Florida State baseball’s only five-game week of the regular season went exceptionally well.
The Seminoles (13-2) won all five games against Jacksonville, Mercer and Northern Kentucky by a combined margin of 66-20, running their winning streak to nine games (all at home) since their two-game skid in Arlington, Texas.
However, things really begin to pick up this week with a four-game week on the road against ranked competition. Before opening ACC play this weekend at No. 12 Wake Forest, FSU opens its divided three-game midweek series against rival Florida Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET in Gainesville, Fla.
The Gators (14-3) were ranked ninth last week after their two-game road sweep of Miami. But a 1-2 weekend vs. High Point where Florida needed to score four runs in the ninth to avoid being swept sent the team plummeting almost out of the D1Baseball poll to No. 23.
It would seem Payton Manca, who began the season as the midweek starter, is still unavailable. After he didn’t start either of last week’s two midweek wins, he’s also not getting the ball to start against Florida.
Instead, the Seminoles will turn to ace reliever John Abraham (1-0, 0.66 ERA) as an opener of sorts. He’s allowed one earned run in 13 2/3 innings this season, striking out 20, walking one and giving up seven hits. It’ll be his third career start against Florida, having previously done so in each of his first two seasons.
The Gators will throw redshirt freshman Schuyler Sandford (1-0, 1.69 ERA) for his first career start. He missed the entire 2025 season due to injury but has performed well out of the bullpen this season, allowing two earned runs over 10 2/3 innings across six appearances, striking out 14 and walking four. He did not pitch in the Miami series so this will be his first career appearance against a power-conference team.
Florida won two of three games in the rivalry last season, taking the rubber match in Tallahassee to pull within 135-129-1 in the all-time series.
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