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CORAL GABLES, FL – FEBRUARY 27: Miami catcher Alex Sosa (13) tags Florida outfielder Cash Strayer (26) out at home to end the eighth inning as the Miami Hurricanes faced the Florida Gators on February 27, 2026, at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Lewis\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Icon Sportswire<\/p>\n
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Miami Hurricanes baseball team knew it would face adversity at some point this season. That glorious 10-game win streak to begin the season \u2014 just the fifth time the Hurricanes have ever started a season 10-0 \u2014 was going to hit a snag eventually. That\u2019s baseball.<\/p>\n
It hit the Hurricanes this weekend against an opponent who has given Miami a stern reminder of where it stands over the past decade-plus.<\/p>\n
No. 17 Miami dropped its weekend series to the No. 10 Florida Gators, losing the first two games by scores of 7-2 on Friday<\/a> and 8-4 on Saturday<\/a>. Sunday\u2019s series finale was canceled due to inclement weather<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the fifth consecutive year and the 11th time in the past 12 years dating back to 2015 that the Gators beat the Hurricanes in a best-of-3 regular-season series.<\/p>\n The Hurricanes\u2019 approach to it: Bring it on.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes adversity is good,\u201d outfielder Derek Williams said. \u201cIt brings the guys together, for sure. And I\u2019m kind of glad we faced it early in the season so we can all come together and we can all learn how it feels like instead of feeling it later in the season. We\u2019re gonna come together, and we\u2019re gonna fight.\u201d<\/p>\n This Miami team entered the season with expectations of making the College World Series. They came oh-so-close to that last season, advancing to the Super Regional round of the NCAA tournament and forcing a winner-take-all Game 3 in that round on the road against the Louisville Cardinals before falling 3-2 in the decisive game.<\/p>\n UM knows it can compete. It knows it can be a force when things are working right.<\/p>\n And the Hurricanes have learned a lot about themselves through the first three weeks.<\/p>\n First and foremost, its lineup will be its calling card. That\u2019s been known since the season began. They have stars in the heart of their lineup in third baseman Daniel Cuvet and catcher Alex Sosa. Williams has gotten off to a hot start as well. Freshman outfielder Dylan Dubovik has made an impression, too.<\/p>\n UM averaged 15.5 runs per game through its first 10 games, albeit against lesser opponents \u2014 weekend series against Lehigh and Lafayette College and then midweek contests against UCF, Indiana State and FAU.<\/p>\n In the first two games against Florida, Miami combined for 14 hits while striking out 23 times.<\/p>\n UF\u2019s one-two punch of Liam Peterson and Aidan King might be the best one-two punch the Hurricanes face pitching-wise this season.<\/p>\n That said, UM might have an effective one-two punch at the top of its own rotation in AJ Ciscar and Rob Evans.<\/p>\n Ciscar pitched into the eighth inning against Florida on Friday and had a 3.00 ERA through three starts, a stretch in which he has 22 strikeouts and no walks with a .225 batting average against over 18 innings. He struck out six against Florida while giving up four runs (three earned) on Friday.<\/p>\n Evans, meanwhile, has recorded double-digit strikeouts in back-to-back starts and showcased hit mettle on Saturday against the Gators. He battled through a rough second inning. He loaded the bases on three consecutive singles and came one pitch away from getting out of the frame by allowing just one run. Instead, UF capitalized with a Kyle Jones two-run double and a wild pitch to put up four runs in the frame.<\/p>\n How did Evans respond? He tossed four perfect innings and retired 13 consecutive hitters \u2014 eight by strikeout \u2014 to get Miami to the seventh inning, at which point the game was tied 4-4.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the guy that we saw throw against our own guys all spring in intersquads with stuff like that,\u201d Hurricanes coach J.D. Arteaga said. \u201cNot surprised to see what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t enough for Miami to win a game against one if its main rivals.<\/p>\n All the Hurricanes can do now is move forward.<\/p>\n They have four more games at home next week, a midweek against Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday before hosting Boston College for a weekend series starting Friday to open Atlantic Coast Conference play.<\/p>\n \u201cThis doesn\u2019t change what this team is and who we are,\u201d Sosa said. \u201cThat\u2019s a good Florida team. It is what it is. This team is still special. We\u2019re not gonna let those two losses affect us. I\u2019ve got a lot of confidence and this whole team has a lot of confidence in each other and in this team. It doesn\u2019t change anything for us.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published March 1, 2026 at 1:42 PM.<\/p>\n