No.10 Florida baseball hosts Air Force to open their 111th season this Friday at 6:30 p.m. Game two will take place Saturday at 4:00 p.m. while game three’s first pitch is set for Sunday at noon eastern. All three matchups air on SEC Network+.
Coming off his 9th College World Series appearance including his second in as many seasons, Kevin O’Sullivan is entering his 18th season as head coach at UF, establishing himself as one of the best coaches in college baseball. D1Baseball recently named O’Sullivan the top coach in the last decade. Since O’Sullivan’s arrival in 2008, Florida leads the sport with 290 SEC wins, 37 MLB debuts, 16 NCAA berths (T-1st), 10 top-eight seeds, nine College World Series trips, nine Super Regionals hosted and six SEC titles.
The Gators are a unanimous preseason top-11 team across various publications. The Gators came in at No. 10 in the D1Baseball preseason poll, which is the poll that’s more nationally recognized, but were ranked as highly as No. 7 per Baseball America.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: RHP Liam Peterson (3-6, 6.43 ERA) vs RHP Dylan Rogers (5-5, 7.49)
Saturday: RHP Jake Clemente (2-0, 5.34 ERA) vs RHP Gaines Estridge (1-0, 8.10 ERA)
Sunday: LHP Pierce Coppola (1-4, 8.75 ERA) vs RHP John Mitchell (DNP)
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Air Force was projected to finish seventh out of eight teams in the Mountain West this season after coming off a 27-28 record (18-12 MWC) one year ago, according to coaches. The Falcons slashed .286/.384/.468 with 64 homers and 93 steals across 55 games last season. On the mound, Air Force combined for a 6.55 ERA and .305 batting average against across 468 2/3 innings. Ending with a .968 fielding percentage, the Falcons committed 67 errors in 2,073 defensive chances.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Air Force OF / RHP Chase Spencer
Team captain Chase Spencer landed on the Preseason All-Mountain West team, as the sole player to represent Air Force in 2025. Spencer started all 55 games for the Falcons a year ago, hitting .326 with six home runs and six triples. Spencer’s best game came against Texas A&M, who made it all the way to the CWS finals in 2024. Spencer went 4-4 with a solo home run in the contest. In 2023, Spencer led the Mountain West with 18 stolen bases in 20 attempts. The 6’1 senior is also a two-way player, although he’s only made seven appearances as a pitcher across the last two seasons.
Florida RHP Liam Peterson
Liam Peterson will take the mound as Florida’s opening day starter on Friday night. While Peterson had things to work on mechanically, perhaps the bigger hurdle for the sophomore is mental. Opening Day is a tall task for anyone given the nerves that come with it. I’m looking for Peterson to look comfortable on the mound while avoiding the blowup inning. If he can stay composed and limit walks, Peterson could have a dominant outing as his stuff is up there with the best in the conference.
Air Force RHP Dylan Rogers
Falcons ace Dylan Rogers is a true veteran, having pitched 184.2 innings in three years with Air Force. Rogers made 14 starts in 16 appearances last season, recording a 5-5 record and a 7.49 ERA with 50 strikeouts. Rogers posted his best season a true freshman in 2022, posting a 5.01 ERA and a 2-1 record. He was also named to the Mountain West All-Tournament team as a freshman. The 6’3 right hander posted a 1-2-3 inning with one strikeout against Mississippi State last season. Rodgers hasn’t walked very many batters in his career, allowing just 15 free passes in 57+ innings last year.
Three Gators were named to the SEC Preseason All-SEC Teams as voted on by the league’s 16 head coaches: Cade Kurland (First Team), Luke Heyman (Second Team) and Colby Shelton (Second Team). Florida was also picked to finish fifth overall in the new-look SEC, highlighted by one vote to win the conference outright.