Miami baseball set for big 3-game series with Florida after beating FGCU

After winning 14-6 over Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday, Miami heads to Gainesville to play a three-game series at No. 8 Florida from Friday through Sunday. Miami has started the season 8-1 with sweeps over Niagara in three games, Princeton in four games, the win over FGSU and a loss to Florida Atlantic.

Five Hurricanes had multiple hits and scored runs twice or more and two had at least two runs batted in in the win over Florida Gulf Coast. Designated hitter Bobby Marsh had two hits in four at-bats with two runs scored and two RBIs, including a home run. Reese Lumpkin pitched six innings, allowing two runs with nine strikeouts to get the win.

Florida has started the season 9-0 with three-game sweeps of Air Force and Stetson and single wins over Jacksonville, Stetson and North Florida. Florida is ranked in the top 20 in 14 statistical categories. The Gators are second nationally with a 5.32 strikeout-to-walk ratio and third averaging 14.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Florida is equally adept with an offense that ranked in the top 10 in six statistical categories. Florida junior catcher Brady Donay is sixth nationally with six home runs. Miami will need Marsh, who is fifth nationally with 19 runs batted in, to continue being productive.

Florida will be one of the three toughest series Miami plays during the 2025 season. The NCAA.com Power Rankings have North Carolina fifth, Florida State sixth and Florida eighth. Miami hosts Florida State March 20-22 and is at North Carolina March 28-30.

Florida is starting right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson (2-0, 0.00 ERA), left-handers Pierce Coppola (2-0, 1.80 ERA) and RHP Jake Clemente (1-0, 1.80 ERA) in the three-game series versus Miami. The Hurricanes are starting RHP Nick Robert (2-0, 0.90 ERA), RHP Griffin Hugus (2-0, 1.50 ERA) and RHP Brian Walters (2-0, 0.82 ERA) versus Florida.

The three games this weekend will have first pitch on Friday at 6:30 PM, on Saturday at 4:30 PM and Sunday at 1 PM with all three games on SEC Network+ with Sean Kelley and Nick Belmonte calling the games on Friday and Sunday, and Jeff Cardozo and Steve Russell on Saturday.

Miami leads the all-time series with Florida 135-134-1 and the Gators leads 79-51-1 in Gainesville. The Hurricanes lead the all-time series 82-53 in Coral Gables and the series is tied 2-2 at neutral sites. Florida has dominated the series under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, winning nine series and is 41-18 versus Miami during his tenure.