Everything You Need to Know, Probable Starters: Gators vs Miami

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Another year of college baseball means another edition of the heated rivalry between the Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes.

“I mean, it’s always a great series,” Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said Wednesday night. “It’s always a competitive series and we’ll see how it goes. Another challenge for us.”

The all-time history between the two slightly favors Miami with the Hurricanes leading the series 135-134-1. However, the record under O’Sullivan has been very one-sided in the Gators’ favor. Florida is 41-8 against Miami under O’Sullivan with

However, the record under O’Sullivan has been very one sided. In his time as head coach, the Gators are 41-18 and 21-9 when in Gainesville.

Miami enters 8-1 on the year and are currently riding a five-game winning streak that includes a four-game sweep of Princeton and a lone win over Florida Gulf Coast. Their only loss in 2025 came from the hands of FAU in the middle of February, falling 2-1 to the Owls.

Florida won the most recent matchup that took place down in Coral Gables, Fla., back in March of last year. They took this series too, winning the first game of three. Furthermore, Florida has won nine of the last 10.

That being said, this series will be Florida’s first true test of the seaosn. After playing multiple mid-major programs to start the year, Miami is the Gators’ first power four opponent.

Florida’s three game series will begin on Friday at 6:30 p.m. EST, Game Two will be at 4:30 p.m. EST and Game Three will be at 1 p.m. EST. All three will be streamed via ESPN+.

Starting Pitchers

Friday 

Miami: RHP Nick Robert (2-0, 0.90 ERA)

Florida: RHP Liam Peterson (2-0, 0.00 ERA)

Saturday 

Miami: RHP Griffin Hugus (2-0, 1.50 ERA)

Florida: LHP Pierce Coppola (2-0, 1.80 ERA)

Sunday 

Miami: RHP Brian Walter (2-0, 0.82 ERA)

Florida: RHP Jake Clemente (1-0, 1.80 ERA)

An Extended Report on the Hurricanes

A big reason why they’ve had as hot of a start as anyone in the country boils down to their starting rotation, which O’Sullivan pointed out instantly.

“They got three really outstanding starters,” O’Sullivan said.

Those three starters for Miami are Griffin Hugus, Brian Walters and Nick Robert. All have pitched 10 or more innings while holding a 1.50 ERA or lower this season.

It isn’t just their pitching, though. The Hurricanes have great hitting as well. Of their every day hitters, only three aren’t batting .300 or above. Leading the way for the Hurricanes is infielder Jake Ogden, whose average is sitting at .444 in 36 at-bats.

As for who is producing the most runs for the Hurricanes, outfielder Bobby Marsh holds the pole position with 19 RBIs in just nine games. That number is also good enough to be tied-fifth in the nation.

And neither of these are considered their best player, which makes this team even scarier. The consensus vote on who the best player on this team is would most likely go to Daniel Cuvet.

Cuvet had one of the best freshman seasons in Hurricanes’ history last year with a .351/.429/.736 slash line. He also set a freshman record for home runs in a single season with 24. All of this earned him many honors, including being named a Preseason First Team All-American by D1Baseball.

How the Gators Stack Up

Though the Hurricanes have a dominant starting rotation, the Gators trio of Liam Peterson, Pierce Coppola and Jake Clemente are no slouches either.

Through six total games and 30 innings pitched, the three have combined for a 5-0 record with a 1.20 ERA and .120 batting average while striking out 51 batters to just seven walks.

Florida also wields some dangerous hitters of their own. At the top of the list is catcher Brody Donay, who is batting .448 and has smashed a team-high five home runs.