Three Takeaways from Florida’s series win vs. Miami
Hector
The Florida Gators had another great weekend series in their first big test of the 2025 season. The Gators hosted in-state rival, the Miami Hurricanes, and took two out of three games. The Florida-Miami baseball all-time series record is now tied at 136-136-1.
Florida’s pitching had an up-and-down weekend series. While Florida pitched well in the first two games, the pitching staff struggled in the series finale. One pitcher stood out in the series and could play a larger role soon. Here are three takeaways from Florida’s series win versus Miami.
Aidan King named SEC Pitcher of the Week
True freshman right-handed pitcher Aidan King shined in his two outings last week. King was especially huge for the Gators in the Miami series. King was called upon when Florida lost their starting pitcher, Pierce Coppola, due to injury.
The Sunshine State native had two dominant performances last week versus Stetson and Miami. Against the Stetson Hatters, King pitched three innings, allowing no hits, no runs, no walks, and four strikeouts.
In the relief appearance versus Miami, King replaced the injured Coppola and silenced a dangerous lineup. The Jacksonville native threw 3.1 innings, allowing one hit, no runs, one walk, and three strikeouts. If Coppola is unavailable this weekend, King should take his place in Florida’s weekend rotation.
2. Who replaces Cade Kurland?
Pierce Coppola wasn’t the only Florida Gator injured in Saturday’s game. Junior second baseman Cade Kurland injured his shoulder in the first inning and didn’t return to the game. Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan revealed to the media that Kurland suffered a dislocated shoulder.
There’s no timetable for when Kurland will return, but Florida needs to find a replacement at second base. Luckily, Florida has some quality options on the bench and could mix and match at second base until Kurland can return.
Jacksonville transfer Justin Nadeau and Texas Tech transfer Landon Stripling are the likely candidates to take over for Kurland. Nadeau has played in eight games and started in seven. He’s slashing .429/.520/.476 with nine hits, four RBIs, and a .996 OPS. Stripling has played in seven games and started in six. He’s slashing .348/.407/.522 with eight hits, one double, one home run, seven RBIs, and a .929 OPS.
3. Keep a short memory
While Florida won the series versus Miami, the series finale was a forgettable performance for the Gators. Florida jumped ahead with a 4-0 lead, but things took a turn. The pitching staff struggled to throw strikes and Florida’s offense went cold. Miami took advantage and broke the game open in the middle frames. The Hurricanes avoided getting swept and also ruined Florida’s perfect record.
While it’s important for the Gators to learn from their mistakes on Sunday, it’s even more important not to let one bad performance carry over into this week. The Gators have a very talented, deep roster that’s capable of making a run in the College World Series.
Every good team has a bad game and loses in a game they shouldn’t have. However, the best teams are able to learn from their mistakes and keep moving forward. The Gators were bound to have a bad performance like they did on Sunday, and it’ll likely happen again at some point this season. Baseball is a game of failure, and there’s no more important lesson than keeping a short memory.
Hector
The Florida Gators had another great weekend series in their first big test of the 2025 season. The Gators hosted in-state rival, the Miami Hurricanes, and took two out of three games. The Florida-Miami baseball all-time series record is now tied at 136-136-1.
Florida’s pitching had an up-and-down weekend series. While Florida pitched well in the first two games, the pitching staff struggled in the series finale. One pitcher stood out in the series and could play a larger role soon. Here are three takeaways from Florida’s series win versus Miami.
Aidan King named SEC Pitcher of the Week
True freshman right-handed pitcher Aidan King shined in his two outings last week. King was especially huge for the Gators in the Miami series. King was called upon when Florida lost their starting pitcher, Pierce Coppola, due to injury.
The Sunshine State native had two dominant performances last week versus Stetson and Miami. Against the Stetson Hatters, King pitched three innings, allowing no hits, no runs, no walks, and four strikeouts.
In the relief appearance versus Miami, King replaced the injured Coppola and silenced a dangerous lineup. The Jacksonville native threw 3.1 innings, allowing one hit, no runs, one walk, and three strikeouts. If Coppola is unavailable this weekend, King should take his place in Florida’s weekend rotation.
2. Who replaces Cade Kurland?
Pierce Coppola wasn’t the only Florida Gator injured in Saturday’s game. Junior second baseman Cade Kurland injured his shoulder in the first inning and didn’t return to the game. Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan revealed to the media that Kurland suffered a dislocated shoulder.
There’s no timetable for when Kurland will return, but Florida needs to find a replacement at second base. Luckily, Florida has some quality options on the bench and could mix and match at second base until Kurland can return.
Jacksonville transfer Justin Nadeau and Texas Tech transfer Landon Stripling are the likely candidates to take over for Kurland. Nadeau has played in eight games and started in seven. He’s slashing .429/.520/.476 with nine hits, four RBIs, and a .996 OPS. Stripling has played in seven games and started in six. He’s slashing .348/.407/.522 with eight hits, one double, one home run, seven RBIs, and a .929 OPS.
3. Keep a short memory
While Florida won the series versus Miami, the series finale was a forgettable performance for the Gators. Florida jumped ahead with a 4-0 lead, but things took a turn. The pitching staff struggled to throw strikes and Florida’s offense went cold. Miami took advantage and broke the game open in the middle frames. The Hurricanes avoided getting swept and also ruined Florida’s perfect record.
While it’s important for the Gators to learn from their mistakes on Sunday, it’s even more important not to let one bad performance carry over into this week. The Gators have a very talented, deep roster that’s capable of making a run in the College World Series.
Every good team has a bad game and loses in a game they shouldn’t have. However, the best teams are able to learn from their mistakes and keep moving forward. The Gators were bound to have a bad performance like they did on Sunday, and it’ll likely happen again at some point this season. Baseball is a game of failure, and there’s no more important lesson than keeping a short memory.
