One of the big reasons why Florida Baseball getting swept by Vanderbilt last weekend was so devastating was because of the opportunity that Gator fans knew was ahead of them. Florida has a weekend series with Missouri, a series with Mississippi State next weekend, and midweek games with Stetson and Georgia Southern as part of their next eight games.
So, if Florida is going to claw back into the SEC and NCAA Tournament picture, this stretch is now or never for the Gators.
The good news is that they took care of Missouri with ease after an 11-2 win on Thursday night.
Florida Baseball: Two In A Row
Missouri entered Condron Family Ballpark as the worst team in the SEC, and frankly, anything short of a sweep is going to feel like a disappointment for the Gators.
After Thursday night's contest, that narrative still holds true.
The Gators had five runs on the board before recording an out and even if Missouri had pitched a perfect game from that moment the Gators still had all the runs they needed on the night.
Liam Peterson gave up two runs over five innings of work. He struck out seven while walking four. Caden McDonald, Billy Barlow, and Christian Rodriguez combined for the final four innings with no runs allowed. Encouraging for that group is that they struck out six while walking just two Missouri hitters.
Luke Heyman and Blake Cyr had home runs, and nine of the ten field players Florida used got a hit on the night. Heyman, Colby Shelton, and Ashton Wilson collected two hits each.
After the game, Kevin O'Sullivan expressed optimism that the 2025 season for Florida has yet to have its final chapter written:
"I did the in-game [interview] and I told them, they asked me what the message is, and the message is I firmly believe that we're going to get this thing turned around, I really do."
The win moves Florida to 22-14 overall and 2-11 in SEC play. The Gators are 33rd in RPI. Their next seven games will all be against teams they are ranked higher than before a late April series against No. 1 Arkansas.