The No. 9 Florida Gators baseball team faced its biggest test of the season so far this past weekend, taking on then-No. 17 Miami on the road in Coral Gables, Florida.
Not only did the Gators come out on top, but they did it convincingly, outscoring the ‘Canes 15-6 for the “sweep” as they moved up one spot to No. 9 in D1 Baseball’s Top 25 rankings after the weekend. The series finale on Sunday was cancelled due to lightning in the area.
Nonetheless, here are the biggest takeaways from the series.
Jones, Lawson, Surowiec continue to dominate at the plate
Florida’s trio of sophomore outfielder Kyle Jones, sophomore shortstop Brendan Lawson and sophomore infielder Ethan Surowiec has been at the forefront of the team’s success this season, and it continued against Miami.
Lawson began the weekend with a solo home run in the opening frame on Friday. He finished the night 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs and three total runs scored. Game two was not as explosive, as he finished 0-for-3, but he walked twice and scored in the team’s 8-4 series-clinching victory Saturday night. His performance helped earn him Co-SEC Player of the Week honors.
Jones went 0-for-4 with a walk on Friday, but followed up with a 2-for-5 performance the next night that included a 2 RBI double in the second inning.
Surowiec continued to shine in his first year with the Gators after transferring from Ole Miss over the summer. The Mississippi native logged two hits in three at-bats with a walk and a run.
But the defining moment of his weekend came in game two in the ninth inning, when he launched a three-run homer to the scoreboard to extend Florida’s lead to 8-4.
The Gators’ three-headed monster at the top of their batting order has continued to impress, as Lawson and Jones are off to a hot start in their respective sophomore campaigns, and Surowiec has proven to be an elite transfer addition.
Florida has depth across the lineup
UF was without starting redshirt junior infielder Cade Kurland for the weekend due to an oblique injury. But the team was still able to find production from redshirt sophomore infielder/pitcher Caden McDonald, junior infielder Landon Stripling and senior baseman Sam Miller.
In game one, McDonald came in for a pinch-hitting effort in the eighth frame, producing an RBI single to left field for his first-career knock, scoring senior catcher Karson Bowen. He made his first career start in the lineup Saturday in game two, going 0-for-2 with a walk.
Stripling started at first base in the series opener, going 0-for-3. But, he recorded a 1.000 fielding percentage with six putouts.
Meanwhile, Miller earned the start at third base for game two. He got the Gators on the board in the second frame with a one-out RBI single to left field, as he finished 1-for-2 with a run.
The Gators have been able to overcome an early injury to Kurland, and they continue to use their versatility and depth to their advantage, able to move players across the diamond.
The pitching staff has begun to heat up
The preseason All-American pitching duo of Liam Peterson and Aidan King got down to business as usual in Miami.
In his third start of 2026, Peterson held the ‘Canes to two runs in five innings of play while recording eight strikeouts to just one walk. King was shaky to start in game two, surrendering a three-run homer in the first inning.
But he bounced back with a scoreless second, picking up his third fan in the process. He was relieved in the third after surrendering a walk, but it was later announced that he left the game with some arm discomfort.
Florida’s relievers stepped up when it mattered as well. Sophomore righty Jackson Barberi was the only reliever for Peterson on Friday, as he pitched 3.1 scoreless frames while logging three strikeouts to close the outing.
King was backed up by the arms of seniors Ricky Reeth and Ernesto Lugo-Canchola as well as redshirt freshman Joshua Whritenour. The three combined to hold the Hurricanes to just one run and four hits in six innings of action while notching nine strikeouts, led by Reeth’s five that led to his second win of the season.
Whritenour subbed in for the ninth frame to record the final three outs to seal the victory.
As the season continues to ramp up, Florida has seen improvement in what is now a revamped pitching staff behind Peterson and King, as the team continues to build a consistent bullpen rotation.
Freshmen contributions
The Gators’ first-year players have been key to their early success, and it showed in the weekend series.
Outfielder Cash Strayer has continued to solidify his place as a consistent starter at right field while adding quality at-bats. Despite not recording a hit in game one, he had 2 RBIs, which came from a sacrifice fly and a walk with bases loaded.
In game two, he went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs in the series-clinching win. He finished the weekend with a clean 1.000 fielding percentage with four putouts.
Meanwhile, outfielder Jacob Kendall started at the designated hitter position on Friday. He hit his second home run of the season in the eighth inning to retake the lead for Florida, as the Gators’ freshman class continued to impress in their debut campaign.
Florida is back in action Tuesday against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Condron Family Ballpark, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.
Contact Adrian Carmona at acarmona@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @abcarmona04.
Adrian is a senior journalism major and the baseball reporter for the Spring of 2026. He previously served as the soccer reporter in the fall of 2025. He enjoys playing Sporcle quizzes and ranting about South Florida sports.
