Florida baseball is just 16 days away from Opening Day, which means Gator Country is beginning its preview of the upcoming 2026 season.
To kick off our coverage, I thought it was best to start with a Q&A featuring Gator Country subscribers. Here’s part two of our preseason Florida baseball mailbag.
macbgator: Who will be our top hitters? Who will be our starting out field?
NM: Sophomore infielder Brendan Lawson enters the 2026 season as one of the best prospects in the 2027 draft class because of what he can do at the plate. After hitting .317 with 10 home runs as a true freshman, Lawson will look to build on that in year two, establishing himself as a top player in college baseball. The Toronto native is off to a great start in spring camp.
Florida’s most impactful hitter from a pure power standpoint may be infielder Ethan Surowiec. The Shreveport, Louisiana, native logged just 16 at-bats at Ole Miss during his freshman season, but don’t let the lack of experience fool you. Surowiec went on to win Northwoods League MVP over the summer, hitting .387 with 17 home runs and 23 doubles. That success has carried over to campus, where he has shown the ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field.
Outfielder Kyle Jones and infielder Cade Kurland will also hit at the top of Florida’s batting order. One dark horse name to watch is INF/RHP Caden McDonald, whose power has really come around this offseason.
Florida’s outfield has plenty of depth at the corner positions, meaning the starting lineup will likely be tinkered with—especially early in the season. The only locked-in starter, in my eyes, is center fielder Kyle Jones. Veterans Hayden Yost and Blake Cyr may get the first look in the outfield, but freshmen Cash Strayer and Jacob Kendall are making a strong case for early playing time.
g8tr80: What should be the strength of this years club? Weakness?
NM: There are not many clubs in the country that feel better about their 1–2 punch on the weekend than Florida. RHP Liam Peterson and RHP Aidan King sit towards the top of their respective MLB draft classes. The Gators are in the process of getting both back into a groove ahead of opening weekend, but it’s hard not to feel confident with two experienced and talented arms headlining the pitching staff. These two give you a chance to win every single Friday and Saturday night, no matter the opponent.
The most glaring weakness right now is left-handed pitching. The Gators have just five left-handers on the roster, three of whom are true freshmen. Someone will need to step up, as having one or two reliable left-handers is extremely valuable to any pitching staff.
While it isn’t necessarily a weakness at the moment, Florida lacks the sheer power it has had in recent years. The losses of Luke Heyman, Colby Shelton, Bobby Boser, and Brody Donay to the MLB Draft mean a significant amount of power departed the program. The Gators will need several players to step up and provide pop, and early returns from spring camp suggest that has already begun to happen.
ecogator: Have you noticed a revitalization in Coach O’Sullivan as a result of the offseason? He seems very excited about the prospects of this ball club…and deservedly so!
NM: Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan is back and excited about the 2026 season. He believes this roster can do some real damage.
dunwoodychris: Not a Gator question, but general thoughts on the quality of SEC baseball this year. Will UTenn take a step back with the loss of their HC?
NM: The SEC has 11 teams ranked inside the preseason top 25 including five in the top ten. So the short answer is yes, the SEC is likely going to dominate college baseball again. LSU is thought to be the best team in the conference after winning the National Championship last year, but Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi State are also highly thought of.
Tennessee is ranked one spot behind Florida at No.14. They should have a great pitching staff and be very competitive in the SEC once again.
g8trdave: How do we look on infield defense. Errors lose ballgames, and we’ve always prided ourselves on good infield defense.
Also, do we have a true leadoff guy this year that can get on and steal bases?
NM: Florida has tried a lot of different alignments within their infield defense throughout the offseason, so they are currently trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t.
The Gators are working two guys at third base in Ethan Surowiec and Brendan Lawson. Surowiec seemed more comfortable at the position in the fall, but Lawson has flashed as of late and is also repping at shortstop. The hot corner could be a bit of a trial-and-error situation.
At shortstop, Florida turns to Columbia transfer Sam Miller, who may not be the rangiest defender but offers steady hands and a reliable glove. At second base, Cade Kurland has been sidelined in recent weeks with a sore oblique, but he’s strong athlete with a smooth glove, Kurland should remain a dependable middle infielder.
Florida’s catcher Karson Bowen is great defensively and has shown the ability to throw runners out with an accurate arm.
Overall, I haven’t seen any glaring issues with Florida’s infield defense, although it’s maybe not as athletic as in years past.
Florida does have a true leadoff hitter in outfielder Kyle Jones. You didn’t see much of him last year due to a season ending injury, but Jones is a speedster with 20+ stolen base potential. Jones is a high contact, high average hitter and a plus defender. He was ASUN Freshman of the Year at Stetson in 2024.
macbgator: Who are our leading left handed pitchers?
NM: Florida has five left-handed pitchers on the roster: Freshman Rivers Kurland, Freshman Eli Blair, Freshman Jackson Hoyt, sophomore McCall Biemiller, and graduate transfer Ernesto Lugo-Canchola.
Lugo-Canchola is someone I’m watching closely as the only veteran lefty on staff. The 6’5 lefty was the D2 Baseball Pitcher of the Year and a Division II First Team All-American by D2 Baseball and the NCBWA in 2024. Lugo-Canchola posted a perfect 13-0 record across 16 starts, recording a 2.00 ERA and .164 batting average against.
While not a swing and miss pitcher, Lugo-Canchola has shown the ability to create weak contact with excellent command.
Florida is going to need one of the younger lefties to step up and give them another reliable arm.