Florida Baseball Remains Dominant Over the Sunshine State Under Kevin O’Sullivan

Throughout Kevin O’Sullivan’s tenure as coach, Florida has established itself as the college baseball standard, both nationally and within its own state. Year after year, the Gators not only remain in the postseason conversation, but consistently show that the road to being the best program in Florida runs through Gainesville.

Since the 2016 season, Florida has gone 135-41 against in-state opponents in the regular season, and 143-45 overall including postseason play. During that stretch, the Gators have posted winning records against Florida programs year after year, turning midweek rivalry games and weekend matchups alike into another measure of O’Sullivan’s consistency.

That success has come against nearly every corner of the state. Since 2016, Florida is 23-9 against Miami, 16-6 against Jacksonville, 15-1 against North Florida, 11-1 against Stetson, 9-3 against FAU, 12-0 against Florida A&M, 6-1 against Bethune-Cookman and 2-0 against FIU. The Gators’ dominance over the Sunshine State has been built on sustained success across the full in-state schedule.

Florida State has provided the toughest challenge in that in-state rivalry conversation, and the Gators still hold the upper hand. Since 2016, the Gators are 22-7 against the Seminoles in the regular season and 24-8 overall when including the 2016 super regional. 

That dominance becomes even more relevant when narrowing it down to the last five seasons. Since the start of 2021, Florida is 75-23 against in-state opponents in the regular season and 1-1 in the postseason. Over that same stretch, the Gators are 10-6 against Florida State, showing that even as the rivalry has remained competitive, Florida has maintained the edge.

Season by season, that success has stayed constant. Florida went 14-6 against Florida teams in 2021, 14-2 in 2022, 14-3 in 2023, 10-7 in 2024, and 12-4 in 2025. This season, the Gators opened 11-0 against in-state competition before suffering a 4-3 loss to Jacksonville on March 31, moving them to 11-1 against Florida schools in 2026.

Now, that statewide conversation turns back to the rivalry that matters most.

Florida travels to Florida State on Tuesday looking for another statement win in the series. The Gators already own two wins over the Seminoles this season, beating Florida State 6-3 on March 10 and 5-0 on March 24 in Jacksonville. A win Tuesday would give Florida a season sweep against FSU for the first time since 2023 and further strengthen its grip on the state entering the final stretch of the regular season.

Florida’s dominance over the state serves as another reminder of what O’Sullivan and his staff have built in Gainesville. Over the last decade, the Gators have not just won games against in-state opponents — they have set a benchmark.  

With another showdown against Florida State, Florida will have another chance to show that standard is here to stay.

Category: Gators Baseball