Live Blog: Updates from Florida Gators series opener vs. Miami
The No. 8 Florida Gators welcome in-state rival Miami to Condron Family Ballpark for their biggest test of the season. First pitch for Friday’s opener is at 6:30 p.m. Game 2 is at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Game 3 will be Sunday at 1 p.m.
All three games will air on SEC Network+. UF has won nine of the last 10 series and six of the last eight in Gainesville. The Gators (9-0) have a chance to take the all-time lead this weekend (134-135-1) against the Hurricanes (8-1).
Florida vs. Miami Live Blog
Florida owns a 79-51-1 mark in the series at home. UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan is 41-8 overall against the Hurricanes and 21-9 in Gainesville.
Florida-Miami Pitching Matchups
Friday | 6:30 ET (SECN+)Saturday | 4:30 ET (SECN+)Sunday | 1 ET (SECN+)MiamiRHP Nick Robert (2-0, 0.90 ERA)RHP Griffin Hugus (2-0, 1.50 ERA)RHP Brian Walter (2-0, 0.82 ERA)FloridaRHP Liam Peterson (2-0, 0.00 ERA)LHP Pierce Coppola (2-0, 1.80 ERA)RHP Jake Clemente (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
Florida Gators Starting Lineup
1. CF Kyle Jones
2. 3B Bobby Boser
3. SS Colby Shelton
4. DH Brody Donay
5. 1B Brendan Lawson
6. 2B Cade Kurland
7. LF Blake Cyr
8. C Luke Heyman
9. RF Ty Evans
SP: RHP Liam Peterson
Florida-Miami Game Notes
* The Gators are coming off midweek victories at Stetson (6-1) and against North Florida (7-6) at home. Two freshmen earned their first-career victories in the contests, as right-handed pitcher Aidan King (1-0) threw three shutout innings at Stetson before right-hander Caden McDonald secured the win against North Florida by recording all three outs in the ninth en route to a wild finish.
* The Gators’ 9-0 start is the team’s best since the 2020 campaign (16-0). Florida’s nine-game winning streak is the team’s longest since winning nine in a row from March 5-17, 2023. If the Gators reach 10-straight wins, it would mark the program’s longest since the aforementioned 16-game streak to open the 2020 season.
* Leading UF in every slash category with a .448/.590/1.069 batting line, catcher/designated hitter Brody Donay paces the SEC in slugging percentage while ranking second in the conference with five homers and 31 total bases behind Alabama’s Justin Lebron. The 6-foot-5 slugger is also 3-for-3 on steals and leads the Gators with 13 runs.
* Through nine games, UF pitchers have produced a 107-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 31 of 32 Gator pitching appearances and 70 of 75 innings pitched have featured at least one strikeout. UF pitchers have allowed just 16 earned runs on 48 hits this year, equating to a 1.92 ERA and .182 batting average against.
* Florida’s weekend rotation of right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson, lefty Pierce Coppola and right-hander Jake Clemente has been dominant through two turns. The trio wields a 5-0 record, 1.20 ERA, .120 batting average against and 51-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 30 innings. They already have recorded two quality starts after Florida received just five in 66 games last season.
* This weekend’s rivalry meeting will see two pairs of former USA Baseball teammates reunite on the diamond. Peterson suited up with Miami’s Daniel Cuvet this past summer as members of the 2024 USA Collegiate National Team. Going back more than one decade, righty Christian Rodriguez played alongside Dorian Gonzalez of the Canes with the USA Baseball 12U Team in 2014.
* Miami is coming off a 27-30 season, falling just short of the ACC Championship Game to Duke. The Canes are starting the 2025 campaign off with a 7-1 record, featuring wins against Princeton and Niagara while their lone loss was to FAU in Boca Raton, Fla. The team has a lot of newcomers this year, with their 36-man roster containing 29 new faces (16 transfers and 13 freshman). Offensively, Miami has slashed .293/.419/.436 with six home runs and 11 stolen bases. The Canes’ pitching staff wields a 1.17 ERA and 96 strikeouts to 25 walks over 69 frames. Defensively, Miami has committed five errors for a .981 fielding percentage on the season.
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