The No. 15 Florida Gators (16-8, 3-3 SEC) are set to host the No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels (20-4, 6-0 SEC) for a three-game series in Gainesville starting Thursday night after having its midweek matchup with the Mercer Bears canceled due to weather on Tuesday. UF is coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the then-No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks on the road and are looking to get back on track in league play this weekend.
The Rebels have gotten off to a hot start to the 2021 season despite all four of their losses coming against unranked teams, including a three-game series loss to the UCF Knights; their other two defeats came at the hands of the ULM Hawks and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Otherwise, Ole Miss has been hot, sweeping both of its Southeastern Conference series against the Auburn Tigers and No. 23 Alabama Crimson Tide — with a win over the Central Arkansas Bears sandwiched in between — heading into this weekend’s series.
Historically, the two schools are knotted in a tie when it comes to confrontations on the baseball diamond, with each team owning 52 wins in the series, though Florida holds a 31-14 record at home. The Gators’ longest winning streak came from 1994 to 1997 when they won eight in a row, while their longest losing streak stretched over six games from 2003 to 2007. Ole Miss has won the last three games — a series sweep in 2019 at home — though UF had won four in a row prior.
Here is a look below at the starting pitchers lined up for this weekend’s series along with the projected starting lineup. Scroll down further for interesting excerpts from the media guide.