Florida Falls From D1Baseball Top 25 After Another SEC Sweep

Florida Gators baseball experienced a week defined by contrast — and not the good kind. After pounding Jacksonville and Florida A&M in back-to-back midweek mercy-rule victories, it seemed like UF manager Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad had finally found its footing.

The Gators scored 30 runs across those two games, run-ruling both opponents (16-4 vs. Jacksonville and 14-4 vs. FAMU). The offense was clicking, the bullpen was solid enough, and for a fleeting 48 hours, it looked like Florida had bounced back from the Tennessee debacle.

Battle for the Florida-Georgia Line ⚡️#GoGators pic.twitter.com/FLuHZwIDI2

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) March 21, 2025

But that hope quickly vanished when the Georgia Bulldogs rolled into Gainesville.

Georgia Left No Doubt, and Florida Left the Rankings

What followed was a complete unraveling. Georgia didn’t just beat the Gators — they buried them. The Gators were swept for the second consecutive weekend, and the series wasn’t remotely competitive. Georgia launched 13 home runs — yes, the same number as Florida’s total runs — and outscored Florida 40-13.

Florida’s pitching? Borderline unwatchable. The staff surrendered 38 hits, 18 walks, five hit batters, and 13 bombs across the series. Not a single pitcher — starter or reliever — recorded more than 4.2 innings in any appearance. Even in the midweek games, no pitcher lasted more than five innings. Simply put, the Gators are bleeding outs and burning arms before the fifth inning.

Add in the absence of Pierce Coppola (still recovering from an injury suffered during the Miami series) and Liam Peterson (sidelined with general soreness), and the rotation is hanging by a thread. But excuses won’t cut it — not in the SEC.

Rightfully Unranked

Florida now sits at 18-8 overall but an ugly 0-6 in SEC play. The scoreboard doesn’t lie — this team hasn’t just lost conference games, it’s been embarrassed in them. In the six SEC games, the Gators have been outscored 62-20, with half of the games being double digit losses.

The Gators fell out of D1Baseball’s Top 25 for the first time all season, and they should consider themselves lucky they lasted this long. Ranked teams don’t get shelled in back-to-back SEC series. Ranked teams don’t look gassed before Game 2 in a series. Right now, this is not a ranked baseball team.

https://twitter.com/d1baseball/status/1904141934744027309

Until Florida proves it can compete — not just beat up on midweek teams — there’s no reason to give them the benefit of the doubt. The road back starts with showing up. So far in SEC play, they simply haven’t.