March 24, 2026, 2:52 p.m. ET

Florida baseball desperately needs a win on Tuesday against Florida State after being swept by Alabama over the weekend.

The Gators head to Jacksonville for the second of three midweek matchups with the Seminoles and are a win away from taking the season series. Florida won convincingly in Gainesville two weeks ago, limiting FSU to three runs on six hits. The ‘Noles only scored one run after a shaky second inning from starter Schuyler Sandford, so the hope is that the pitching staff can repeat that dominant performance.

Cade Kurland is back in the lineup after making his return to the team over the weekend. However, Brendan Lawson’s status is up in the air after he left Saturday’s game with back spasms. The team is mostly being cautious, but it’s unclear how long Florida’s best hitter will be out. Facing a lefty wouldn’t normally affect Lawson’s playing time, but if the idea is to be careful, he could sit another day.

Russell Sandefer will start for Florida after throwing three no-hit innings in a midweek start against Stetson seven days ago.

Projected Starting Lineup: Florida GatorsPosNameAVGOBPSLGABRHHRRBICKarson Bowen.264.364.4177217192111BEthan Surowiec.308.432.4849120283242BCade Kurland.268.367.390411011173BColton Schwarz.225.379.325403907SSBrendan Lawson.380.585.9157129271029LFBlake Cyr.320.413.560752024420CFKyle Jones.333.412.521963032220RFCash Strayer.259.337.432811721320DHCole Stanford.268.423.46341121127Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

Notes: Sam Miller is unavailable for this game after being ejected in the series finale versus Alabama.

Probable StartersTeamPitcherRecordERAFLORIDARHP Russell Sandford0-15.40FLORIDA STATELPH Cooper Whited1-03.12

NOTES: Russell Sandefer didn’t have a great outing against Alabama over the weekend, but he was stellar against Stetson last Tuesday. Kevin O’Sullivan said he might be “forced to make some decisions” after Sandefer threw three no-hit innings against the Hatters. This is yet another audition for the UCF transfer to move into the weekend rotation.

Behind Sandefer, Florida can use any of its bullpen pieces. Schuyler Sandford got the start last time against FSU. He was good for an inning, but ended up allowing two earned runs on three walks. If he can find some command, pitching an inning makes sense here.

The Gators also used Luke McNeillie, Jackson Barberi, Ernesto Lugo-Canchola and Joshua Whritenour agaisnt the Seminoles two weeks ago. Everyone but Barberi threw on Sunday against Alabama but stayed between 24 and 26 pitches. Whritenour gave up four runs on two hits and two walks, and Lugo-Canchola gave up a pair of two-run homers. There shouldn’t be too much hesitation to run them back out there, though, especially if O’Sullivan needs his best arms to close out a game.

Junior left-hander Cooper Whited gets the start for Florida State. Brendan Lawson and Cash Strayer are the only two lefties in Florida’s regular lineup, so the only bat that should be sidelined is Landon Stripling, who is used as a matchup bat agaisnt righties sometimes. Stripling could come off the bench and pinch-hit for Colton Schwarz if needed. In that scenario, Ethan Surowiec slides over to third, and Stripling plays first.

Whited has a 3.12 ERA over 8 2/3 innings in four appearances this year. He’s strikeout-heavy with 11 to just two walks, but he can struggle with command a bit. He hit two batters a week ago in a 10-out start against Bethune-Cookman, but Florida State ended up throwing a combined no-hitter anyway. Opposing bats are hitting just .219 against him on the year, but he’s faced the lower levels of competition, excluding a three-batter appearance against Michigan, where he gave up a home run.

In that combined no-hitter, Florida State used Brodie Purcell and Cole Stokes behind Whited. The Seminoles only needed to get through seven innings, though. Purcell and Stokes were the last two arms FSU threw against Florida in the first matchup. Kevin Mebil, Chris Knier and Cade O’Leary all threw as well, following John Abraham’s two innings. Running Abraham and O’Leary back out there feels likely this time around.

Other Players to Watch

Florida State is loaded with talent, but first baseman Myles Bailey stands above the rest — literally. The 6-foot-4, 257-pound sophomore was a First Team Freshman All-American a year ago, and he only looks better this season. His 1.491 OPS ranks third in the country, and his 12 home runs lead the Seminoles. Mashers like this tend to be strikeout-prone, but Bailey has walked (29) more than he’s struck out (26) this year.

Florida limited him last time around. Bailey went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, as did the other big name in the lineup, outfielder Noah Sheffield. Hunter Carns (.882 OPS) was the only player with multiple hits against Florida two weeks ago. Outfielders Brayden Dowd (1.126 OPS) and John Stuetzer (.925) are also threats. Freshmen Will Bavaro (1.160) and Kelvyn Paulino Jr. (1.015) are also names to know.

Series HistoryOVERALL130-135-1AT HOME68-50AWAY47-72-1NEUTRAL15-13Follow the Action

Tuesday (6 p.m. EDT)

Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell have the call on television and radio.

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