Tuesday, February 24
Gainesville, Fla.
6:30 PM
Florida Gators
vs
FIU
The Gators huddle up in the outfield prior to Florida's game against Kennesaw State on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Fla. / UAA Communications photo by Madilyn Gemme
No. 10 Florida Shifts Focus to Two-Game Set with FIU
Monday, February 23, 2026 | Baseball
Florida and FIU face off on the diamond for the first time since May 5, 1998 - an 11-3 UF victory in Gainesville.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Riding a seven-game winning streak, the No. 10 Florida Gators are set to host FIU for the first time in 28 years as the Panthers come to town for a two-game midweek set.
The first matchup is set for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. while game two is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. Both contests will air on SEC Network+.
Florida and FIU last met in Gainesville in 1998 (W, 11-3) while the first-ever meeting was claimed by the Gators at home on April 27, 1977 (W, 14-13). The two teams did not play again until Feb. 25, 1990 in Miami, Fla. (L, 3-1). As Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan prepares to face the Panthers for the first time in his 19-year tenure, the Gators have recent history on their side with a dominant 29-5 record in regular-season, non-conference play dating back to last season.
Pitching Matchups
CHECKING OUR POLLS
The Gators moved up two spots this week to sit at No. 10 in the D1Baseball Top 25. Florida is ranked as highly as No. 8 nationally at Perfect Game while coming in at No. 10 and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and Baseball America Top 25, respectively.
THAT WAS A HOOT
Coming into the midweek red hot, Florida posted a dominant sweep of Kennesaw State (9-3, 11-0, 12-9) over the weekend, who was picked to finish third in Conference USA. The Gators outscored the Owls, 32-12, highlighted by a seven-inning, run-rule victory in game two. Florida racked up 35 hits including 11 extra-base knocks while working 17 walks and six hit-by-pitches against 22 strikeouts. On the mound, UF hurlers held KSU to a .217 batting average while fanning 30 batters to nine free passes.
PASSING THE BATON
Across Saturday and Sunday against Kennesaw State, the Gators combined for 23 runs in 14 offensive innings without hitting a homer. Instead of relying on the long ball, Florida utilized 25 base hits including seven doubles on top of three sacrifice flies while driving in 20 runs in two games. On Saturday, all nine UF starters finished with a hit featuring six who logged hits in the first inning. In Sunday's finale, eight Gators scored runs, seven had hits and seven drove in runs as Florida scored in seven-straight innings (second-through-eighth).
PANTHER PREP
FIU is off to a 6-2 start this season after taking three of four at home against Holy Cross over the weekend. The Panthers dropped the series finale in a 20-17 slugfest. Through eight games, FIU is batting .261/.418/.493 with 15 home runs and seven stolen bases in eight attempts. The Panthers have struggled a bit on the mound, working to a 6.00 ERA, .247 batting average against and 76-to-46 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 75.0 innings. FIU is fielded at a .967 clip with 10 errors on the season.
MIDWEEK MAGIC
By taking two-of-two from Stetson last week, Florida is 14-2 in midweek play dating back to last season. The Gators started 8-0 in home midweek contests in 2025 before dropping their final home midweek game of the season to USF. Since 2025, Florida is outscoring midweek opponents, 132-to-69.
RUNNING THE STATE
Tuesday and Wednesday represent Florida's third and fourth games of the season against another team from the state of Florida. In 18 games against in-state competition since 2025, Florida is 14-4 featuring wins against Stetson (four), Jacksonville (two), North Florida (two), Miami (two), Florida State (two), Florida Atlantic and Florida A&M.
EARLY & OFTEN
Making a trend out of scoring early this season, Florida has outscored its opponents by a 37-7 margin in the first two innings of games. The Gators have plated 19 first-inning runs to opponents' seven while utterly dominating the second frame to the tune of an 18-0 tally. Florida's next-highest-scoring inning is the fifth at 10 runs. Having scored in the first two innings of all eight games, the Gators are 6-0 when they cross home plate before their opposition.
MR. JONES (AND US)
Redshirt sophomore outfielder Kyle Jones continues to be the catalyst for a staunch UF batting order, as he has led off six of eight games with hits for the Orange & Blue. Five of Jones' six leadoff knocks have been doubles, leading the SEC and sitting t-second nationally with six two-baggers on the season. Leading off games, Jones is hitting .750 (6-for-8) with four doubles, five runs, and two stolen bases. He has led off 10 total innings with hits for a .588 batting average (10-for-17). Slashing .500/.541/.781, Jones leads the Gators in batting average, hits (16), runs (14), at bats (32) and steals (two).
McNEILLIE'S MIDWEEK
Junior right-handed pitcher Luke McNeillie will take the mound for the second time this season on Tuesday night, earning the starting nod against the Panthers. In his lone appearance of the campaign against Stetson on Feb. 18, McNeillie pitched two shutout innings on two hits and two strikeouts to earn the win in a controlled start.
MURDERER'S ROW
Entering the midweek, Florida boasts five qualified hitters with an OPS above 1.160 in shortstop Brendan Lawson (1.455), Jones (1.322), rookie outfielder Cash Strayer (1.291), outfielder Blake Cyr (1.229) and corner infielder Ethan Surowiec (1.229). Catcher Cole Stanford (1.144) wields gaudy numbers but is five at bats shy of qualifying while fellow backstop Karson Bowen (.972) and second baseman Cade Kurland (.851) find themselves over .850.
COME ON BARBIE, LET'S GO PARTY
Although he did not toe the slab until Kennesaw State series finale due to illness, right-hander Jackson Barberi came up clutch in game three in the form of 2 1/3 shutout relief frames to record the victory. Across two appearances last week against Stetson and KSU, the sophomore tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings on three hits, one walk and five strikeouts. On the season, Barberi totes a 1.50 ERA, .136 batting average against and nine strikeouts to three walks over six innings pitched.
THE LAW DOG
As Baseball America's top-ranked college player for the 2027 MLB Draft, Lawson has played every inning at shortstop for the Gators through eight contests. The Canadian sophomore has provided instant returns on his pedigree, logging three multi-hit contests and three multi-RBI performances while pacing Florida in on-base percentage (.622), slugging percentage (.833), OPS (1.455), walks (10) and steals (two). The second-year slugger has driven in three game-winning runs already this year while sporting more free passes than strikeouts (six).
DESTINATION OMAHA
Coming off the program's 17th-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, O'Sullivan is in his 19th campaign at the helm of the Gators. Since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, Florida leads the sport with 305 SEC wins, 41 MLB debuts, 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 15 College World Series overall – by far the most in the sport.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets and SEC Five-Pack Mini-Plans are currently on sale now in addition to single-game tickets. Tickets can be purchased online or by contacting the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683.
MOBILE TICKETING & FLORIDA GATORS APP
As a reminder, mobile ticketing is required. There will be two ways to access your tickets:
1) through the Florida Gators app from your mobile device or
2) through FloridaGators.com/myaccount. Fans will also be able to transfer or donate their tickets easily within the app or online.
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.
Click HERE for a Parking map.
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. For departures, a postgame traffic flow pattern guide can be found here.
BALLPARK PURCHASES
Condron Family Ballpark food and beverage sales are fully cashless. For convenience and to improve speed of service, all concession stands will only accept credit cards, debit cards, or touchless payment with smartphones. Fans with cash can stop at the first base Concession Stand to exchange cash for a Gift Card. Gift Cards can be used at any concession stand within Condron Family Ballpark.
ON DECK
The Gators travel to Coral Gables, Fla. for a three-games series at No. 17 Miami this weekend. The series will begin on Friday night at 7 p.m. on ACC Network.
Follow the Gators
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The first matchup is set for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. while game two is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. Both contests will air on SEC Network+.
Florida and FIU last met in Gainesville in 1998 (W, 11-3) while the first-ever meeting was claimed by the Gators at home on April 27, 1977 (W, 14-13). The two teams did not play again until Feb. 25, 1990 in Miami, Fla. (L, 3-1). As Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan prepares to face the Panthers for the first time in his 19-year tenure, the Gators have recent history on their side with a dominant 29-5 record in regular-season, non-conference play dating back to last season.
Pitching Matchups
| Tuesday | 6:30 ET (SECN+) | Wednesday | 6 ET (SECN+) | |
|---|---|---|
| FIU | RHP Quin McManmon (0-0, 2.45 ERA) | TBA |
| Florida | RHP Luke McNeillie (1-0, 0.00 ERA) | TBA |
| Links | WATCH | LISTEN | WATCH | LISTEN |
CHECKING OUR POLLS
The Gators moved up two spots this week to sit at No. 10 in the D1Baseball Top 25. Florida is ranked as highly as No. 8 nationally at Perfect Game while coming in at No. 10 and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and Baseball America Top 25, respectively.
THAT WAS A HOOT
Coming into the midweek red hot, Florida posted a dominant sweep of Kennesaw State (9-3, 11-0, 12-9) over the weekend, who was picked to finish third in Conference USA. The Gators outscored the Owls, 32-12, highlighted by a seven-inning, run-rule victory in game two. Florida racked up 35 hits including 11 extra-base knocks while working 17 walks and six hit-by-pitches against 22 strikeouts. On the mound, UF hurlers held KSU to a .217 batting average while fanning 30 batters to nine free passes.
PASSING THE BATON
Across Saturday and Sunday against Kennesaw State, the Gators combined for 23 runs in 14 offensive innings without hitting a homer. Instead of relying on the long ball, Florida utilized 25 base hits including seven doubles on top of three sacrifice flies while driving in 20 runs in two games. On Saturday, all nine UF starters finished with a hit featuring six who logged hits in the first inning. In Sunday's finale, eight Gators scored runs, seven had hits and seven drove in runs as Florida scored in seven-straight innings (second-through-eighth).
PANTHER PREP
FIU is off to a 6-2 start this season after taking three of four at home against Holy Cross over the weekend. The Panthers dropped the series finale in a 20-17 slugfest. Through eight games, FIU is batting .261/.418/.493 with 15 home runs and seven stolen bases in eight attempts. The Panthers have struggled a bit on the mound, working to a 6.00 ERA, .247 batting average against and 76-to-46 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 75.0 innings. FIU is fielded at a .967 clip with 10 errors on the season.
MIDWEEK MAGIC
By taking two-of-two from Stetson last week, Florida is 14-2 in midweek play dating back to last season. The Gators started 8-0 in home midweek contests in 2025 before dropping their final home midweek game of the season to USF. Since 2025, Florida is outscoring midweek opponents, 132-to-69.
RUNNING THE STATE
Tuesday and Wednesday represent Florida's third and fourth games of the season against another team from the state of Florida. In 18 games against in-state competition since 2025, Florida is 14-4 featuring wins against Stetson (four), Jacksonville (two), North Florida (two), Miami (two), Florida State (two), Florida Atlantic and Florida A&M.
EARLY & OFTEN
Making a trend out of scoring early this season, Florida has outscored its opponents by a 37-7 margin in the first two innings of games. The Gators have plated 19 first-inning runs to opponents' seven while utterly dominating the second frame to the tune of an 18-0 tally. Florida's next-highest-scoring inning is the fifth at 10 runs. Having scored in the first two innings of all eight games, the Gators are 6-0 when they cross home plate before their opposition.
MR. JONES (AND US)
Redshirt sophomore outfielder Kyle Jones continues to be the catalyst for a staunch UF batting order, as he has led off six of eight games with hits for the Orange & Blue. Five of Jones' six leadoff knocks have been doubles, leading the SEC and sitting t-second nationally with six two-baggers on the season. Leading off games, Jones is hitting .750 (6-for-8) with four doubles, five runs, and two stolen bases. He has led off 10 total innings with hits for a .588 batting average (10-for-17). Slashing .500/.541/.781, Jones leads the Gators in batting average, hits (16), runs (14), at bats (32) and steals (two).
McNEILLIE'S MIDWEEK
Junior right-handed pitcher Luke McNeillie will take the mound for the second time this season on Tuesday night, earning the starting nod against the Panthers. In his lone appearance of the campaign against Stetson on Feb. 18, McNeillie pitched two shutout innings on two hits and two strikeouts to earn the win in a controlled start.
MURDERER'S ROW
Entering the midweek, Florida boasts five qualified hitters with an OPS above 1.160 in shortstop Brendan Lawson (1.455), Jones (1.322), rookie outfielder Cash Strayer (1.291), outfielder Blake Cyr (1.229) and corner infielder Ethan Surowiec (1.229). Catcher Cole Stanford (1.144) wields gaudy numbers but is five at bats shy of qualifying while fellow backstop Karson Bowen (.972) and second baseman Cade Kurland (.851) find themselves over .850.
COME ON BARBIE, LET'S GO PARTY
Although he did not toe the slab until Kennesaw State series finale due to illness, right-hander Jackson Barberi came up clutch in game three in the form of 2 1/3 shutout relief frames to record the victory. Across two appearances last week against Stetson and KSU, the sophomore tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings on three hits, one walk and five strikeouts. On the season, Barberi totes a 1.50 ERA, .136 batting average against and nine strikeouts to three walks over six innings pitched.
THE LAW DOG
As Baseball America's top-ranked college player for the 2027 MLB Draft, Lawson has played every inning at shortstop for the Gators through eight contests. The Canadian sophomore has provided instant returns on his pedigree, logging three multi-hit contests and three multi-RBI performances while pacing Florida in on-base percentage (.622), slugging percentage (.833), OPS (1.455), walks (10) and steals (two). The second-year slugger has driven in three game-winning runs already this year while sporting more free passes than strikeouts (six).
DESTINATION OMAHA
Coming off the program's 17th-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, O'Sullivan is in his 19th campaign at the helm of the Gators. Since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, Florida leads the sport with 305 SEC wins, 41 MLB debuts, 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 15 College World Series overall – by far the most in the sport.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets and SEC Five-Pack Mini-Plans are currently on sale now in addition to single-game tickets. Tickets can be purchased online or by contacting the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683.
MOBILE TICKETING & FLORIDA GATORS APP
As a reminder, mobile ticketing is required. There will be two ways to access your tickets:
1) through the Florida Gators app from your mobile device or
2) through FloridaGators.com/myaccount. Fans will also be able to transfer or donate their tickets easily within the app or online.
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.
Click HERE for a Parking map.
- General Parking is available in the west 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.
- Fans can follow this link to an interactive parking map.
- 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. For departures, a postgame traffic flow pattern guide can be found here.
BALLPARK PURCHASES
Condron Family Ballpark food and beverage sales are fully cashless. For convenience and to improve speed of service, all concession stands will only accept credit cards, debit cards, or touchless payment with smartphones. Fans with cash can stop at the first base Concession Stand to exchange cash for a Gift Card. Gift Cards can be used at any concession stand within Condron Family Ballpark.
ON DECK
The Gators travel to Coral Gables, Fla. for a three-games series at No. 17 Miami this weekend. The series will begin on Friday night at 7 p.m. on ACC Network.
Follow the Gators
#GoGators
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