Florida swept each of its first two weekend series of the season against Charleston Southern and Cincinnati, but now the Gators face a major test as the No. 22 Miami Hurricanes come into town.
Miami is 7-2 on the season with losses to Penn State and FAU, while Florida is 8-2 with losses to Jacksonville and USF. Both teams have a strong weekend rotation but Miami’s bullpen might be stronger right now. Florida has scored 40 more runs in just five more innings of action, though.
The annual series is always filled with emotions. Plenty of the state’s top prep players pick between the two (and Florida State) and are familiar with each other, so it’s fun for everyone involved. Florida took two of three last year in Miami, and the Gators enter the matchup ranked a good bit higher than the Hurricanes at No. 6 in the country.
A sweep of Miami would almost guarantee a bump up into the top five, but Kevin O’Sullivan would probably settle for taking the series. It will be the first real challenge for his team this year, but the expectation is that Florida will handle its in-state rival at home.