Friday, March 13
Gainesville, Fla.
6:30 PM
Florida Gators
vs
South Carolina
The Gators celebrate a Brendan Lawson home run during their game against the Florida State Seminoles on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Fla. / UAA Communications photo by Hannah White
SEC Opener Pits No. 23 Florida Against Rival South Carolina
Thursday, March 12, 2026 | Baseball
The Gators reclaimed the all-time series lead in 2025 by sweeping the Gamecocks in Columbia for the first time since 1996 and outscoring them, 39-8.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Southeastern Conference play is primed to begin this weekend as the No. 23 Florida Gators host rival South Carolina in a three-game set.
The series opens on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+, which will carry all three contests.
After reclaiming the all-time series lead last season for the first time since 2021 with a sweep of the Gamecocks (12-6) in Columbia, Florida (15-3) sits at 57-56 overall and 32-18 at home in the all-time series. Highlighted by an active four-game win streak, the Gators are 36-24 including 19-7 at home against South Carolina under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan.
Florida has won 32 of their last 40 regular-season games dating back to last season and has claimed a league-best, six-straight SEC series.
Pitching Matchups
CHECKING OUR POLLS
After playing to a 3-2 record last week, the Gators fell to No. 23 in the D1Baseball Top 25. Florida is still ranked as highly as No. 18 nationally in the USA Today Coaches Poll while coming in at No. 23 according to both Baseball America and Perfect Game.
SERIES PROMOTIONS & GIVEAWAYS
Some of the biggest giveaways of the 2026 season are on deck for the South Carolina series this weekend. On Friday night, the first 500 students will be gifted with Florida fishing shirts along with an appearance from The Dazzlers and a live DJ. There will be a balloon artist for kids on Saturday, followed by another premium giveaway for game three. The second installment of the Single-Season Sluggers Bobblehead Series will be rolled out, as the first 1,000 fans will receive Matt LaPorta bobbleheads. There will also be a face painter and Kids-Run-the-Bases for the series finale.
FOOD TRUCKS
There will be two food trucks located in the Dizney Grove area beyond the outfield wall on each day of the weekend series.
Friday: Mayflower, Domi Ice
Saturday: Honey Nitro, Mi Apa
Sunday: Summer Freeze, Sweet Meat
GAUGING THE GAMECOCKS
Following a Tuesday loss to Citadel, South Carolina is 12-6 on the season including a 1-2 mark in away games. Offensively, the Gamecocks have swatted 25 home runs and stolen six bags in 14 attempts while slashing .283/.376/.498. As a pitching staff, South Carolina owns a 3.52 ERA and .225 batting average against to pair with a 180-to-68 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Having committed 24 errors in 18 contests, the Gamecocks are fielding at a .963 clip.
THERE'S NOLE PLACE LIKE HOME
Fresh off a top-25 victory on Tuesday over in-state rival No. 20 Florida State, Florida improved to 7-0 in midweek action and 3-0 vs. ranked opponents while striking out a season-high 18 batters - the team's most against the Seminoles in a game this century. The Gators recorded their final 11 outs via the strikeout, as relievers Jackson Barberi and Joshua Whritenour each fanned five-consecutive hitters. The latter recorded his second save of the season to power Florida to its 25th victory in the last 33 meetings with FSU.
KINGS OF THE SEC
Repping more SEC victories (305) and SEC Championships (six) than any other team in the league since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, the Gators have won six-straight SEC series entering Opening Weekend. Despite having their conference-best, nine-series win streak snapped last weekend against High Point, Florida's six-series SEC win streak remains twice as long as any other school in the league.
MORE SEC TIDBITS
Starting conference play with a 1-11 record before rallying to finish 15-15 and securing a No. 2 Regional seed one year ago, Florida became the first-ever SEC team to reach the NCAA Tournament after starting league play 2-10 or worse since 1992 expansion. The Gators won 14 of their final 18 SEC tilts while claiming six-straight series victories. In the last 18 SEC games, Florida pitchers more than cut their ERA in half at an SEC-best 3.76 while producing a .228 batting average against and 197-to-71 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 153.0 frames. The offense exploded in that time, slashing .296/.406/.500 with 26 homers and 32 stolen bases.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Florida sits among the top teams in the country in a plethora of statistical categories, ranking third in shutouts thrown (three), 17th in double plays turned (16) and strikeouts per nine (11.5), 18th in strikeout-to-walk ratio, 23rd in hits (183) and home runs (27), 24th in sacrifice flies (11), 25th in doubles (38), 27th in runs scored (153), 29th in ERA (3.44), 30th in slugging percentage (.525) and 32nd in walks allowed per nine (3.38).
JONESIN' TO GET GOING
Ranking top-30 nationally in hits (28), runs (23) and doubles (eight), center fielder Kyle Jones has led off nine of the 17 games he has started with a hit for a .529 batting average. Six of his nine leadoff knocks have gone for extra bases (one homer, five doubles), propelling Jones to eight runs after reaching via his leadoff at bat. Leading off any inning of the game, Jones is batting .457 (16-for-35), lifting him to a.389/.451/.611 overall slash line. Jones leads the Gators in at bats (72), runs, hits, doubles, steals (four) and multi-hit games (10) on top of 18 RBI despite having led off 35 innings.
THE MOOSE IS LOOSE
With three homers in the last two games, shortstop Brendan Lawson leads the Orange & Blue in long balls (nine) and RBI (26) as well as every slash category (.421/.598/1.018). Having reached base in all 18 games this season, the Canadian sophomore is seventh in the country in slugging, ninth in total bases (58), 11th in walks (19), 12th in home runs and 23rd in RBI while leading the SEC and sitting ninth nationally in on-base percentage. Lawson's seven multi-RBI efforts pace the squad and his seven multi-hit games are tied for second with rookie outfielder Cash Strayer behind Jones.
THE ONE-TWO PUNCH
Florida's starting pitching tandem of right-handers Liam Peterson and Aidan King has largely lived up to their billing through four turns in the rotation. Still yet to allow an earned run, King has worked 17 1/3 innings backed by a 2-1 record, 0.00 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and .250 batting average against on top of 17 strikeouts against just two walks. The sophomore standout is responsible for both of Florida's quality starts while Peterson has fanned a team-best 34 batters over 19 1/3 innings – good for the 12th-most strikeouts in the nation and translating to 15.8 per nine innings. The junior ace has struck out at least 11 hitters twice in four starts while taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his most-recent outing vs. High Point. Peterson totes a 3.72 ERA and .167 batting average against into the SEC opener.
WHRITE'S OUT
Reaching up to 100 mph on the mound, Whritenour has fired 9.0 scoreless innings to begin his career, highlighted by 15 strikeouts, four hits allowed and three walks. The right-handed flamethrower is coming off his second save in as many chances, striking out all five batters he faced to lock down Tuesday's win over Florida State. Going back two appearances, Whritenour has fanned six-consecutive hitters entering the weekend. He has recorded the final out for Florida in six of his seven outings and wields a 0.78 WHIP and .133 batting average against.
OH, WHAT A RELIEF IT IS!
In addition to Whritenour's fiery start, southpaw Ernesto Lugo-Canchola and Barberi help form an elite trio out of the UF bullpen. All three hurlers boast sub-3.00 ERAs and are holding opposing hitters below a .175 batting average while combining for 37.0 innings pitched, 23 appearances, a 0.97 WHIP and 57 strikeouts to 14 walks. Lugo-Canchola has made a team-high nine appearances spanning 14 1/3 frames with a 0.63 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and .173 BAA while Barberi has thrown 13 2/3 innings over seven outings for a 2.63 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and .163 BAA.
FEAR THE CYR
Expected to return to the lineup from a four-game absence, outfielder Blake Cyr will provide an instant boost to the UF batting order. He ranks third on the team behind Lawson and Jones in hitting (.365), slugging (.596) and runs scored (17) on top of a .429 on-base percentage, three homers and 12 RBI. Cyr also reps a team-high three sacrifice flies and four stolen bases, as he has yet to be thrown out this year.
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
Florida wraps up its 10-game homestand with a Tuesday matchup against Stetson at 6:30 p.m. before traveling to Alabama for a three-game series from March 20-22.
Follow the Gators
#GoGators
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
The series opens on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+, which will carry all three contests.
After reclaiming the all-time series lead last season for the first time since 2021 with a sweep of the Gamecocks (12-6) in Columbia, Florida (15-3) sits at 57-56 overall and 32-18 at home in the all-time series. Highlighted by an active four-game win streak, the Gators are 36-24 including 19-7 at home against South Carolina under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan.
Florida has won 32 of their last 40 regular-season games dating back to last season and has claimed a league-best, six-straight SEC series.
Pitching Matchups
| Friday | 6:30 ET (SECN+) | Saturday | 6:30 ET (SECN+) | Sunday | 1 ET (SECN+) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | RHP Josh Gunther (2-0, 4.91 ERA) | RHP Amp Phillips (2-1, 3.50 ERA) | TBA |
| Florida | RHP Liam Peterson (1-0, 3.72 ERA) | RHP Aidan King (2-1, 0.00 ERA) | RHP Cooper Walls (2-0, 4.50 ERA) |
| Links | WATCH | LISTEN | WATCH | LISTEN | WATCH | LISTEN |
CHECKING OUR POLLS
After playing to a 3-2 record last week, the Gators fell to No. 23 in the D1Baseball Top 25. Florida is still ranked as highly as No. 18 nationally in the USA Today Coaches Poll while coming in at No. 23 according to both Baseball America and Perfect Game.
SERIES PROMOTIONS & GIVEAWAYS
Some of the biggest giveaways of the 2026 season are on deck for the South Carolina series this weekend. On Friday night, the first 500 students will be gifted with Florida fishing shirts along with an appearance from The Dazzlers and a live DJ. There will be a balloon artist for kids on Saturday, followed by another premium giveaway for game three. The second installment of the Single-Season Sluggers Bobblehead Series will be rolled out, as the first 1,000 fans will receive Matt LaPorta bobbleheads. There will also be a face painter and Kids-Run-the-Bases for the series finale.
FOOD TRUCKS
There will be two food trucks located in the Dizney Grove area beyond the outfield wall on each day of the weekend series.
Friday: Mayflower, Domi Ice
Saturday: Honey Nitro, Mi Apa
Sunday: Summer Freeze, Sweet Meat
GAUGING THE GAMECOCKS
Following a Tuesday loss to Citadel, South Carolina is 12-6 on the season including a 1-2 mark in away games. Offensively, the Gamecocks have swatted 25 home runs and stolen six bags in 14 attempts while slashing .283/.376/.498. As a pitching staff, South Carolina owns a 3.52 ERA and .225 batting average against to pair with a 180-to-68 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Having committed 24 errors in 18 contests, the Gamecocks are fielding at a .963 clip.
THERE'S NOLE PLACE LIKE HOME
Fresh off a top-25 victory on Tuesday over in-state rival No. 20 Florida State, Florida improved to 7-0 in midweek action and 3-0 vs. ranked opponents while striking out a season-high 18 batters - the team's most against the Seminoles in a game this century. The Gators recorded their final 11 outs via the strikeout, as relievers Jackson Barberi and Joshua Whritenour each fanned five-consecutive hitters. The latter recorded his second save of the season to power Florida to its 25th victory in the last 33 meetings with FSU.
KINGS OF THE SEC
Repping more SEC victories (305) and SEC Championships (six) than any other team in the league since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, the Gators have won six-straight SEC series entering Opening Weekend. Despite having their conference-best, nine-series win streak snapped last weekend against High Point, Florida's six-series SEC win streak remains twice as long as any other school in the league.
MORE SEC TIDBITS
Starting conference play with a 1-11 record before rallying to finish 15-15 and securing a No. 2 Regional seed one year ago, Florida became the first-ever SEC team to reach the NCAA Tournament after starting league play 2-10 or worse since 1992 expansion. The Gators won 14 of their final 18 SEC tilts while claiming six-straight series victories. In the last 18 SEC games, Florida pitchers more than cut their ERA in half at an SEC-best 3.76 while producing a .228 batting average against and 197-to-71 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 153.0 frames. The offense exploded in that time, slashing .296/.406/.500 with 26 homers and 32 stolen bases.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Florida sits among the top teams in the country in a plethora of statistical categories, ranking third in shutouts thrown (three), 17th in double plays turned (16) and strikeouts per nine (11.5), 18th in strikeout-to-walk ratio, 23rd in hits (183) and home runs (27), 24th in sacrifice flies (11), 25th in doubles (38), 27th in runs scored (153), 29th in ERA (3.44), 30th in slugging percentage (.525) and 32nd in walks allowed per nine (3.38).
JONESIN' TO GET GOING
Ranking top-30 nationally in hits (28), runs (23) and doubles (eight), center fielder Kyle Jones has led off nine of the 17 games he has started with a hit for a .529 batting average. Six of his nine leadoff knocks have gone for extra bases (one homer, five doubles), propelling Jones to eight runs after reaching via his leadoff at bat. Leading off any inning of the game, Jones is batting .457 (16-for-35), lifting him to a.389/.451/.611 overall slash line. Jones leads the Gators in at bats (72), runs, hits, doubles, steals (four) and multi-hit games (10) on top of 18 RBI despite having led off 35 innings.
THE MOOSE IS LOOSE
With three homers in the last two games, shortstop Brendan Lawson leads the Orange & Blue in long balls (nine) and RBI (26) as well as every slash category (.421/.598/1.018). Having reached base in all 18 games this season, the Canadian sophomore is seventh in the country in slugging, ninth in total bases (58), 11th in walks (19), 12th in home runs and 23rd in RBI while leading the SEC and sitting ninth nationally in on-base percentage. Lawson's seven multi-RBI efforts pace the squad and his seven multi-hit games are tied for second with rookie outfielder Cash Strayer behind Jones.
THE ONE-TWO PUNCH
Florida's starting pitching tandem of right-handers Liam Peterson and Aidan King has largely lived up to their billing through four turns in the rotation. Still yet to allow an earned run, King has worked 17 1/3 innings backed by a 2-1 record, 0.00 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and .250 batting average against on top of 17 strikeouts against just two walks. The sophomore standout is responsible for both of Florida's quality starts while Peterson has fanned a team-best 34 batters over 19 1/3 innings – good for the 12th-most strikeouts in the nation and translating to 15.8 per nine innings. The junior ace has struck out at least 11 hitters twice in four starts while taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his most-recent outing vs. High Point. Peterson totes a 3.72 ERA and .167 batting average against into the SEC opener.
WHRITE'S OUT
Reaching up to 100 mph on the mound, Whritenour has fired 9.0 scoreless innings to begin his career, highlighted by 15 strikeouts, four hits allowed and three walks. The right-handed flamethrower is coming off his second save in as many chances, striking out all five batters he faced to lock down Tuesday's win over Florida State. Going back two appearances, Whritenour has fanned six-consecutive hitters entering the weekend. He has recorded the final out for Florida in six of his seven outings and wields a 0.78 WHIP and .133 batting average against.
OH, WHAT A RELIEF IT IS!
In addition to Whritenour's fiery start, southpaw Ernesto Lugo-Canchola and Barberi help form an elite trio out of the UF bullpen. All three hurlers boast sub-3.00 ERAs and are holding opposing hitters below a .175 batting average while combining for 37.0 innings pitched, 23 appearances, a 0.97 WHIP and 57 strikeouts to 14 walks. Lugo-Canchola has made a team-high nine appearances spanning 14 1/3 frames with a 0.63 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and .173 BAA while Barberi has thrown 13 2/3 innings over seven outings for a 2.63 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and .163 BAA.
FEAR THE CYR
Expected to return to the lineup from a four-game absence, outfielder Blake Cyr will provide an instant boost to the UF batting order. He ranks third on the team behind Lawson and Jones in hitting (.365), slugging (.596) and runs scored (17) on top of a .429 on-base percentage, three homers and 12 RBI. Cyr also reps a team-high three sacrifice flies and four stolen bases, as he has yet to be thrown out this year.
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
Florida wraps up its 10-game homestand with a Tuesday matchup against Stetson at 6:30 p.m. before traveling to Alabama for a three-game series from March 20-22.
Follow the Gators
#GoGators
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/ BaseballFlorida Baseball Highlights | FSU 3-10-26
Wednesday, March 11
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Josh Whritenour Postgame Press Conference Mar. 10, 2026 | Florida State
Tuesday, March 10
Brendan Lawson Postgame Press Conference Mar. 10, 2026 | Florida State
Tuesday, March 10
