Three keys for Miami Hurricanes baseball as they host rival Florida Gators
The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is undefeated, a perfect 10-0 with an offense that has been among the best in the country through the first two-and-a-half weeks of the young season.
The Florida Gators are nearly perfect, with a 9-1 record while also putting up a high-octane performance at the plate.
The in-state rivals have done their part beating up on relatively weak opposition so far.
Now, they will face each other as No. 17 Miami hosts No. 10 Florida this weekend in a pivotal early season series that will provide a better picture of just where each team stands.
First pitch from Mark Light Field is set for 7 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The series opener will air on ACC Network, while the remaining two games can be streamed on ACC Network Xtra.
The all-time series between Miami and Florida is tied 136-136-1, but the Gators have won each of the past four series and 10 of the past 11 series (and 25 of 35 games overall, including two games in the 2015 College World Series) dating back to the 2015 season.
Here are three keys for the Hurricanes entering the series.
1.) Keep mashing: The Hurricanes are 10-0 for the first time since 2013, although they had to avoid a midweek scare for a second consecutive week to remain unblemished. Miami beat FAU 11-7 on Wednesday in Boca Raton after using a seven-run ninth inning — fueled by a Daniel Cuvet two-run home run, Brylan West two-run double and Jake Ogden three-run double — to erase the three-run deficit it had entering the ninth inning.
It was the Hurricanes’ latest display of offensive prowess. Miami is averaging a nation-leading 15.1 runs per game. UM has scored five or more runs in an inning 11 times already this season. As a team, the Hurricanes are hitting .374 with 28 home runs. They’re 17 for 18 on the basepaths as well.
Cuvet has a team-high six of those home runs. Seven players have at least 10 RBI. Nine players with at least 15 at-bats have an on-base-plus-slugging mark above 1.000.
But that production, while no doubt dominant, has come against the likes of Lehigh and Lafayette College in weekend series plus midweek games against UCF, Indiana State and FAU. Miami now looks to show it can maintain that form against a major uptick in competition.
The Gators have three high-quality starting pitchers in junior Liam Peterson and sophomores Aidan King and Cooper Walls. Peterson is considering a top-10 draft prospect and averaging nearly two strikeouts per inning, King has yet to give up a run or issue a walk through two starts and Walls was the Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year last season while playing for Hawaii.
2.) Slow down the top of Florida’s lineup: Florida, which has rattled off nine consecutive wins since a season-opening extra-innings loss to UAB, also features a stout lineup. UF has five regulars in its lineup with at least an 1.100 OPS.
But leading the way are sophomores Kyle Jones and Brendan Lawson, forming a dynamic one-two punch at the top of the Gators’ lineup. They have combined for 32 RBI, 15 extra-base hits (four home runs, nine doubles, two triples) and 31 runs scored through the Gators’ first 10 games.
UF’s lineup will be a tall task for Miami’s pitchers, a group that is still sorting out its roles early in the season following a lot of turnover from the 2025 roster.
Sophomore AJ Ciscar has been the highlight of Miami’s starters so far, posting a 2.46 ERA with 16 strikeouts and no walks and a .239 batting average against over 11 innings of work.
Ryan Bilka, Brixton Lofgren, Jake Dorn and Packy Bradley-Cooney have been given the bulk of the higher-leverage situations (the few Miami has dealt with) out of the bullpen so far.
3.) Clean up the defense: The Hurricanes have committed 16 errors through 10 games this season. There have also been seven wild pitches by the pitching staff and a passed ball behind the plate.
This has led to eight of Miami’s 46 runs allowed — 17.4% — being unearned runs.
More consistently clean play will be needed in the field as the competition level increases.
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