Friday, March 27
Fayetteville, Ark.
7 PM
Florida Gators
at
Arkansas
The Gators line up for the national anthem prior to their road game at Miami on Feb. 27, 2026 at Mark Light Field in Coral Gables, Fla. / UAA Communications photo by Jordan Perez
Gators Take On First Top-Five Foe at No. 4 Arkansas
Thursday, March 26, 2026 | Baseball
The home team has won the last five UF-ARK series since 2018, as Florida last claimed a series in Fayetteville via a sweep in 2016.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Florida Gators visit Baum-Walker Stadium this weekend for the first time since 2024 in a three-game series against No. 4 Arkansas from March 27-29.
The series opens on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network+, which will also carry game two on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. Sunday's finale is set for 1 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
Last season, the Gators (20-6, 3-3 SEC) took two of three games for a home series win over the Razorbacks (19-7, 4-2 SEC) and have won three of the last four head-to-head matchups. That gave Florida three-straight home series victories over Arkansas, while the Razorbacks have won two series in a row in Fayetteville. The last time the road team claimed a series in this rivalry came in 2016, when Florida delivered a sweep (W 8-2, W 9-2, W 12-8).
Overall, the Gators have won six of the last nine vs. the Hogs and have a chance to take the lead in the all-time series this weekend, which sits at 39-38 in favor of Arkansas. Under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan, the Gators are 20-25 overall and 5-10 on the road in the series. Of the 96 teams O'Sullivan has coached against, Arkansas represents the only opponent that is more than two games over .500 against him.
Pitching Matchups
THE DONUT SHOP
In Tuesday's win over No. 10 FSU in Jacksonville, three UF pitchers combined to allow just four hits to produce Florida's nation-leading sixth shutout of the season. Right-handed pitchers Russell Sandefer, Luke McNeillie and Jackson Barberi threw 3.0 scoreless frames apiece while combining for 16 strikeouts to three walks. All three UF hurlers struck out the side in order during their outings. As a result, Florida clinched its eighth season series in the last nine against the Seminoles while improving to 11-0 vs. in-state foes and 9-0 in midweek contests this season.
GIANT SLAYERS
After defeating No. 10 FSU, Florida is now 4-0 against top-25 opponents and 1-0 vs. top-10 teams this season. The Gators have taken down twice No. 17 Miami (W 7-2, W 8-4) while topping No. 20 FSU on March 10 (W, 6-3) and No. 10 FSU on March 24 (W, 5-0).
CHECKING OUR POLLS
Playing to a 1-3 record last week, the Gators fell out of the D1Baseball Top 25. Although currently unranked by Baseball America and Perfect Game, Florida sits at No. 22 and No. 25 in the NCBWA Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll, respectively.
A LOOK AT THE HOGS
Arkansas enters the series with a 19-7 record, including a 14-5 mark at home, and are tied for first place in the SEC at 4-2. The Razorbacks are solid on the mound, as evidenced by a 3.25 ERA, .211 batting average against and 277-to-74 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 224.0 innings pitched. Arkansas pairs that with a .290/.392/.492 slash line offensively while hitting 39 home runs and swiping 36 bags in 43 attempts. Defensively, the Razorbacks have committed 22 errors in 914 chances for a .976 fielding percentage.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
In addition to pacing the country with six shutouts thrown, Florida ranks among the top-50 teams nationally in a plethora of statistical categories: sixth with an SEC-best 19 sacrifice flies, 13th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.12), 14th in strikeouts per nine (11.4), 22nd in win percentage (.769), 26th in WHIP (1.25), 27th in ERA (3.68), 30th in hits allowed per nine (7.64), 37th in walks allowed per nine (3.64), 40th in doubles (52) and 49th in walks (131).
THE LAWSON FILE
Entering the midweek matchup, shortstop Brendan Lawson leads Florida in every slash category with a .370/.586/.890 batting line on top of 10 home runs, two triples, four doubles, 30 runs, 29 RBI and eight steals. He has drawn 30 free passes against 17 strikeouts for a 27.0% walk rate and 15.3% strikeout rate. Lawson leads the SEC with the fourth-best on-base percentage and fifth-most walks in the country while ranking second in the conference in slugging percentage (eighth nationally) and ninth in home runs.
THE WIEC IS HOT
Across Florida's last seven games, corner infielder Ethan Surowiec has paced the team in batting (.400), on-base percentage (.500), slugging (.560), total bases (14), hits (10) and runs (eight). The sophomore slugger has totaled one triple, two doubles and six RBI in that span while raising his overall batting line .316/.435/.505 with 11 extra-base hits. Surowiec is the lone Gator to start all 26 games this season while his 25 RBI and 19 walks rank second on the roster.
THE ONE-TWO PUNCH
Despite struggling at Alabama, Florida's one-two starting pitching punch of right-handers Liam Peterson and Aidan King remains among the best in the nation. Through six turns in the rotation, the duo has combined for 58 2/3 innings of 2.76 ERA ball and a 78-to-23 strikeout to walk ratio while producing all four of Florida's quality starts.
THE KING'S COURT
Throwing 23 2/3-consecutive innings spanning six starts without allowing an earned to begin the year, King was the last remaining, qualified NCAA Division I pitcher with a 0.00 ERA until last Saturday's outing. Even so, he wields a 1.27 ERA, .210 batting average against and 30-to-7 strikeout to walk ratio on the season. Across his last 11 starts dating back to 2025, King is 7-3 with a 0.94 ERA and 59-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 67.0 innings pitched (seven earned runs allowed).
LIAM WIT' IT, ROCK WIT' IT
In his third year as UF ace, Peterson has fanned double-digit batters in three of his last five starts and ranks fifth in the SEC and 17th nationally in strikeouts (48). In those five contests, he fanned 45 batters against 11 walks. In three of his last four starts, Peterson has not allowed more than one hit through the first five innings. Having thrown a team-high 30 1/3 frames, his 14.2 strikeouts per nine sit fourth in the league and 12th in the country.
OH, WHAT A RELIEF IT IS:
Closer Joshua Whritenour represents the final piece of a four-headed monster at the back of the UF bullpen, which also includes all three pitchers who combined for a Tuesday shutout of FSU in Sandefer, McNeillie and Barberi. Florida's elite relief quartet accounts for the top-four spots on the roster in terms of most pitching appearances, led by Lugo-Canchola (12) and Barberi (11) while Whritenour (nine) and McNeillie (eight) follow closely behind. Collectively, the four UF hurlers have recorded four saves while combining for 67.0 innings pitched with a 2.69 ERA, 6.3 hits allowed per nine, 12.8 strikeouts per nine and a 95-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio
JONESIN' FROM THE JUMP
Ranking top-30 nationally with the third-most doubles (10) in the SEC, center fielder Kyle Jones has 10 leadoff hits in 25 starts for a .400 batting average in his first at bat of games. Jones has led off 52 total innings on the season, collecting 22 hits for a .423 on-base percentage. Despite leading off in 43.7% of his plate appearances (52 of 119), the redshirt sophomore has managed to drive in 20 runs in 26 games, which sits fifth on the team behind only Lawson (29), Surowiec (25), left fielder Blake Cyr (22) and rookie right fielder Cash Strayer (21) – none of which have led off a frame more than 23 times. Jones paces Florida in at bats (100), runs (30), hits (32) and stolen bases (11), having been caught stealing just once thus far.
MURDERERS' ROW
Although pitching remains the Gators' calling card, four UF hitters boast an OPS above .895 entering the weekend. Led by Lawson's unearthly 1.476 OPS, Cyr (.974), Surowiec (.940) and Jones (.898) all sit above the threshold as well. The Gators' top-four hitters have each driven in 20-plus runs and account for 54.2% of Florida's runs driven in this season (97 of 179).
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Florida boasts eight come-from-behind victories through 26 games. In particular, the Gators' five-run comeback on March 8 vs. High Point marked their largest since May 15 of last season against Alabama (five runs).
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.
ON DECK
The Gators return home for a four-game homestand, beginning with a Tuesday matchup against Jacksonville at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+. Florida then hosts Ole Miss in a three-game series from Thursday, April 2 through Saturday, April 4.
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The series opens on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network+, which will also carry game two on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. Sunday's finale is set for 1 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
Last season, the Gators (20-6, 3-3 SEC) took two of three games for a home series win over the Razorbacks (19-7, 4-2 SEC) and have won three of the last four head-to-head matchups. That gave Florida three-straight home series victories over Arkansas, while the Razorbacks have won two series in a row in Fayetteville. The last time the road team claimed a series in this rivalry came in 2016, when Florida delivered a sweep (W 8-2, W 9-2, W 12-8).
Overall, the Gators have won six of the last nine vs. the Hogs and have a chance to take the lead in the all-time series this weekend, which sits at 39-38 in favor of Arkansas. Under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan, the Gators are 20-25 overall and 5-10 on the road in the series. Of the 96 teams O'Sullivan has coached against, Arkansas represents the only opponent that is more than two games over .500 against him.
Pitching Matchups
| Friday | 7 ET (SECN+) | Saturday | 2 ET (SECN+) | Sunday | 1 ET (SECN) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | RHP Liam Peterson (1-1, 4.15 ERA) | RHP Aidan King (3-2, 1.27 ERA) | TBA |
| Arkansas | RHP Gabe Gaeckle (3-1, 2.87 ERA) | LHP Hunter Dietz (2-2, 3.86 ERA) | LHP Colin Fisher (2-2, 2.70 ERA) |
| Links | WATCH | LISTEN | WATCH | LISTEN | WATCH | LISTEN |
THE DONUT SHOP
In Tuesday's win over No. 10 FSU in Jacksonville, three UF pitchers combined to allow just four hits to produce Florida's nation-leading sixth shutout of the season. Right-handed pitchers Russell Sandefer, Luke McNeillie and Jackson Barberi threw 3.0 scoreless frames apiece while combining for 16 strikeouts to three walks. All three UF hurlers struck out the side in order during their outings. As a result, Florida clinched its eighth season series in the last nine against the Seminoles while improving to 11-0 vs. in-state foes and 9-0 in midweek contests this season.
GIANT SLAYERS
After defeating No. 10 FSU, Florida is now 4-0 against top-25 opponents and 1-0 vs. top-10 teams this season. The Gators have taken down twice No. 17 Miami (W 7-2, W 8-4) while topping No. 20 FSU on March 10 (W, 6-3) and No. 10 FSU on March 24 (W, 5-0).
CHECKING OUR POLLS
Playing to a 1-3 record last week, the Gators fell out of the D1Baseball Top 25. Although currently unranked by Baseball America and Perfect Game, Florida sits at No. 22 and No. 25 in the NCBWA Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll, respectively.
A LOOK AT THE HOGS
Arkansas enters the series with a 19-7 record, including a 14-5 mark at home, and are tied for first place in the SEC at 4-2. The Razorbacks are solid on the mound, as evidenced by a 3.25 ERA, .211 batting average against and 277-to-74 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 224.0 innings pitched. Arkansas pairs that with a .290/.392/.492 slash line offensively while hitting 39 home runs and swiping 36 bags in 43 attempts. Defensively, the Razorbacks have committed 22 errors in 914 chances for a .976 fielding percentage.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
In addition to pacing the country with six shutouts thrown, Florida ranks among the top-50 teams nationally in a plethora of statistical categories: sixth with an SEC-best 19 sacrifice flies, 13th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.12), 14th in strikeouts per nine (11.4), 22nd in win percentage (.769), 26th in WHIP (1.25), 27th in ERA (3.68), 30th in hits allowed per nine (7.64), 37th in walks allowed per nine (3.64), 40th in doubles (52) and 49th in walks (131).
THE LAWSON FILE
Entering the midweek matchup, shortstop Brendan Lawson leads Florida in every slash category with a .370/.586/.890 batting line on top of 10 home runs, two triples, four doubles, 30 runs, 29 RBI and eight steals. He has drawn 30 free passes against 17 strikeouts for a 27.0% walk rate and 15.3% strikeout rate. Lawson leads the SEC with the fourth-best on-base percentage and fifth-most walks in the country while ranking second in the conference in slugging percentage (eighth nationally) and ninth in home runs.
THE WIEC IS HOT
Across Florida's last seven games, corner infielder Ethan Surowiec has paced the team in batting (.400), on-base percentage (.500), slugging (.560), total bases (14), hits (10) and runs (eight). The sophomore slugger has totaled one triple, two doubles and six RBI in that span while raising his overall batting line .316/.435/.505 with 11 extra-base hits. Surowiec is the lone Gator to start all 26 games this season while his 25 RBI and 19 walks rank second on the roster.
THE ONE-TWO PUNCH
Despite struggling at Alabama, Florida's one-two starting pitching punch of right-handers Liam Peterson and Aidan King remains among the best in the nation. Through six turns in the rotation, the duo has combined for 58 2/3 innings of 2.76 ERA ball and a 78-to-23 strikeout to walk ratio while producing all four of Florida's quality starts.
THE KING'S COURT
Throwing 23 2/3-consecutive innings spanning six starts without allowing an earned to begin the year, King was the last remaining, qualified NCAA Division I pitcher with a 0.00 ERA until last Saturday's outing. Even so, he wields a 1.27 ERA, .210 batting average against and 30-to-7 strikeout to walk ratio on the season. Across his last 11 starts dating back to 2025, King is 7-3 with a 0.94 ERA and 59-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 67.0 innings pitched (seven earned runs allowed).
LIAM WIT' IT, ROCK WIT' IT
In his third year as UF ace, Peterson has fanned double-digit batters in three of his last five starts and ranks fifth in the SEC and 17th nationally in strikeouts (48). In those five contests, he fanned 45 batters against 11 walks. In three of his last four starts, Peterson has not allowed more than one hit through the first five innings. Having thrown a team-high 30 1/3 frames, his 14.2 strikeouts per nine sit fourth in the league and 12th in the country.
OH, WHAT A RELIEF IT IS:
Closer Joshua Whritenour represents the final piece of a four-headed monster at the back of the UF bullpen, which also includes all three pitchers who combined for a Tuesday shutout of FSU in Sandefer, McNeillie and Barberi. Florida's elite relief quartet accounts for the top-four spots on the roster in terms of most pitching appearances, led by Lugo-Canchola (12) and Barberi (11) while Whritenour (nine) and McNeillie (eight) follow closely behind. Collectively, the four UF hurlers have recorded four saves while combining for 67.0 innings pitched with a 2.69 ERA, 6.3 hits allowed per nine, 12.8 strikeouts per nine and a 95-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio
JONESIN' FROM THE JUMP
Ranking top-30 nationally with the third-most doubles (10) in the SEC, center fielder Kyle Jones has 10 leadoff hits in 25 starts for a .400 batting average in his first at bat of games. Jones has led off 52 total innings on the season, collecting 22 hits for a .423 on-base percentage. Despite leading off in 43.7% of his plate appearances (52 of 119), the redshirt sophomore has managed to drive in 20 runs in 26 games, which sits fifth on the team behind only Lawson (29), Surowiec (25), left fielder Blake Cyr (22) and rookie right fielder Cash Strayer (21) – none of which have led off a frame more than 23 times. Jones paces Florida in at bats (100), runs (30), hits (32) and stolen bases (11), having been caught stealing just once thus far.
MURDERERS' ROW
Although pitching remains the Gators' calling card, four UF hitters boast an OPS above .895 entering the weekend. Led by Lawson's unearthly 1.476 OPS, Cyr (.974), Surowiec (.940) and Jones (.898) all sit above the threshold as well. The Gators' top-four hitters have each driven in 20-plus runs and account for 54.2% of Florida's runs driven in this season (97 of 179).
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Florida boasts eight come-from-behind victories through 26 games. In particular, the Gators' five-run comeback on March 8 vs. High Point marked their largest since May 15 of last season against Alabama (five runs).
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.
ON DECK
The Gators return home for a four-game homestand, beginning with a Tuesday matchup against Jacksonville at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+. Florida then hosts Ole Miss in a three-game series from Thursday, April 2 through Saturday, April 4.
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