After wins over FSU on March 10 (6–3) and March 24 (5–0), Florida baseball completed a season-series sweep of its in-state rival with a 4–3 victory on Tuesday night at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee.
Florida has now swept the season series eight times under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan (2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2026), while FSU has accomplished the feat just once (2024) since his arrival.
The Gators are now 40–23 against the Seminoles under O’Sullivan, including wins in 27 of the last 35 meetings.
Florida improved to 25–9 (7–5 SEC) this season, while No.5 FSU dropped to 24–8 (9–3 ACC).
Strong start from Cooper Walls
Cooper Walls hadn’t looked like himself since Russell Sandefer took over the Sunday spot in the weekend rotation. In three appearances since, Walls allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and two hit-by-pitches across three innings.
Tuesday night was a different story. Getting the nod, Walls delivered 3.1 innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out five. The Hawaii transfer was aggressive out of the gate with his fastball, which reached 95 mph multiple times. He utilized both a two-seam fastball and a sinker, each effective in different ways.
Walls looked in control for most of the outing, with his only run allowed coming after well-executed small ball and a two-out base hit.
This was a critical outing for Walls beyond giving Florida a chance to win. The Gators will need to lean on him for high-leverage innings on the weekend, as RHP Jackson Barberi is set to miss 3–4 weeks with an oblique injury. It was an encouraging sign to see Walls bounce back and pitch with confidence.
Caden McDonald steps up
Another arm you could see more of given Barberi’s injury is RHP Caden McDonald, who tossed 2.2 scoreless innings vs. FSU, allowing just one hit. McDonald won’t wow you with his velocity or swing-and-miss stuff, but he’s a strike-thrower who can eat up innings and keep you in the game—which is exactly what he did Tuesday night.
While he hasn’t had a significant role in SEC play, McDonald holds a 3.13 ERA across 23 innings this season, walking just four batters and striking out 23.
Florida needs arms to step up and provide innings on the weekend, and McDonald could be in line for that role.
Yost, Stanford homer in win
The Gators have struggled to find an offensive rhythm as of late, dropping their most recent series vs. Ole Miss and a midweek matchup against Jacksonville as a result. It was largely the same story Tuesday night, but Florida got a pair of big swings from the bottom of the lineup.
Junior outfielder Hayden Yost homered in the third inning to give Florida a 1–0 lead. It was his first of the season—a lefty-on-lefty shot that cleared the fence in right field.
Cole Stanford continues to provide power in the bottom half of the order, homering for the fifth time this season in the fifth inning to spark a critical three-run frame. Stanford now has three home runs over his last seven games.
Ethan Surowiec and Karson Bowen capped the fifth inning with a pair of RBI singles.
Joshua Whritenour slams the door
If triple-digit fastballs and mid-90s sliders that look like frisbees excite you, you enjoyed watching Joshua Whritenour vs. FSU.
Entering the game in a one-out jam in the eighth inning, Whritenour struck out two to strand both runners, preserving Florida’s one-run lead. He added two more strikeouts in a scoreless ninth to earn his sixth save of the season.
Whritenour commanded his slider brilliantly across 1.2 innings, making it nearly unhittable Tuesday night. The Tampa, Florida, native is as good as it gets at the college level when he’s locating his slider. There aren’t many arms as electric as his.
Florida travels to Athens, Georgia, this weekend to face the fourth-ranked Bulldogs, who sit at 28–6 (10–2 SEC) and boast the most dangerous offense in college baseball.