The Gainesville Regional begins Friday as Florida returns home to face Rider University in its first game of the weekend.
The Gators enter the NCAA Tournament after going 2-1 in the SEC Tournament, routing Vanderbilt and Alabama before collapsing against Georgia in the semifinals. Despite the loss, Florida secured a top-eight national seed and hosting rights for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
With Florida effectively knocking Vanderbilt out of postseason contention, the Gators now hold the nation’s longest active postseason streak at eighteen straight postseason appearances.
Miami, Troy and Rider enter the Gainesville Regional as the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively. As the No. 1 seed, Florida will host Rider University (33-18, 22-8 MAAC) in the first game of the tournament. Rider enters the regional with a surge of momentum after winning its fifth MAAC championship last Saturday.
The Broncs’ offense is powered by five hitters with an OPS above .925. Their lineup is led by redshirt junior outfielder Kyle Neri, who is hitting .352 with a .971 OPS while leading Rider in hits.
Another hitter to watch is sophomore first baseman Charley Magoulick. The sophomore is batting .345 while leading the team with nine home runs.
On the mound, Rider is headlined by senior starting pitcher PJ Craig, who owns a 3.32 ERA in 95.2 innings pitched. Craig threw a 104-pitch complete game on May 21 against Merrimack before throwing another 83 pitches in seven scoreless innings on May 23.
Florida is opting not to throw its top pitcher in game one, as junior starting pitcher Russell Sandefer will start against Rider. Sandefer was pulled from Florida’s SEC Tournament semifinal against Georgia after being drilled in the arm by a line drive.
“When I watched him pitch on Saturday, that was as good an inning and a half as he’s thrown all year long,” O’Sullivan said.
O’Sullivan also said Florida’s Game 2 starter will be decided based on matchups.
Game 2 between Miami and Troy is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.
Miami (38-18, 16-14 ACC) enters the regional as the No. 2 seed after losing to Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament semifinals. The Hurricanes’ offense is led by fifth-year senior outfielder Derek Williams, who is hitting .376 with a 1.139 OPS and 15 home runs. He leads Miami in both hits and doubles.
Junior catcher Alex Sosa is just as dangerous. Sosa paced Miami with 17 home runs through the regular season while batting .332 with a 1.111 OPS.
On the mound, the Hurricanes are led by senior left-handed starter Rob Evans, who owns a 3.16 ERA in 82.2 innings pitched. Florida will avoid Evans in the opening round, however, as he was announced as Miami’s starter against Troy. Evans is the only Miami pitcher with an ERA below 4.00.
Florida defeated Miami earlier this season in a two-game series before the third game was rained out.
Troy (32-29, 17-13 Sun Belt), enters the regional as the No. 3 seed after losing to Southern Miss in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals.
The Trojans lineup is highlighted by sophomore catcher Jimmy Janicki, who is hitting .350 with a 1.087 OPS. He also leads Troy in home runs (17), doubles (22) and hits (84).
Another Trojan to watch is senior Aaron Piasecki, who is hitting .338 with a .991 OPS. The infielder also leads Troy with a .455 on-base percentage .
The Trojans pitching staff is headlined by junior left-handed pitcher Hayden Smith, who has a 2.57 ERA in 42 innings pitched.
Because the Gators secured a top-eight national seed after winning 10 of their last 12 games, UF will host a Super Regional for the first time since 2023 if it wins the Gainesville Regional.
First, the Gators will look to advance into the winners bracket against Rider at 1 p.m. Friday.
Contact Colton Veres at cveres@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @colton_veres.
Colton Veres is a senior sports journalism student in his first semester at The Alligator. He is currently the Summer 2026 baseball reporter. In his free time he enjoys watching the Red Sox and spending times with friends and loved ones.
