Seven games into the season, the No. 6 Florida baseball team has been near-flawless.
After sweeping their three-game series with Air Force, the Gators won all four games in the second week of the season to improve to 7-0.
In the four games throughout the second week, the Gators outscored their opponents 46-8. They defeated Jacksonville 1-04 in a midweek game, and then they run-ruled Dayton, their weekend opponent, in all three matchups.
The week started hot on Tuesday night when the Gators picked up their first road win of the season against Jacksonville.
The Dolphins were the first to strike in the matchup, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning.
The game remained scoreless until the top of the fifth inning, where the Gator offense turned it up a notch.
Home runs by junior designated hitter Brody Donay and senior third baseman Bobby Boser gave the Gators a two-run advantage.
Florida also added to the scoresheet in the next three innings. The game’s winning run ultimately came on a single by junior center fielder Justin Nadeau.
Postgame, UF head coach Kevin O’Sullivan singled out junior left fielder Blake Cyr as an excellent performer in the bout.
“I think Blake’s been seeing the ball as good tonight as he has in any of the four games that we’ve played this year,” said O’Sullivan.
Florida won the game 10-4 and traveled home for a scheduled match against Florida A&M the next day. However, severe weather in Gainesville led to the match being postponed until March 19.
With the extra days of rest, the Gators came out on Friday night firing on all cylinders.
The Gators scored six runs in the first two innings and scored another six runs in the sixth inning.
Overall, Florida had 13 runs on 10 hits in the matchup. Five different Gators had multi-RBI games, led by junior second baseman Cade Kurland, who drove in three runs in the bout.
“We had production up and down the lineup,” said O’Sullivan. “It was a good night for us.”
Meanwhile, sophomore starting pitcher Liam Peterson commanded the mound for four innings, striking out five batters while only surrendering two total hits. He earned the win when the Gators run-ruled the Flyers 13-1.
Florida’s red-hot play continued seamlessly into Saturday’s matchup, where the Gators dominated the play on the mound.
Redshirt sophomore Jake Clemente started and only allowed one hit in four innings while firing seven strikeouts.
He was relieved by sophomore southpaw Frank Menendez, who pitched three innings. He struck out five batters and only surrendered one hit, earning the win in the matchup.
Meanwhile, freshman first baseman Brendan Lawson made his presence felt, when he smashed a grand slam in the third inning. He also drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to finish the day with five RBIs.
Lawson finished the week with nine RBIs, which earned him SEC Freshman of the Week honors. He also earned plenty of praise from his head coach, who said he is an advanced hitter for his age.
“We put him in the fifth spot tonight for a reason,” O’Sullivan said. “He’s been swinging the bat really good.”
Junior shortstop Colby Shelton also had a three-hit day on Saturday, including two doubles. He drove in three runs in the 11-1 Gator win that ended in the eighth inning.
It took a little longer for the Gator offense to make their mark on Sunday’s game, but it was an offensive onslaught when they did.
The Gators posted runs in the final five innings of the eighth inning bout. UF scored four runs in each inning in the fourth and seventh innings.
Leading the way was Kurland, who fired his first two home runs of the 2025 season in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Both home runs drove in two runs.
Senior right fielder Ty Evans also had a two-RBI game, scoring Lawson twice on two singles.
On the mound, redshirt junior left-hander Piece Coppola earned the win, striking out eight batters in five innings. He allowed three hits and two runs in the 12-2 UF win that concluded in the eighth.
“I thought Pierce was really good again,” said O’Sullivan. “I thought he was really sharp and really efficient early on.”
The offensive dominance throughout the week has paid dividends for the Gators. They have now won six straight games while scoring 10-plus runs for the first time in 22 years.
The dominant series against Dayton was also the first time UF has swept a series with three run-rule victories.
“All in all, it was a good weekend for us,” said O’Sullivan.
The Gators now have a busy week ahead. They head to DeLand, Florida, for a matchup against Stetson on Tuesday before returning home for a matchup against North Florida on Wednesday. UF will then host the Miami Hurricanes for a three-game series starting on Friday.
