Week Four of college baseball for the No. 7 Florida Gators (15-2) offers quite the unique scenario jumping into this week’s slate on the road for their toughest stretch of the season to this point.
Coming into this past weekend, five undefeated teams remained across the country: Alabama, North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee and Florida State.
However, that tree was chopped in half after the first three teams fell victim to the Mid-Major bug as WVU lost on Saturday and the Crimson Tide and Tarheels fell on Sunday. Heading into Monday, two teams who made it to Omaha in 2024 are the only remaining unbeaten squads in the country in No. 2 Tennessee (16-0) and No. 5 Florida State (15-0).
Florida was a part of that group for the first pair of weeks, before down south foe Miami salvaged the series sweep in the finale on March 4. Two days later, the Gators got pummeled on the road in Orlando against a well-armored UCF Knights team despite a majority of the stadium being covered with Florida Gator faithful. However, the Gators couldn’t have had a more reassuring weekend against Harvard at home in a three-game sweep over the Crimson.
After pushing past hot-hitting Florida Atlantic in a 4-2 win on Tuesday, the Gators outscored Harvard 41-6 in three games across 21 innings of play for a quick sweep.
Coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s machine mixed with veteran talent and sprinkled with freshman faces fired on all cylinders. Here’s a few players who stood out in Saturday’s doubleheader:
Fr. Aidan King: W, 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
Sr. Bobby Boser: 4-for-8, 2 HR (7), 2B, 8 RBI, 4 R
Jr. Brody Donay: 3-for-4, HR (8), 2B, 5 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB
So. Hayden Yost: 4-for-8, 2B, 6 RBI, R
It’s easy to see the level of experience doesn’t matter in Gainesville, but having your name called at any time from day one on campus does. That’s been the Gator standard for better or worse, and with that comes opportunities to make a statement.
The opportunity at hand this week: 3 of 5 undefeated teams lose, leaving the last two for the Orange and Blue.
Now, taking a pitstop in science class is necessary here, in the fact that diamonds are created under immense pressure, to expose and strike out any blemishes along the way. Much like the Florida Gators, this week’s pressure comes in the form of their biggest in-state rival spearheaded by the nation’s top arm, and another in the form of the defending Rocky Top national champions with the question being:
Will Florida expose their blemishes and imperfections, or will a squad lacking the heroics of Jac Caglianone in 2025 prove to be the top dog in college baseball?
Florida is set to face rival No. 5 FSU in Tallahassee on Tuesday before heading to Knoxville on Friday for an on-the-road SEC opener against the No. 2 reigning national champs in the Tennessee Volunteers for a weekend series.
However, the Gators are arguably better and in a stronger position to succeed now than they were last year heading into this week’s gauntlet, and here’s why:
In 2024, Florida’s lineup relied on the longball from Jac Caglanione’s 1-of-75 homers he hit in a 2.5 year span (or should I say 1-of-35 homers he hit). The leadoff to the five-hole hitter was strong for the Gators, but fell off a cliff as the bottom half hitters combined for 243 strikeouts.
The lineup was so reliant on Caglianone’s prowess and the occasional Tyler Shelnut RBI during a magical MCWS run that it overshadowed the holes in the lineup. O’Sullivan and hitting coach Chuck Jeroloman made it a point to urgently fix that in the offseason.
So, that’s exactly what they did.
Florida hit the transfer portal heavily, recruiting an array of speed, veteran experience, and raw talent in the Sunshine State from four different programs.
Kyle Jones, a center fielder and 2024 ASUN Freshman of The Year from Stetson joined the Gators first. Next was Bobby Boser, an experienced Cape Cod League All-Star shortstop from South Florida who racked up 106 starts for the Bulls before turning down the draft to rep the Orange and Blue in his senior year. Rounding off the abundance of transfer portal wealth was Miami outfielder Blake Cyr, Jacksonville platoon player Justin Nadeau and Texas Tech’s Landon Stripling who’ve all added value and depth to the roster this year.
Florida has racked up 185 hits (coincidentally tied for 7th in the nation with FSU) and 141 RBI just 17 games into the season, but it’s the speed department that bolstered this balanced lineup. In 2024, Gator baserunners stole a total of 43 bases. This year already, they’ve snagged 31 bags and counting complimented by 78 walks.
No more living and dying by the homer.
Instead, the Gators are thriving with stacking doubles (43, T-5th nationally, 1st in SEC) and applying pressure on the base paths.
The story on the mound is similar, yet could be where they get exposed this week, if at all.
Florida’s young arms from ‘24 are now a year older and wiser. Starting with the ace in RHP Liam Peterson, who looks nothing short of a first round pick in 2026. Peterson has been a prime example of what getting thrown into the fire as a freshman can do for learning the ropes, and it’s paying dividends for him as a sophomore.
There’s no question the velocity and off-speed stuff are there, but in multiple big moments in ‘2’, his inexperience revealed plenty of room to grow especially in the Stillwater Regional and in Omaha. Time has healed and reinforced him, as Peterson sports a 0.86 ERA and 34 punchouts over 21 innings pitched. “Peterson 2.0” has arrived to Gainesville in the form of true freshman righty Aidan King, who followed suit with an electric fastball that plays up in the zone and has helped him rack up 20 K’s in 16.1 innings.
He’s been the swiss army knife out of the ‘pen for Florida and even earned a start, setting the table for the reliever-turned-closer in RHP Alex Philpott, who’s filled his new role exquisitely. Philpott had big shoes to fill after Brandon Neely heard his name called by the Boston Red Sox in the draft this summer, but Philpott (1.23 ERA) hasn’t even flinched. His pitch mix has been disgusting to say the least, tunneling a 96-mph fastball with a tight curve and slider. The sophomore has secured two saves and 13 K’s in just seven innings with a BAA of .154.
In addition, the continued growth of Jake Clemente and long-awaited return of 6-foot-8 lefty Pierce Coppola, (though his status is unknown after exiting early in his start against Miami with an apparent arm injury) have only helped the Gators’ rotation as well.
However, what has the potential of turning into a black eye is the walks and making quality pitches in big situations with runners on base. The Gators have already given up multiple bases-loaded walks which simply cannot happen at the collegiate level, especially as they move into conference play.
If the Orange and Blue have hopes of knocking off the last two undefeated teams in the nation, they’ll need to play perfect ball this week, starting on Tuesday against the Seminoles.
Opportunity #1: Sunshine State Showdown
Tuesday, March 11th, 6 P.M., Tallahassee, FL ACCNX
FSU: RHP Evan Chrest (2-0, 2.87 ERA)
UF: RHP Billy Barlow (1-0, 2.51)
Florida State is simply one word: dangerous. Led by the projected No. 1 overall pick by Baseball America in this year's draft in All-American left-handed pitcher Jamie Arnold, the Seminoles have found an elite recipe of big hitting and dominant pitching early on.
Luckily for the Gators, they won’t have to face Arnold, as righty RHP Evan Chrest (2-0, 2.87 ERA) gets the mid-week start for the Noles. Chrest has a .250 BAA with just 10 K’s in 15.1 innings, while Florida’s hitters are slashing .336 as a team (9th overall) backed by a three-headed monster in Boser, Brody Donay, and true freshman Brendan Lawson leading the charge.
The Gators best chance is to jump on Chrest early and get to the bullpen, where relievers the Gators will likely see in Jacob Marlowe and Connor Hults have combined for a 28.93 ERA this season.
On the flip side for the Orange and Blue, RHP Billy Barlow (1-0, 2.51) will get the rock to start the ballgame. Barlow is coming off his best outing as a Gator, holding a steaming FAU squad to just one unearned run and four hits over 5.1 innings tossed. Depending on where the game goes, King could be available to set up for Philpott, who will hope to come in and slam the door.
The same goes for FSU in their game plan to jump out early, but the Florida arms have shown they only get better and better as the night goes on. The Seminoles come in batting .345 as a team (5th overall) with four hitters batting .370 or better compared to Florida’s only one in Donay (.442).
The opportunity for Florida is certainly there, and the motto should be “Early and Often.”
Opportunity #2: Conquering Rocky Top
March 14-16th, Knoxville, TN, SEC Network
UT Probable Starters: Liam Doyle, Marcus Phillips, Nate Snead (or Tanner Franklin)
UF Probable Starters: Liam Peterson, Pierce Coppola (or Aidan King), Jake Clemente
The Tennessee Volunteers are a whole different story. Coming off a national championship season is as high as you can get, but this Vols team is arguably even better than it was in 2024, with a program record 16-0 start to the season.
If you think Florida State can throw gas and hit a baseball a country-mile, travel seven hours north and look for the checkered sign and echoes of Morgan Wallen tunes in the distance, then you’ll really know.
The No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers have flirted with the top overall spot in many polls early this season, but currently sit right on the tail of the No. 1 LSU Tigers. In the 2025 SEC Opener, there couldn’t be more on the line for both the Gators and the Vols, with two highly esteemed programs fresh off a World Series appearance just eight months ago and a hunger for more.
At the plate, Tennessee leads the country in homers (49) including a whopping eight grand slams, slugging percentage (.711) and runs scored (199), while second in average (.348) and OBP (.489).
The Vols have five hitters slashing .350 or better, led by the nation’s top freshman hitter in Levi Clark, who’s smashing .513 with a team leading 23 RBI. Simply videogame type numbers so far.
On the hill, Tennessee leads the nation in team ERA (1.83), hits allowed per nine innings (5.4) and K’s per nine (14.1).
Starting on Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium is reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week and crafty lefty Liam Doyle, who holds a 0.44 ERA with 47 K’s in a little over 20 innings this year.
The Vols are already a proven beast in the SEC, which means Florida has absolutely nothing to lose in going for the reigning national champs. At the plate, Florida has a real chance if they stack quality at-bats and get on base. Tennessee catchers are 7-for-22 in catching base runners, so don’t be surprised if you see the Gators attempt to play small ball and move station-to-station, utilizing the speed they picked up in the portal this offseason when they need it most.
On the mound, it’s simply making quality pitches while minimizing the big swings. Florida’s balanced bullpen can not let Tennessee string hits together and take all the momentum at home. Someone will have to emerge and pitch dominant from the Gator’s bullpen.
Overall, digging into the numbers is awesome, but it boils down to the true hatred both these fan bases have for each other stretching from sport to sport that adds fuel to the fire for such a juicy, gritty, opening series in enemy territory for Florida.
We’ll see which Orange emerges superior after the dust from opening weekend in the SEC settles.