The Florida Gators will host the Auburn Tigers for a three-game baseball series starting Thursday. Florida aims to improve consistency after a mixed performance in recent games.
Key points
Florida Gators host Auburn Tigers for a three-game series
Series starts on Thursday
Aidan King and Liam Peterson are key pitchers
Florida is mostly healthy with a few injuries
Gators need to find consistency in SEC play
Florida GatorsAuburn TigersSEC
The Florida Gators are at home this weekend for a three-game series against the Auburn Tigers, starting on Thursday.
Kevin O'Sullivan has to be pleased with Aidan King and Liam Peterson after both went seven innings without allowing more than two runs last week. Russell Sandefer wasn't as good, but Florida's bats came to life in the series finale against Georgia. A midweek loss to Bethune-Cookman humbled the Gators a bit, but Florida has played to its level of competition this year, often to a fault.
As the second half of SEC play begins, Florida needs to find some consistency. It starts this weekend against the Tigers. The Gators are mostly healthy, missing outfielder Cash Strayer and reliever Jackson Barberi. Infielder Colton Schwarz is questionable once again.
Projected Starting Lineup: Florida Gators
Pos
Name
AVG
OBP
SLG
AB
R
H
HR
RBI
C
Karson Bowen
.252
Q&A
What is the schedule for the Florida Gators vs. Auburn Tigers baseball series?
The series starts on Thursday and consists of three games at Florida's home field.
Who are the key pitchers for Florida in the upcoming series against Auburn?
Aidan King and Liam Peterson are expected to be key pitchers, both having performed well in their last outings.
What is Florida's current injury status ahead of the series with Auburn?
Florida is mostly healthy but will be missing outfielder Cash Strayer and reliever Jackson Barberi, with infielder Colton Schwarz listed as questionable.
How did Florida perform in their last baseball series before facing Auburn?
Florida had a mixed performance, including a midweek loss to Bethune-Cookman but showed strong batting in the series finale against Georgia.
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.357
.378
119
23
30
3
17
1B
Landon Stripling
.246
.313
.386
57
9
14
2
6
2B
Cade Kurland
.247
.343
.344
93
17
23
2
14
3B
Ethan Surowiec
.317
.424
.538
145
30
46
7
38
SS
Brendan Lawson
.347
.553
.772
101
37
35
11
34
LF
Hayden Yost
.229
.390
.563
32
9
7
3
5
CF
Kyle Jones
.329
.424
.483
143
42
47
3
27
RF
Blake Cyr
.322
.390
.504
121
26
39
4
30
DH
Cole Stanford
.234
.385
.494
77
18
18
6
14
Probable Starters: Game 1 - Thursday (7 p.m. ET)
Team
Pitcher
Record
ERA
FLORIDA
RHP Aidan King
5-2
1.74
AUBURN
RHP Andreas Alvarez
6-1
1.24
**NOTES:**Aidan King was lights out in his first Friday night start, carrying a perfect game into the seventh before allowing a leadoff base hit. He walked a pair that ended up scoring on a triple made possible by some defensive confusion. Two runs over 7 2/3 innings isn't bad by any measure, but King was still somehow better than his numbers suggested last week.
Andreas Alvarez broke out last year during the playoffs, and he's established himself as the ace of Auburn's pitching staff this season. His 6-1 record and 1.24 ERA speak for themselves. Avarez has held opposing hitters to a .197 batting average and has struck out 60 while walking just 15 for a 4-to-1 ratio. His fastball will sit in the mid-to-high 90s fastball that has run up to 97.0 this season. He'll mix in two different breaking balls and a low-80s changeup that draws a ton of swing-and-miss.
Probable Starters: Game 2 - Friday (5:30 p.m. ET)
Team
Pitcher
Record
ERA
FLORIDA
RHP Liam Peterson
1-2
3.60
AUBURN
LHP Jake Marciano
3-2
1.88
NOTES: Liam Peterson took the rotation shakeup in stride, too. He went a career-best seven innings, allowing one earned run on eight hits and no walks. Working around those baserunners is a big positive for Peterson, and pitching to contact allowed him to get deeper in a game. His strikeouts were down to four, but Georgia is a good-hitting team. It's worth the strikeout dip if Peterson can get the quality start.
Virginia Tech transfer Jake Marciano is the No. 2 on Auburn's staff, and he's settled in nicely after a rough second half of 2025 led to a 6.08 ERA. This is a guy who does not walk batters. He's given up seven this season for a 3.4% walk rate, but he has hit nine batters. Opposing hitters have a .179 average against him, and Marciano's 71 strikeouts match his season total from a year ago.
Marciano is a sinker-slurve guy that doesn't rely on velocity. His sinking fastball will only touch the low 90s, and his cutter is in the low-to-mid-80s. He's got a slower 75-78 mph slider and a 78-79 mph changeup. Still, he misses bats and has full command of his arsenal.
Probable Starters: Game 3 - Saturday (12 p.m. ET)
Team
Pitcher
Record
ERA
FLORIDA
RHP Russell Sandefer
2-1
4.56
AUBURN
RHP Alex Petrovic
6-1
2.66
NOTES: Russell Sandefer really struggled on Sunday, but Florida's offense had his back. The goal for Sandefer is to get back on track this week. He didn't make it through the second and gave up five runs a week after going seven shutout innings. That's two ends of the spectrum in as many weeks, so no judgments should be made either way yet.
Alex Petrovic has been a nice surprise this year for Auburn. He made five starts last year before missing most of the season with an injury. Like the other Tigers starters, Petrovic has a low batting average against (.201) and good strikeout-to-walk numbers (53 K, 9 BB).
Other Players to Watch
The three bats Florida has to worry about the most are catcher Chase Fralick (1,033 OPS), third baseman Eric Guevara (.959 OPS) and center fielder Bristol Carter (.927). Fralick leads the program with six home runs and 26 runs batted in. He walks (20) almost as much as he strikes out (24), and he's nearing the 40-hit mark.
Guevara is second on the team with five home runs and is tied with two other players — second baseman Christopher Rembert and right fielder Mason McCraine — with 23 RBIs. Carter is a speedster with 22 stolen bases on the year, and McCraine has more walks (20) than strikeouts (19).
Out of the bullpen, Jett Johnston (4.19 ERA) and Garrett Brewer (5.56 ERA) each have 10 appearances and figure to be the top righty and lefty options, respectively. Johnston is tied for the team lead in strikeouts among non-starters with freshman LJ Cormier, both of whom have 23 on the season.
Series History
OVERALL
121-135-2
AT HOME
38-51
AWAY
45-81-1
NEUTRAL
8-3-1
Notes: The series between Florida and Auburn dates back to 1913 in Gainesville. The Gators have won 31 of the last 45 meetings.
PREDICTION: King and Peterson are coming off an elite weekend on the road, so there's no reason to doubt them at home. Sandefer is up in the air, but he should be good enough to get the win, especially if the other starters save the bullpen. Florida's offense should be ready to go after falling to Bethune-Cookman during the week. I expect a good number of runs.
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