ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF
Fresh off its series sweep against South Carolina, the Florida Gators host South Florida in the midweek finale Tuesday.
The Gators, winners of four straight, look to keep the good times rolling at Condron Family Ballpark before hitting the road to Texas this weekend, as they take on their foe from Tampa for the 97th time. Florida (33-16, 11-13 SEC) leads the all-time series 68-28 and is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
The Gators are 22-3 against non-conference foes, including series wins against Miami, Florida State, Jacksonville, Stetson and North Florida. UF is 8-0 in home midweek games and 11-2 overall by outscoring opponents 110-57.
Let’s keep this thing rolling 🚂 #GoGators pic.twitter.com/wFeEDoOA1n
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 5, 2025
It’s an important weekend for Florida, which found itself back in the latest Baseball America Top 25 at No.22. While they are not in D1 Baseball’s or Perfect Game’s rankings, a good week could get them in all three.
Grab Bulls By Horns
The offensive production Florida is getting from its lineup has been one of the biggest reasons this team has turned it around in the second half of the season. The Gators are the ones being the aggressors and setting the tone early, not letting other teams dictate the games.
In the last 15 games, the Gators are averaging 10.3 runs per game, with 170 hits (11.3 hits per game) and averaging just under two homers a game. Against non-conference opponents, Florida is batting .330 with 45 home runs.
USF (24-21, 12-9 AAC) pitching has struggled. The Bulls have a 5.65-team ERA, with an opponent batting average of .273. While they have struck out 331 batters this year, they have walked 156, which means they are up-and-down at consistently throwing strikes.
Senior infielder Bobby Boser faces his old club for the first time since transferring to Florida, where he finished eighth all-time in home runs with 31. In his first year with the Gators, Boser leads the team with 14 home runs and is second on the team in hits (63), RBIs (51) and runs scored (59).
The re-emergence of senior outfielder Ty Evans and sophomore outfielder Hayden Yost has helped make the lineup from top-to-bottom a real threat. Evans went 5-for-13 last weekend with two home runs and eight RBIs, four from a go-ahead grand slam in Game 1.
Yost earned SEC Player of the Week honors after his impressive weekend in Columbia, S.C., where he went 5-for-10 with two home runs and eight RBIs. His play in the center field this season has asserted him as the guy in the outfield, which was a question coming into the year.
🏆 SEC Player of the Week 🏆
YOST did the MOST 📈#GoGators pic.twitter.com/IUenHArVoI
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 5, 2025
While no starting pitcher has been announced for Florida, expect it to be by committee, as it usually is during these midweek games. Florida has pitched well this season against non-conference: In 203 innings, the Gators have a 3.41 ERA with a 285-82 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Overall, the pitching has been better at home, with opponents hitting .232 when playing at Condron Ballpark.
They face a USF offense that hits .273 as a team, but only scores 6.29 runs per game. While the Bulls do not score many runs, they can manufacture base runners via walks and hit-by-pitch with 253 free passes.
The biggest threat in the USF lineup is senior first baseman Sebastian Greico, who is hitting a tick under .300 with a team-leading 14 home runs, 45 RBIs and 37 runs scored.
Up Next
The first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on SEC Network+ and on ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF. Florida travels to Austin, Texas for a showdown against No. 1 Texas from Friday-Sunday. Friday night’s series opener airs on ESPNU at 7:30 ET before 2 p.m. games Saturday and Sunday on SEC Network+.
