans are advised to utilize Ballpark Way, which will serve as a connecting route to the ballpark from Archer Road.
ON DECK
The Gators host in-state rival Miami in a three-game series this upcoming weekend from Feb. 28-March 2. The opener is set for Friday night at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
