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No.15 Florida takes on South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Tuesday, which means the road to Omaha starts now.
The two teams faced off earlier this month in Columbia, SC, where Florida swept the Gamecocks with relative ease. In the three games, Florida outscored South Carolina (28-28, 6-24) 39-8 with an average margin of victory of 10.3 runs.
Postseason Primed ️ #GoGators pic.twitter.com/qK8higfSl7
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 19, 2025
These two southern rivals are set to meet for the 114th time on Tuesday, marking just the eighth occasion they’ll face off in Hoover, AL. The last time they played there was in 2022 when Florida edged out a 2-1 victory.
This is a big week for Florida, which is still in contention of hosting a regional in this year’s NCAA Tournament but needs to rack up some wins this week to help out that cause.
With Florida being 37-19 and 15-15 in SEC play, the Gators are expected to need two more wins to secure a hosting bid. Which makes Tuesday’s against South Carolina even more important considering the circumstances.
Will the Gators’ depth continue to show in the lineup?
With how well Florida has swung the bat recently, the confidence level will be high heading into this matchup. In their last three SEC series, Florida is averaging 8.3 runs per game, along with 9.7 hits per game.
Despite key players moving in and out of the lineup due to injuries, the Gators continue to find a way, a credit to the team’s depth.
The latest availability report, released Monday, revealed that Florida is missing two of its most prolific bats in the order—Colby Shelton and Luke Heyman—and still without Cade Kurland and Kyle Jones, who are both out for the year.
Second baseman Justin Nadeau, who left Thursday’s game due to a fingernail injury, is available.
“We’ve had some depth in [Florida’s] lineup, but to be able to showcase this, to have guys go down and these guys step up has been huge,” said Bobby Boser after Sunday’s win against Alabama. “That’s pretty hard to do, especially guys that haven’t played throughout the year like Blake Brookins… these guys are stepping up and it’s really fun to watch.”
SENIOR DAY BOSER BOMB #GoGators // SECN+ pic.twitter.com/G74L07uYiG
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 17, 2025
Boser has dominated – batting .327 with 71 hits, 15 homers, and team-leading 58 RBIs. Another player who has stepped up is Brody Donay, who closed out the regular season strong. Donay went 6-for-12 with two home runs and five RBIs in the Gators final series against Alabama.
This red-hot Gators lineup will face starting right-handed pitcher Brandon Stone (2-6, 6.07 ERA) on Tuesday. Florida had success against Stone earlier in the season, forcing three runs on six hits out of the righty.
Can Barlow be big?
As of sunday, coach Kevin O’Sullivan had no confirmed who would take the mound for the Gators on Tuesday.
Can confirm that RHP Billy Barlow will get the start for Florida tomorrow against South Carolina. @jaxacastellano @GatorDiamondPod @ESPNGainesville
— Hunter DeLauder (@DelauderHunter) May 20, 2025
But now we know it will be right-hander Billy Barlow (1-4, 5.95 ERA) toeing the rubber for the Gators. Barlow has struggled this season including his last start against Alabama — managing just 0.2 innings, allowing three runs (one earned), and walking three.
However, Barlow did pitch well against the Gamecocks, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out three.
Florida needs that from Barlow on the mound Tuesday. He will face a South Carolina lineup batting only .266 as a team with 453 total strikeouts this season.
It will be important that he has a quality start to avoid having to go into the bullpen too soon. If Florida wants to win this tournament, they must win five games in six days, a tough task for any team.
But for a team with an inexperienced staff that features zero left-handed pitchers, the task will be even more difficult
The good news for Florida is that if Barlow pitches well and the Gators are in a position to close things out, they can turn to Jake Clemente, a Second-Team All-SEC selection, as a relief pitcher.
Clemente has been lights-out for the Gators and an importance piece of their resurgence. In his last nine appearances, Clemente has a 0.86 ERA, seven saves, a .160 batting average against, and 35 strikeouts.
Up Next
First pitch between No.15 Florida and South Carolina is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with the winner moving on to face No.7 seed Ole Miss on Wednesday. The game will be aired live on SEC Network and ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF + WJXL 1010AM.
