Baseball season has returned, and the Florida Gators open the 2025 campaign with a three-game series against the Air Force Falcons at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, starting Friday.

Kevin O’Sullivan is looking to lead his program to a third-straight College World Series appearance, but the team looks much different than it did last June. Jac Caglianone is in the minor leagues, only five members of the starting lineup are returners and there’s a new crop of freshmen to fill out the bullpen.

As always, hopes are high in Gainesville, but last year proved that it doesn’t take a strong regular season record for a team to be competitive down the stretch. The SEC schedule could get rough, but opening the year against Air Force should allow the Gators to find their footing.

Projected Starting Lineup: Florida Gators

Notes: All stats are from last year.

Probable Starters: Friday (6:30 p.m. ET)

NOTES: 

Liam Peterson is back in the Friday night role for Florida after moving around the weekend rotation as a freshman. Although his numbers leave something to be desired, there’s optimism that he’ll be a true ace this year for the Gators. Peterson’s fastball can run into the high-90s and his breaking stuff (curve/slider) is devastating. Peterson also works in a changeup. He’s looking to simplify his delivery this year in hopes of better results. Avoiding the “big inning” is key.

Dylan Rogers was a part of the weekend rotation a year ago at Air Force but saw limited success, similar to Peterson. Now he’s the team ace and is looking to complete the puzzle. His slider has been a work in progress and is leading to more strikeouts and fewer walks. He’s also improved his flyball percentage, but that could work against him with a power-heavy lineup like Florida.

Probable Starters: Saturday (4 p.m. EDT)

NOTES: Redshirt sophomore Jake Clemente moves into the Saturday spot this year for Florida after a breakout summer in the Cape Cod League. Another player Gators Wire is familiar with from the high school circuit, Clemente has the mental makeup and stuff to thrive in the starting rotation.

“91-93 fastball, topped 94,” said Clemente’s high school pitching coach Michael Cimilluca. “Slider sits 79-82 and is a sweeping wipeout pitch that draws lots of swings and misses. 82-84 changeup with good run.”

That fastball might be able to touch the mid-90s at this point, but it’s the secondary stuff that’s going to lead to success as a starter.

Gaines Estridge made 23 appearances out of the bullpen for Air Force last year. His 8.10 ERA as a freshman is a bit high for a starter, but that’s the roster the Falcons have to work with. He has decent command of his fastball and secondary, but a 10.9% strikeout rate says there’s not a ton of swing-and-miss there.

Probable Starters: Sunday (1 p.m. EDT)

NOTES: Pierce Coppola has been a draft darling for some time, but he hasn’t played a full season of baseball in years. injuries plagued all three of his collegiate seasons with Florida, but now he’s healthy to start the season. Coppola posted a ridiculous 31.3% strikeout rate last season over 23 2/3 innings. For a 6-foot-7 guy, a fastball in the low-90s may seem slow, but he paired it with a mid-to-high-70s slider that draws a 40-50% whiff rate.

Air Force will throw freshman John Mitchell on Sunday. On the travel circuit, Mitchell threw a high-80s fastball that reached 92 at times, an 87-mph curve and an 84-mph slider.

Other Players to Watch

Air Force’s roster went through a lot of churn this offseason, and the expectation is a rebuilding season for the Falcons. Still, there are some returning names worth knowing, including right fielder Zach Peters, who batted .290 and had a .830 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, and designated hitter Tripp Garrish (.289/.881).

Dawson Thrush is a freshman to keep an eye. Gators Wire got a first-hand look at him last year with Dwyer High School during its state championship run. Thrush was a key member of the Dwyer lineup and rotation.

Series History

NOTES: Florida has never played Air Force on the baseball diamond before.

Follow the Action

FRIDAY (6:30 p.m. EDT)

SATURDAY (4 p.m. EDT)

SUNDAY (12 p.m. EDT)

* Watch links go directly to game feed

Predictions

GAME 1: Florida, 9-2

GAME 2: Florida, 13-3

GAME 3: Florida, 10-0

The pitching matchups in this series favor Florida as the weekend carries on. Because there are so many new faces in the lineup, I expect the offense to click at the same rate, putting the run rule victories into play. It’s a new season, so expectations are high and there’s not much negative to go off of.

Series prediction: Florida sweeps the series convincingly, 3-0.

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