The UF baseball team huddles in the dugout on Wednesday at the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. (Photo: Madilyn Gemme/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: Gators Get Another Shot at Alabama, Fay
Thursday, May 21, 2026 | Baseball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Some games matter more than others.
At least that's the way it feels before the first pitch of Thursday afternoon's game between the Gators and Alabama in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. No, baseball isn't football, where every game is an event, and a typical Florida-Alabama game often registers on the Richter scale.
Still, the diamond rematch between the Gators and Crimson Tide offers ample intrigue.
After opening the SEC Tournament with an 8-3 win over Vanderbilt on Wednesday, the Gators remain in the conversation for a top-eight national seed. Is it a long shot? Perhaps. Is it possible? Certainly. Do they have to beat Alabama? Probably.
Beyond potential NCAA Tournament implications, the game recalls a March 20 meeting in Tuscaloosa, a contest that flew under the radar on the UF campus for various reasons. First, it came at the end of spring break. Second, it happened in the middle of spring football. And lastly, because the Gators lost the first game of a three-game series 6-0. In fact, the Gators lost all three games by a combined 28-11.
In Game 1, starter Liam Peterson needed 98 pitches to get through five innings, allowing nine hits and six runs. Meanwhile, Crimson Tide starter Tyler Fay had no such issues.
Fay turned in a masterful 13-strikeout performance, throwing 132 pitches in a complete game. Oh, and Fay tossed Alabama's first nine-inning no-hitter since World War II, the first no-no pitched against the Gators since Jacksonville's Tom McMillan did it in a seven-inning game in 1963.
Fay's performance earned him national awards and highlights on "SportsCenter."
All the Gators could do was tip their caps.
"Obviously, he was locating all of his pitches, changing speeds, throwing the ball on both sides,'' Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said afterward. "Our guys kept complaining about the strike zone, but I think the umpire did a really good job behind the plate, to be quite honest with you. Certainly, we've got to learn from it. We can't blame an umpire; I know that."
Two months later, the script has been rewritten — but the starting pitchers are the same.
Peterson is coming off a start at LSU (7 IP, 3 H, 11 SO) that earned him SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. Peterson has big-league stuff and is projected to be a first-round pick in the MLB amateur draft.
Fay is a Nebraska native who grew up a Florida fan, got married earlier this year, and could pass for a 35-year-old big-league veteran with his mustache. Since his historic outing against UF in March, Fay has eaten Publix sushi before every start – a superstition born from what he happened to eat for lunch that day.
The stage is set. Florida vs. Alabama. Peterson vs. Fay. A big game on a Thursday afternoon.
At least that's the way it feels before the first pitch of Thursday afternoon's game between the Gators and Alabama in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. No, baseball isn't football, where every game is an event, and a typical Florida-Alabama game often registers on the Richter scale.
Still, the diamond rematch between the Gators and Crimson Tide offers ample intrigue.
After opening the SEC Tournament with an 8-3 win over Vanderbilt on Wednesday, the Gators remain in the conversation for a top-eight national seed. Is it a long shot? Perhaps. Is it possible? Certainly. Do they have to beat Alabama? Probably.
Quarters in Hoover.
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 21, 2026
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Beyond potential NCAA Tournament implications, the game recalls a March 20 meeting in Tuscaloosa, a contest that flew under the radar on the UF campus for various reasons. First, it came at the end of spring break. Second, it happened in the middle of spring football. And lastly, because the Gators lost the first game of a three-game series 6-0. In fact, the Gators lost all three games by a combined 28-11.
In Game 1, starter Liam Peterson needed 98 pitches to get through five innings, allowing nine hits and six runs. Meanwhile, Crimson Tide starter Tyler Fay had no such issues.
Fay turned in a masterful 13-strikeout performance, throwing 132 pitches in a complete game. Oh, and Fay tossed Alabama's first nine-inning no-hitter since World War II, the first no-no pitched against the Gators since Jacksonville's Tom McMillan did it in a seven-inning game in 1963.
Fay's performance earned him national awards and highlights on "SportsCenter."
All the Gators could do was tip their caps.
"Obviously, he was locating all of his pitches, changing speeds, throwing the ball on both sides,'' Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said afterward. "Our guys kept complaining about the strike zone, but I think the umpire did a really good job behind the plate, to be quite honest with you. Certainly, we've got to learn from it. We can't blame an umpire; I know that."
Two months later, the script has been rewritten — but the starting pitchers are the same.
Peterson is coming off a start at LSU (7 IP, 3 H, 11 SO) that earned him SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. Peterson has big-league stuff and is projected to be a first-round pick in the MLB amateur draft.
Fay is a Nebraska native who grew up a Florida fan, got married earlier this year, and could pass for a 35-year-old big-league veteran with his mustache. Since his historic outing against UF in March, Fay has eaten Publix sushi before every start – a superstition born from what he happened to eat for lunch that day.
The stage is set. Florida vs. Alabama. Peterson vs. Fay. A big game on a Thursday afternoon.
Players Mentioned
RHP
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