{"id":215815,"date":"2026-04-02T09:40:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/215815\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T09:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:40:12","slug":"no-21-florida-primed-for-home-series-vs-ole-miss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/215815\/","title":{"rendered":"No. 21 Florida Primed for Home Series vs. Ole Miss"},"content":{"rendered":"

GAINESVILLE, Fla. \u2013\u00a0Entering as winners of four of their last five games, the No. 21 Florida Gators host Ole Miss in a three-game series for the first time since taking two of three against the Rebels in the inaugural season of Condron Family Ballpark in 2021.
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\nThe three-game set runs from Thursday through Saturday, with Thursday evening’s series opener scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+, which will also carry game two on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night’s finale will air on SEC Network at 7:30 p.m.
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\nBoasting series victories in eight of their last nine SEC series including four in a row at home dating back to last season, the Gators (23-7, 6-3 SEC) have won 10 of the last 12 meetings against the Rebels (20-10, 3-6 SEC) in Gainesville. Florida has claimed each of the last-four series vs. Ole Miss at home (2021, 2017, 2013, 2011), with the lone home series loss under Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan<\/a>‘s watch coming in his second year at the helm in 2009.
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\nAlthough the Gators dropped a series to the Rebels in Oxford last season, they have won six of the last 10 matchups in the series overall. Across 114 all-time meetings, Florida leads at 58-56 including a 33-17 record in Gainesville. Under O’Sullivan, the Gators are 21-17 and 11-4 at home against Ole Miss.<\/p>\n

Pitching Matchups
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\nCHECKING OUR POLLS
\nThe Gators returned to three polls and are now ranked in all five major polls after going 4-0 against top-10 teams last week, sitting at No. 21 in the D1Baseball Top 25. Florida is ranked as highly No. 14 nationally at Baseball America while coming in at No. 16 via Perfect Game. Meanwhile, the Gators rose six spots to No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and moved up four positions to No. 18 per the NCBWA.
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\nSERIES PROMOTIONS & GIVEAWAYS
\nThe Thursday-Saturday series against Ole Miss features multiple\u00a0giveaways as well as fireworks and other exciting fan activities. For Thursday night’s series opener, the first 1,000 fans will receive Florida Baseball quarter zips. On Saturday, the first 500 students will be gifted with Florida Baseball Oasis water bottles. Pregame fireworks will take place during the national anthem, for the team run-out, UF homers\u00a0and following a Gators win in game two. Meanwhile, Saturday is the program’s Military Appreciation Game. ROTC will be in attendance for the national anthem, which will feature a flyover.<\/p>\n

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Series Opener Giveaway \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n

Florida Baseball quarter zips for the first 1\ufe0f\u20e3,0\ufe0f\u20e30\ufe0f\u20e30\ufe0f\u20e3 fans tomorrow night vs. Ole Miss!<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf9f\ufe0f | https:\/\/t.co\/uJHZKy3Xzl<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/cBlHvSMnUx<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\u2014 Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) April 1, 2026<\/a>
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\nFOOD TRUCKS
\nThere will be two food trucks located in the Dizney Grove area beyond the outfield wall on each day of the series.<\/p>\n

Thursday: Kona Ice, Brazilian Barbeskew

\nFriday: Mayflower, Domi Ice

\nSaturday: Honey Nitro, Mi Apa

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\nHOGWASH

\nRegistering not only the program’s first series sweep but also its first series win at Baum-Walker Stadium since 2016, Florida outscored No. 4 Arkansas by a 23-14 margin while out-hitting the Hogs, 36-21. The UF offense slashed .330\/.456\/.514 with 21 walks to 30 strikeouts while slugging five homers and five doubles. On the mound, the Gators struck out 37 batters against 11 free passes, holding the Razorbacks to a .202 batting average. As a result, the Gators secured their eighth SEC series victory in their last-nine league sets dating back to last season. Florida also took the all-time series lead from Arkansas over the weekend at 41-39 with the three-game sweep.<\/p>\n

GIANT SLAYERS

\nAfter defeating No. 10 FSU in Jacksonville last Tuesday and sweeping No. 4 Arkansas on the road, Florida is 7-0 against top-25 opponents and 4-0 vs. top-10 foes this year. The Gators have twice taken down No. 17 Miami (W 7-2, W 8-4) while topping No. 20 FSU on March 10 (W, 6-3) and No. 10 FSU on March 24 (W, 5-0). Florida has played three top-five contests thus far \u2013 all this past weekend in Fayetteville, Ark.<\/p>\n

HISTORIC SWEEP

\nBy upsetting No. 4 Arkansas on their home turf, Florida posted its first road sweep of a top-five opponent in the O’Sullivan era (2008-present) as well is this century. In fact, the statement sweep marked the first time the Gators swept a top-five foe on the road since the NCBWA top-25 poll began in 1998. Florida last swept a top-five team (any location) in 2023 against No. 5 Vanderbilt at home. Looking at the Razorbacks in particular, Florida has produced the last two sweeps of Arkansas in Fayetteville (2026, 2016), as the Hogs have been swept at home just seven total times during Head Coach Dave Van Horn’s 24-year tenure with the school.<\/p>\n

WEEK TO REMEMBER

\nGoing 4-0 vs. by topping No. 10 FSU at a neutral site and sweeping No. 4 Arkansas on the road, Florida won four-consecutive games all against top-10 opponents for the sixth time under O’Sullivan – last doing so with six-straight, top-10 victories from March 24-April 1, 2018 against No. 4 Arkansas (two home wins), No. 5 FSU (one neutral win) and No. 8 Vanderbilt (home sweep). Although the Gators have previously matched four-straight wins all vs. top-10 foes on five prior occasions in 2018, 2014, 2013, 2011 and 2010 – last week’s streak marked the first time Florida did so while playing every game away from home. In fact, of the five previous streaks, only two included road contests: one win at No. 7 FSU in 2013 and three victories at No. 7 LSU in 2011.<\/p>\n

KINGS OF THE SEC

\nRepping more SEC victories (311) and SEC Championships (six) than any other team in the league since O’Sullivan’s 2008 arrival, the Gators have won eight of their last nine SEC series dating back to last season. That includes an active, four-series win streak at home against conference foes,\u00a0as Florida’s last home SEC series loss came in the first weekend of April one year ago from April 4-6, 2025 vs. Vanderbilt.<\/p>\n

NATIONAL RANKINGS

\nIn addition to pacing the country with six shutouts thrown, Florida ranks among the top-50 teams nationally in a plethora of statistical categories: sixth with an SEC-best 21 sacrifice flies, ninth in strikeouts per nine (11.5), 12th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.17), 18th in WHIP (1.24) and win percentage (.767), 20th in ERA (3.72), 25th in hits allowed per nine (7.52), 34th in walks allowed per nine (3.62), 48th in walks drawn (155) and 50th in home runs (38).<\/p>\n

THE MOOSE HAS THE JUICE

\nEmbarking on the series with five hits and two walks in the last three games alone thanks to a 3-for-5 showing and a solo homer in the series finale at Arkansas, star shortstop Brendan Lawson<\/a> has reached base in 27 of 29 games played while leading Florida in every slash category at .372\/.577\/.849. His robust batting line is accompanied by a team-high 1.426 OPS, 11 homers, 73 total bases, 34 runs scored and 34 walks \u2013 13 more free passes than strikeouts (21). Lawson paces the entire SEC in on-base percentage and walks, ranking fourth nationally in both categories. The Canadian sophomore also sits third in the conference and 12th in the country in slugging, and comes into the series playing the best defense of his career across the last four games.<\/p>\n

THE WIEC IS LIT

\nIn Florida’s last 11 contests, corner infielder Ethan Surowiec<\/a> leads the team in batting (.357), slugging (.643), hits (15), total bases (27), extra-base hits (seven) and runs (13) while fielding at a .988 clip over 80 chances in the UF infield. The sophomore is playing the best baseball of his collegiate career heading into a matchup against his former school in Ole Miss, as the hot streak has lifted him to a team-high 35 hits while raising his overall batting line to .313\/.425\/.545. Surowiec is the lone Gator to have started all 30 games this season and is tied alongside Lawson with a team-best 11 multi-hit efforts.

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\nLP & THE KING

\nThe Gators’ one-two starting pitching punch of right-handers Liam Peterson<\/a> and Aidan King<\/a> have combined for 66 1\/3 innings of 2.85 ERA ball, 88-to-31 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 6.6 hits per nine. They have also teamed up for all four of Florida’s quality starts while fanning 11.9 batters per nine. Peterson is holding opposing batters to a .183 batting average on the year, as the junior has not surrendered more than one hit through the first-four innings in four of his last five starts. King has limited the opposition to a .225 batting average against this season, extending his streak of dominance across his last 12 starts dating back to last year: 7-3, 70 2\/3 IP, 1.27 ERA, 62-to-19 K-to-BB ratio.<\/p>\n

WHRITE’S OUT

\nPicking up back-to-back saves in games one and two at Arkansas, closer Joshua Whritenour<\/a> pitched 3 1\/3 scoreless, one-hit innings in the series with five strikeouts to one free pass. The redshirt sophomore is now a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities to begin his career. Whritenour carries a 2-0 record, 2.40 ERA, .137 batting average against and 24-to-nine strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 appearances into the fourth conference weekend of the campaign.<\/p>\n

JACKSON THE BARBARIAN

\nFlorida sophomore right-hander Jackson Barberi<\/a> was utterly dominant in a pair of performances against top-10 foes last week, earning SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors for the first SEC Weekly accolade of his two-year career. His performance powered the Gators to a perfect 4-0 week against top-10 opponents including a series sweep at No. 4 Arkansas, chucking 3.0 shutout, one-hit innings to secure the save vs. No. 10 FSU before firing another 3 1\/3 no-hit innings to earn the series-clinching victory at No. 4 Arkansas. On the week, Barberi pitched 6 1\/3 innings with zero earned runs allowed, giving up just one hit and two walks while striking out 13 batters. Clinching the series for the Gators against the Razorbacks, he retired the first-nine batters he faced in order. Across his two appearances last week, Barberi registered one win, one save, a 0.00 ERA and .043 batting average against. The Snellville, Ga. product has now pitched 23 2\/3 innings over a team-high 12 appearances backed by a 2.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, .132 batting average against and 37-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio.<\/p>\n

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Jackson the Barberian \ud83c\udfc6<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd17 | https:\/\/t.co\/0o8RAciv9J<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/LJOHbMTm6S<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\u2014 Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) March 30, 2026<\/a>
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\nWE LIKE OUR STREAKS CYR’ED
\nPowering Florida to a perfect 4-0 week in four games vs. top-10 opponents including a road series sweep at No. 4 Arkansas, senior outfielder Blake Cyr<\/a> started all four games in left field and went 8-for-16 with a .500\/.556\/.625 slash line. Pacing the Gators in batting average, hits and RBI (five), Cyr tallied two doubles, three runs scored, two walks and one stolen base. Contributing in all facets of the game, Cyr also executed a successful sacrifice bunt in game two at Arkansas and produced a 1.000 fielding percentage over five putouts in left field – highlighted by a diving catch down the left-field line in the series finale.<\/p>\n

Cyr collected a hit in all four games for Florida including three contests with multiple knocks, driving in two runs in the neutral-site win over No. 10 Florida State and providing a team-high three RBI in the series finale at Arkansas. Cyr’s performance helped the Gators post a road series sweep of a top-five opponent for the first time since the NCBWA poll was introduced in 1998.<\/p>\n

KONSISTENCY

\nAcross the last five games, four of which were played against top-10 teams in FSU and Arkansas, Florida pitchers recorded a strikeout in 37 of the 45 innings played for a total of 63 strikeouts. In the four games vs. ranked foes alone, UF hurlers struck out two batters or more in 16 different innings. Amazingly, the Gators fanned three batters in seven of those 36 innings, including striking out the side in order five times \u2013 by four different pitchers. After not logging a strikeout in the first inning vs. JU on Tuesday, the Gators fanned at least one batter in every frame thereafter.<\/p>\n

RELENTLESS REPTILES

\nFlorida boasts nine come-from-behind victories through 30\u00a0games. 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).<\/p>\n

DESTINATION OMAHA

\nComing 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 311 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 \u2013 by far the most in the country.\u00a0

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\nTICKET INFORMATION

\nSeason tickets<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0SEC Five-Pack Mini-Plans<\/a>\u00a0are currently on sale now in addition to\u00a0single-game tickets<\/a>. Tickets can be purchased\u00a0online<\/a>\u00a0or by contacting the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683.<\/p>\n

MOBILE TICKETING & FLORIDA GATORS APP

\nAs a reminder, mobile ticketing is required. There will be two ways to access your tickets:

\n1) through the\u00a0Florida Gators app<\/a>\u00a0from your mobile device or

\n2) through\u00a0FloridaGators.com\/myaccount<\/a>. Fans will also be able to transfer or donate their tickets easily within the app or online.<\/p>\n

PARKING\/SHUTTLES

\nFans are encouraged to park at the Fifield and IFAS lots during the weekend. An increased number of shuttles will be available for transportation to the ballpark each day.<\/p>\n

Click\u00a0HERE<\/a>\u00a0for a Parking map.
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\n\tGeneral Parking\u00a0is available in the west Condron Family\u00a0Ballpark baseball lot and the Fifield parking lot located directly across Hull Road.
\n\tDisabled parking\u00a0is available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the Condron Family\u00a0Ballpark west lot with a valid Disabled Placard.
\n\tFans can follow\u00a0this link<\/a>\u00a0to an interactive parking map.
\n\tRV Parking\u00a0is available in the Fifield Flat lot. \u00a0Reserved RV parking is not available for Florida baseball games. All motor home parking is on a first come, first-served basis.
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\n\t\tOn-board generators are permitted, however exterior or pull-along generators are prohibited at all times. For safety reasons, all motor homes\/RVs are required to utilize exhaust extensions or “smoke stacks” to channel exhaust fumes to the top of the motor home\/RV.
\n\t\tOvernight stays are only allowed on weekend series in the\u00a0Fifield\u00a0Flat\u00a0lot.\u00a0
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\n\tDo Not Park Illegally
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\n\t\tPark in designated parking spots (Do not park on\u00a0grass or in No Parking Zones).
\n\t\tVehicles are subject to towing if they block streets, sidewalks, service drives, or fire lanes, or if illegally parked in a disabled space.
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\nTRAFFIC PATTERNS ON GAME DAY
\nThose visiting Condron Family Ballpark on game day should be aware of updated traffic patterns surrounding the ballpark. Fans are advised to utilize Ballpark Way, which will serve as a connecting route to the ballpark from Archer Road. For departures, a postgame traffic flow pattern guide can be found\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n

BALLPARK PURCHASES

\nCondron Family Ballpark food and beverage sales are fully cashless. For convenience and to improve speed of service, all concession stands will only accept credit cards, debit cards, or touchless payment with smartphones. Fans with cash can stop at the first\u00a0base Concession Stand to exchange cash for a Gift Card. Gift Cards can be used at any concession stand within Condron Family Ballpark.<\/p>\n

ON DECK

\nPrior to heading to Athens, Ga, for a three-game series at Georgia (April 10-12), the Gators visit Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla. on Tuesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.<\/p>\n

Follow the Gators

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