Florida Pops Five Homers in Exhibition Win Over USF

Friday, October 16

Tampa, Fla.

6:30 PM

Florida Gators

South Florida

Drew Dickerson (center) celebrates his second-inning home run with Tyler Ellis (left) and Brady Harris (right) during the Gators' win over the Bulls at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. / UAA Communications photo by Ethan Caruso

Florida Pops Five Homers in Exhibition Win Over USF

Friday, October 16, 2026 | Baseball

Ethan Surowiec and Drew Dickerson homered twice on top of a big fly from Caden McDonald.

By: Sullivan Bortner

TAMPA, Fla. – Florida hammered five home runs in the first three innings to slug through South Florida, 10-6, in a fall exhibition contest at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Friday night.

Ethan Surowiec (2-for-3) and Drew Dickerson (2-for-2) both left the yard in their first two at bats to deliver multi-homer efforts while Caden McDonald (2-for-3) belted one of his own. Dickerson drove in a team-high four runs followed by Surowiec with three, capped off by a two-run, two-RBI game from rookie Brady Harris (1-for-3). Jon Embury (2-for-3) also chipped in a pair of hits including one double and scored one run.

Following a delayed start of one hour due to weather, Florida starting pitcher Aidan King got to work with a clean top half of the first punctuated by two strikeouts. The Gators then struck with back-to-back, two-out home runs in the bottom of the frame, as Surowiec and McDonald drilled opposite-field shots over the right-field wall to open a 2-0 UF lead.

The two teams then exchanged blows in the second, as the Bulls briefly moved in front on a three-run homer off the bat of Joey Brenczewski. The advantage was short-lived as Dickerson uncorked a two-run moonshot over the left-field wall to put the Gators back in front, 4-3.

Right-hander Jackson Barberi worked around a bases-loaded jam in the third to keep the UF lead intact, fanning two batters in the process. That opened the door for the Gators to explode for six more runs in the home half, beginning with Surowiec's second homer in as many at bats – a two-run, opposite-field blast to extend the UF advantage to 6-3. With two outs in the inning, Harris produced a two-run single to left-center while Dickerson matched Surowiec with his second homer of the night by mashing 427-foot, two-run tank to make it 10-3 in favor of Florida through three.

In the top of the fourth, freshman southpaw Carter Cox struck out two to navigate around a pair of Bulls in scoring position. South Florida got one run back in the fifth on an RBI single to right by Jackson Mirza to cut the UF lead to 10-4.

After Schuyler Sandford tossed a one-two-three frame in the sixth, the Bulls made it a 10-5 ballgame in the seventh on a solo homer to right-center from Jack Lutz. The Gators called on rookie righty Ethan Wheeler to mop up a two-out, bases loaded jam later in the inning to escape further damage.

South Florida loaded the bases with one-out on a trio of walk in the eighth, plating one run on a sacrifice fly to right-center from Jackson Beach. That would mark the extent of the scoring for the Bulls, as right-hander Caden McDonald swiftly retired the side in order in the top of the ninth while striking out one batter.

Playing out the bottom half of the ninth, freshman Braylen Montgomery laced a one-out double to left-center field but was left stranded in the final frame.

Barberi was credited with the victory, firing one scoreless inning on one hit, two walks and two strikeouts. Bulls right-hander Peyton Miller was saddled with the loss, allowing two earned runs on two hits and one strikeout in one frame.

King received a no-decision in his start, throwing one perfect inning with two strikeouts. USF starting pitcher Eli Blair also did not factor into the decision despite surrendering two earned runs on two hits in one frame. He struck out one.

NOTABLES

Florida homered five times and scored 10 runs in the first three innings.
Earning the start, King pitched a clean frame highlighted by two strikeouts in his lone frame.
Surowiec and McDonald connected for back-to-back, opposite field homers with two outs in the first inning.
Dickerson launched his first unofficial home run in Orange & Blue in the second inning.
Surowiec and Dickerson recorded two-homer games, hitting long balls in each of their first-two at bats.
Surowiec finished 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI and one walk.
Dickerson went 2-for-2 with two home runs, a team-high four RBI and one walk.
Nine Gators worked single innings on the mound, highlighted by six with scoreless outings and five that struck out multiple batters.
King, Sandford and McDonald worked clean innings.
The Gators have won nine-straight fall ball exhibitions since 2022.
Florida last faced South Florida in fall ball on Nov. 10, 2024, defeating the Bulls, 5-2, in 14 innings of action.
Weather delayed the start time one hour to 7:30 p.m.

ON DECK
The Gators hit the road for another neutral-site battle against Troy in Pensacola, Fla. on Saturday, Oct. 24. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET with tickets still available for purchase.