Friday, April 10
Athens, Ga.
6 PM
Florida Gators
at
Georgia
Blake Cyr celebrates a run scored during the Gators' win against the Arkansas Razorbacks on March 27 at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. / UAA Communications photo by Nick Stone
Rivalry Week Continues for Florida with Series at No. 4 Georgia
Thursday, April 9, 2026 | Baseball
The Gators will put a perfect 8-0 record against top-25 opponents on the line in Athens this weekend.
ATHENS, Ga. – The Florida Gators hit the road this weekend to visit No. 4 Georgia for a heavyweight matchup at Foley Field in their third away SEC series of the campaign from April 10-12.
Friday night's series opener is the only non-linear game of the series, scheduled for 6 p.m. on SEC Network+. Game two follows on Saturday at 12 p.m. on ESPN2 while the series finale begins on Sunday at 12 p.m. on SEC Network.
Florida (25-9, 7-5 SEC) will put a perfect 8-0 record against ranked foes on the line this weekend, having posted a three-game sweep at No. 4 Arkansas two weekends back in the team's last away SEC series. Although the Bulldogs (28-6, 10-2 SEC) swept the Gators in Gainesville one year ago, the Orange & Blue took two of three for a series victory in their last trip to Athens in the 2024 regular-season finale (L 9-4, W 7-4, W 19-11).
Coming into this weekend, Florida was won eight of the last 11 series including two of three in the head-to-head rivalry, owning a 32-21 record under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan that includes a 13-11 mark on the road. The Gators are 195-119-2 all-time and 88-65-1 vs. UGA in Athens.
Pitching Matchups
CHECKING OUR POLLS
Despite dropping out of the D1Baseball Top 25, Florida remains ranked by every other major poll led by the NCBWA at No. 18. The Gators sit at No. 21 per Baseball America while coming in at No. 22 and No. 24 according to Perfect Game and the USA Today Coaches Poll, respectively. Meanwhile, every opponent on Florida's schedule this week is ranked inside D1Baseball's top five in No. 5 Florida State and No. 4 Georgia.
STATE SUPREMACY
On Tuesday, Florida swept the regular season series vs. FSU for the eighth time under O'Sullivan (2008-present). In that span, FSU has swept the Gators just once. Florida has claimed eight of the last nine season series vs. FSU while winning 11 of 17 series in O'Sullivan's tenure. As winners of five of the last six including four-straight vs. FSU, Florida has won 27 of the last 35 meetings. UF is 12-1 vs. in-state foes this season.
AN EARLY CASE FOR A TOP-EIGHT SEED
By toppling No. 5 FSU on the road Tuesday, the Gators improved to 8-0 on the season against ranked opponents. Florida is 5-0 vs. top-10 foes on the year including 4-0 against the top five. Interestingly enough, all five of UF's top-10 victories have come away from home. As a result, the Gators boast the nation's No. 5 RPI and No. 7 strength of schedule through 34 games, going 9-5 against Quad 1 opponents. Florida has taken care of business against lesser foes as well, as evidenced by a 13-1 record against Quad 3 and Quad 4 teams.
FOLEY FIREWORKS
The last time Florida visited Athens in 2024, it needed a series win to finish above .500 and remain eligible for the NCAA Tournament. Despite dropping game one, the Gators rallied to win games two and three to finish the regular season at 28-26 before advancing all the way to the program's 14th College World Series. Only three Gators that played in that series remain on the roster: second baseman Cade Kurland, right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson and righty Luke McNeillie. Kurland thrived at Foley Field, homering three times in the 2024 series while going 4-for-13 with six RBI and three runs. In his career vs. UGA, Kurland is hitting .308/.419/.769 (8-for-29) with four homers, 11 RBI, nine runs and one steal.
BACKGROUND ON THE BULLDOGS
Georgia enters the matchup with a record of 28-6 overall and 22-5 at home. The Bulldogs are currently first in the SEC at a 10-2. At the dish, Georgia has posted a season batting average of .329, OPS of 1.101, and a slugging percentage of .646. Once getting on base, runners for the Bulldogs have stolen 33 bases out of 38 attempts. On the mound, UGA pitchers have delivered a 4.30 ERA and a 362-to-138 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 287.0 innings pitched. Having committed 19 errors in 1,185 chances, Georgia carries a .984 fielding percentage into Friday's matchup.
STACKING SHUTOUTS & THE NCAA RANKINGS
Last Friday night against Ole Miss, Florida threw its nation-leading seventh shutout of the season – four shy of the program record of 11 set in 2011. The Gators have produced a shutout in 20.6% of games played (34) this season for 28.0% of their victories (25). In addition to pacing the country in shutouts, Florida ranks seventh nationally in strikeouts per nine (11.6), 10th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.17), 15th with an SEC-high 21 sacrifice flies, 18th in ERA (3.70) and WHIP (1.24), 20th in hits allowed per nine (7.52), 24th in win percentage (.735) and 35th in walks allowed per nine (3.67).
BACK-TO-BACK GEMS
Florida's seventh shutout of the season came on the back of seven scoreless frames from star sophomore right-hander Aidan King in the game-two win over Ole Miss. King has now started four of the Gators' nation-leading seven shutouts. King was followed by righty Russell Sandefer in game three, who one-upped him with a career-high seven scoreless, two-hit frames and 11 strikeouts. The back-to-back gems marked the first time UF had starting pitchers complete seven innings in consecutive games since June 4, 2023 against UConn and Texas Tech in the NCAA Gainesville Regional (Hurston Waldrep and Cade Fisher).
LIMITING THE LONG BALL
As the Florida pitching rotation hits its stride, UF starters have made a habit out of avoiding the home run ball this season. Across 136 1/3 innings in 34 games, Florida starting pitchers have allowed just two homers for 0.13 HR/9 on the season. Peterson has faced a team-high 164 batters without allowing a home run this season, followed by Sandefer (97), who sits significantly behind. Meanwhile, King has surrendered just one long ball over 161 batters faced.
KING OF THE HILL
Fresh off seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts and zero walks against Ole Miss, King lowed his season ERA to 1.62 while toting a 1.03 WHIP and .214 batting average against. The reigning SEC ERA leader from last season has thrown four of Florida's six quality starts after leading the team with five as a true freshman one year ago. King ranks fourth in the SEC and 16th nationally in ERA while sitting first in the conference in games started (eight), eighth in WHIP, ninth in walks per nine (2.08) and 14th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.56) as well as victories (four). He has been nearly untouchable across his last 13 starts dating back to last season, going 8-3 with a 1.16 ERA and 70-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 77 2/3 innings pitched (10 earned runs allowed).
RUSS BUS IS ROLLING
Earning a spot on Baseball America's National Team of the Week, Sandefer set career highs with seven innings pitched and 11 strikeouts in his game-three start vs. Ole Miss. The junior hurler allowed just two hits and one walk in his second weekend start as a Gator, as he is 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA, .174 batting average against and 17-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12 2/3 frames through two turns in the rotation. Sandefer is holding opposing hitters to a .198 batting average on the season while fanning 27 batters against three walks in his last five appearances.
WIEC IS LIT
Ever since going 0-for-4 in Florida's SEC opener against South Carolina on March 13, corner infielder Ethan Surowiec has been red hot in the 15 games since. In that span, the sophomore slugger paces the team in batting average (.345), slugging percentage (.603), hits (20), total bases (35), RBI (13) and runs (14) while getting on base a .433 clip and drilling three homers. As the lone Gator to start all 34 games, Surowiec has raised his season battling line to .313/.421/.539 backed by six home runs, nine doubles, a team-high 32 RBI, 27 runs, 23 walks and two stolen bases. Surowiec ranks second on the roster with 31 hits and 12 multi-hit efforts while sitting third with seven multi-RBI performances.
THE MOOSE IS LOOSE
As one of 45 players on the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, shortstop Brendan Lawson is hitting .352/.556/.802 with 11 homers, 34 runs, 31 RBI, 34 walks and eight stolen bases in 30 games played. Lawson leads the entire SEC in on-base percentage and triples, as his .556 OBP is the fifth-best in the county. The Canadian sophomore also sits second in the SEC in walks (14th nationally), fourth in slugging (19th nationally) 10th in homers and 15th in runs scored while drawing significantly more free passes than strikeouts (25). Lawson has reached safely in 27 of his 30 starts on top of an unearthly 1.358 OPS.
WHRITEN-HOUR
Making his first appearance since blowing his first-career save in the series finale against Ole Miss, redshirt freshman closer Joshua Whritenour was called on with two runners on base and one out in the eighth inning of a 4-3 ballgame at No. 5 FSU on Tuesday. With the Seminoles threatening, Whritenour fanned back-to-back batters before striking out two more in a scoreless ninth to complete a 1 2/3-inning save. Reaching up to 100-mph, the flamethrower now has six saves in seven chances to go along with a 3.44 ERA, .156 batting average against, 14.6 strikeouts per nine and 27-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 14 appearances spanning 18 1/3 frames.
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Florida boasts nine come-from-behind victories through 34 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 nation with 312 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 country.
ON DECK
The Gators return home for an eight-game homestand, beginning with a Tuesday tilt against Bethune-Cookman at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+. Florida then hosts Auburn At Condron Family Ballpark for a three-game series from April 16-18.
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Friday night's series opener is the only non-linear game of the series, scheduled for 6 p.m. on SEC Network+. Game two follows on Saturday at 12 p.m. on ESPN2 while the series finale begins on Sunday at 12 p.m. on SEC Network.
Florida (25-9, 7-5 SEC) will put a perfect 8-0 record against ranked foes on the line this weekend, having posted a three-game sweep at No. 4 Arkansas two weekends back in the team's last away SEC series. Although the Bulldogs (28-6, 10-2 SEC) swept the Gators in Gainesville one year ago, the Orange & Blue took two of three for a series victory in their last trip to Athens in the 2024 regular-season finale (L 9-4, W 7-4, W 19-11).
Coming into this weekend, Florida was won eight of the last 11 series including two of three in the head-to-head rivalry, owning a 32-21 record under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan that includes a 13-11 mark on the road. The Gators are 195-119-2 all-time and 88-65-1 vs. UGA in Athens.
Pitching Matchups
| Friday | 6 ET (SECN+) | Saturday | 12 ET (ESPN2) | Sunday | 12 ET (SECN) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | RHP Aidan King (4-2, 1.62 ERA) | RHP Liam Peterson (1-2, 4.03 ERA) | RHP Russell Sandefer (2-1, 3.00 ERA) |
| Georgia | RHP Joey Volchko (6-0, 3.89 ERA) | RHP Dylan Vigue (3-1, 2.83 ERA) | TBA |
| Links | WATCH | LISTEN | WATCH | LISTEN | WATCH | LISTEN |
CHECKING OUR POLLS
Despite dropping out of the D1Baseball Top 25, Florida remains ranked by every other major poll led by the NCBWA at No. 18. The Gators sit at No. 21 per Baseball America while coming in at No. 22 and No. 24 according to Perfect Game and the USA Today Coaches Poll, respectively. Meanwhile, every opponent on Florida's schedule this week is ranked inside D1Baseball's top five in No. 5 Florida State and No. 4 Georgia.
STATE SUPREMACY
On Tuesday, Florida swept the regular season series vs. FSU for the eighth time under O'Sullivan (2008-present). In that span, FSU has swept the Gators just once. Florida has claimed eight of the last nine season series vs. FSU while winning 11 of 17 series in O'Sullivan's tenure. As winners of five of the last six including four-straight vs. FSU, Florida has won 27 of the last 35 meetings. UF is 12-1 vs. in-state foes this season.
AN EARLY CASE FOR A TOP-EIGHT SEED
By toppling No. 5 FSU on the road Tuesday, the Gators improved to 8-0 on the season against ranked opponents. Florida is 5-0 vs. top-10 foes on the year including 4-0 against the top five. Interestingly enough, all five of UF's top-10 victories have come away from home. As a result, the Gators boast the nation's No. 5 RPI and No. 7 strength of schedule through 34 games, going 9-5 against Quad 1 opponents. Florida has taken care of business against lesser foes as well, as evidenced by a 13-1 record against Quad 3 and Quad 4 teams.
FOLEY FIREWORKS
The last time Florida visited Athens in 2024, it needed a series win to finish above .500 and remain eligible for the NCAA Tournament. Despite dropping game one, the Gators rallied to win games two and three to finish the regular season at 28-26 before advancing all the way to the program's 14th College World Series. Only three Gators that played in that series remain on the roster: second baseman Cade Kurland, right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson and righty Luke McNeillie. Kurland thrived at Foley Field, homering three times in the 2024 series while going 4-for-13 with six RBI and three runs. In his career vs. UGA, Kurland is hitting .308/.419/.769 (8-for-29) with four homers, 11 RBI, nine runs and one steal.
BACKGROUND ON THE BULLDOGS
Georgia enters the matchup with a record of 28-6 overall and 22-5 at home. The Bulldogs are currently first in the SEC at a 10-2. At the dish, Georgia has posted a season batting average of .329, OPS of 1.101, and a slugging percentage of .646. Once getting on base, runners for the Bulldogs have stolen 33 bases out of 38 attempts. On the mound, UGA pitchers have delivered a 4.30 ERA and a 362-to-138 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 287.0 innings pitched. Having committed 19 errors in 1,185 chances, Georgia carries a .984 fielding percentage into Friday's matchup.
STACKING SHUTOUTS & THE NCAA RANKINGS
Last Friday night against Ole Miss, Florida threw its nation-leading seventh shutout of the season – four shy of the program record of 11 set in 2011. The Gators have produced a shutout in 20.6% of games played (34) this season for 28.0% of their victories (25). In addition to pacing the country in shutouts, Florida ranks seventh nationally in strikeouts per nine (11.6), 10th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.17), 15th with an SEC-high 21 sacrifice flies, 18th in ERA (3.70) and WHIP (1.24), 20th in hits allowed per nine (7.52), 24th in win percentage (.735) and 35th in walks allowed per nine (3.67).
BACK-TO-BACK GEMS
Florida's seventh shutout of the season came on the back of seven scoreless frames from star sophomore right-hander Aidan King in the game-two win over Ole Miss. King has now started four of the Gators' nation-leading seven shutouts. King was followed by righty Russell Sandefer in game three, who one-upped him with a career-high seven scoreless, two-hit frames and 11 strikeouts. The back-to-back gems marked the first time UF had starting pitchers complete seven innings in consecutive games since June 4, 2023 against UConn and Texas Tech in the NCAA Gainesville Regional (Hurston Waldrep and Cade Fisher).
LIMITING THE LONG BALL
As the Florida pitching rotation hits its stride, UF starters have made a habit out of avoiding the home run ball this season. Across 136 1/3 innings in 34 games, Florida starting pitchers have allowed just two homers for 0.13 HR/9 on the season. Peterson has faced a team-high 164 batters without allowing a home run this season, followed by Sandefer (97), who sits significantly behind. Meanwhile, King has surrendered just one long ball over 161 batters faced.
KING OF THE HILL
Fresh off seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts and zero walks against Ole Miss, King lowed his season ERA to 1.62 while toting a 1.03 WHIP and .214 batting average against. The reigning SEC ERA leader from last season has thrown four of Florida's six quality starts after leading the team with five as a true freshman one year ago. King ranks fourth in the SEC and 16th nationally in ERA while sitting first in the conference in games started (eight), eighth in WHIP, ninth in walks per nine (2.08) and 14th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.56) as well as victories (four). He has been nearly untouchable across his last 13 starts dating back to last season, going 8-3 with a 1.16 ERA and 70-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 77 2/3 innings pitched (10 earned runs allowed).
RUSS BUS IS ROLLING
Earning a spot on Baseball America's National Team of the Week, Sandefer set career highs with seven innings pitched and 11 strikeouts in his game-three start vs. Ole Miss. The junior hurler allowed just two hits and one walk in his second weekend start as a Gator, as he is 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA, .174 batting average against and 17-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12 2/3 frames through two turns in the rotation. Sandefer is holding opposing hitters to a .198 batting average on the season while fanning 27 batters against three walks in his last five appearances.
WIEC IS LIT
Ever since going 0-for-4 in Florida's SEC opener against South Carolina on March 13, corner infielder Ethan Surowiec has been red hot in the 15 games since. In that span, the sophomore slugger paces the team in batting average (.345), slugging percentage (.603), hits (20), total bases (35), RBI (13) and runs (14) while getting on base a .433 clip and drilling three homers. As the lone Gator to start all 34 games, Surowiec has raised his season battling line to .313/.421/.539 backed by six home runs, nine doubles, a team-high 32 RBI, 27 runs, 23 walks and two stolen bases. Surowiec ranks second on the roster with 31 hits and 12 multi-hit efforts while sitting third with seven multi-RBI performances.
THE MOOSE IS LOOSE
As one of 45 players on the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, shortstop Brendan Lawson is hitting .352/.556/.802 with 11 homers, 34 runs, 31 RBI, 34 walks and eight stolen bases in 30 games played. Lawson leads the entire SEC in on-base percentage and triples, as his .556 OBP is the fifth-best in the county. The Canadian sophomore also sits second in the SEC in walks (14th nationally), fourth in slugging (19th nationally) 10th in homers and 15th in runs scored while drawing significantly more free passes than strikeouts (25). Lawson has reached safely in 27 of his 30 starts on top of an unearthly 1.358 OPS.
WHRITEN-HOUR
Making his first appearance since blowing his first-career save in the series finale against Ole Miss, redshirt freshman closer Joshua Whritenour was called on with two runners on base and one out in the eighth inning of a 4-3 ballgame at No. 5 FSU on Tuesday. With the Seminoles threatening, Whritenour fanned back-to-back batters before striking out two more in a scoreless ninth to complete a 1 2/3-inning save. Reaching up to 100-mph, the flamethrower now has six saves in seven chances to go along with a 3.44 ERA, .156 batting average against, 14.6 strikeouts per nine and 27-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 14 appearances spanning 18 1/3 frames.
RELENTLESS REPTILES
Florida boasts nine come-from-behind victories through 34 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 nation with 312 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 country.
ON DECK
The Gators return home for an eight-game homestand, beginning with a Tuesday tilt against Bethune-Cookman at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+. Florida then hosts Auburn At Condron Family Ballpark for a three-game series from April 16-18.
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