UF sophomore infielder Ethan Surowiec and junior infielder Cade Kurland put up elite performances behind the plate, combining for six hits, two home runs and six RBIs.
But the Gators struggled on the mound, as the pitching staff combined for eight walks and ten hits allowed. Ultimately, Surowiec and Kurland’s big nights were left for granted.
Florida (23-8, 6-4 SEC) came up short 6-4 in the series opener against Ole Miss (21-10, 4-6 SEC) Thursday night at Condron Family Ballpark.
“We gotta get to a better start,” UF head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “It’s hard to play from behind.”
Junior starting pitcher Liam Peterson saw danger on the mound to start for Florida, as he surrendered a walk and a single to right field, as Ole Miss saw runners on first and second.
But the Gators’ ace stepped up, fanning three straight Rebels to leave two stranded.
UF sophomore outfielder Kyle Jones was aggressive at the plate to start, as he singled to right field on one pitch and proceeded to steal second. Then, Surowiec knocked one to right field for an RBI single, scoring Jones to give Florida an early one-run lead.
Ole Miss threatened in the third, as senior right fielder Tristan Bissetta led off with a walk and proceeded to steal second base. Peterson then walked his second straight batter to put runners on first and second with no outs.
The Rebels took the lead with three runs. Senior designated hitter Collin Reuter singled to left field to score Bissetta, and one more was plated off a sacrifice RBI groundout from junior infielder Dom Decker.
Reuter was then sent home after a base hit up the middle from freshman outfielder Cannon Goldin as the Rebels went up 3-1.
However, Florida put itself in a position to respond. Jones led off with his second single of the game to left field, and Surowiec was walked. Then, both runners advanced to second and third as the Gators had two runners in scoring position.
Senior catcher Karson Bowen reached first on a fielder’s choice, but Jones was caught at home plate. Senior outfielder Blake Cyr then flew out to left-center to strand two Gators.
Peterson surrendered a leadoff single and retired two more Rebels before being subbed on the slab for senior Ernesto Lugo-Canchola. Peterson finished with seven strikeouts but walked three batters and surrendered six hits.
Two wild pitches on Lugo-Canchola’s first three tosses sent Rebels junior catcher Austin Fawley to third base. Despite walking his first batter, Lugo-Canchola forced a flyout right after to leave two Rebels helpless on first and third.
Ole Miss extended its lead in the fifth, as junior shortstop Brayden Randle hit a two-run bomb to right field to make it a 5-1 ballgame.
Lugo-Canchola was then relieved by junior Luke McNeillie, finishing with two strikeouts and surrendering one two-run homer.
McNeillie hit Fawley on his first pitch, causing more issues for the Gator defense. But the bullpen arm came up with a strikeout right after to leave Fawley stranded at first.
Florida cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth. After Jones’ third single of the game, Surowiec continued his big day, hammering one to left field against his former team for a two-run score to make it a 5-3 difference.
“We’re a better team than what we showed tonight,” Surowiec said. “We could have had some big hits later but it didn’t come.”
But, the Rebels stayed aggressive, as senior infielder Judd Utermark doubled down left field on McNeillie's first pitch of the sixth. Senior infielder Will Furniss then doubled to score Utermark to bring it to a three-run advantage.
Despite a lead-off single from Kurland in the bottom of the sixth, he was left stranded as the Gators went down in order with three straight fly-outs.
Florida earned a couple of base runners in the seventh, as Surowiec singled to left field and Bowen induced a walk with two outs. But, Cyr flew out on a 3-1 count as the Gators left another two runners stranded and came up with a goose egg.
Senior righty Billy Barlow took the hill for Florida in the eighth, as McNeillie ended his night with four strikeouts and two hits while walking just one Rebel.
Federico proceeded to single down left-center on Barlow’s second pitch of the night. Barlow forced a double play right after to send the runners off the diamond.
However, the pitching inconsistencies once again showed, as Barlow walked the next two Rebels to put two on.
Barlow’s short night ended there, as sophomore Caden McDonald took his place. Barlow walked two batters and surrendered one hit on 14 total pitches.
McDonald stranded the two runners, as his first pitch of the night was a pop fly on Reuter. But the Gators had plenty of work to do to cut the deficit.
Kurland started off the bottom of the eighth with a solo bomb to left field to cut Ole Miss’s lead to 6-4. But, Florida went down in order right after as the Gators still saw a two-run deficit heading into the final frame.
“You keep chucking along and compete every day,” Kurland said. “I think I blacked out in the moment. It is what it is.”
McDonald walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth before being subbed for sophomore Jackson Barberi. McDonald tossed eight pitches, walking one Rebel and forcing one fly out.
Despite the walk, Decker was caught trying to steal second off a perfect throw from Bowen. Barberi struck out the next batter as Florida went to the bottom of the ninth with one more chance to at least tie the game.
But the Gators went down in order as Ole Miss slammed the door on any hope of a comeback.
Florida will look to even the series Friday in game two. First pitch is set for 6:30 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.
