Gainesville Regional Breakdown: Florida Gators' First Step to Omaha

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators, tabbed as the No. 8 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, will play host to Miami, Troy and Rider in the Gainesville Regional, marking the first time the program hosts a regional in the NCAA Tournament since 2023.

Florida, as a top-eight seed, will also host a super regional should the Gators advance past the regional round.

Top-Eight National Seed 📈 pic.twitter.com/RdN5ArQwdC
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 25, 2026

Here's everything you need to know about Florida's path in the postseason as the Gators search for its third College World Series appearance in four seasons and second national title. This story will be updated as the regional plays out.

Schedule, How to Watch

Florida begins play on Friday at 1 p.m. against Rider, with the winner advancing to face the winner of Miami-Troy on Saturday. Here is the full schedule for this weekend's double-elimination regional, which could run until Monday if necessary.

Start times and television/streaming designations will be revealed at a later date.

Friday, May 29
Game One: 1 p.m. ET* – Rider vs. Florida (ESPN+)
Game Two: 6 p.m. ET* – Troy vs. Miami (ACCN)

Saturday, May 30
Game Three: Time TBA* - Loser Game One vs. Loser Game Two
Game Four: Time TBA* - Winner Game One vs. Winner Game Two

Sunday, May 31
Game Five: Time TBA* - Loser Game Four vs. Winner Game Three
Game Six: Time TBA* - Winner Game Four vs. Winner Game Five

Monday, June 1
Game Seven (if necessary): Time TBA* - Winner Game Six vs. Loser Game Six

*All times subject to change based on TV

Meet the Opponents

Joining Florida in Gainesville is a familiar opponent in two-seed Miami, which lost to the Gators twice in their two matchups this season. The Hurricanes currently hold a 38-18 record with a 16-14 record in ACC play.

The Gators beat Miami, 7-2, and, 8-4, in their matchups in Miami on Feb. 28 and March 1 behind an eight-strikeout effort from Liam Peterson in 5 2/3 innings of work and a three-hit, two-RBI performance from Brendan Lawson on Friday. The Gators clinched the series by scoring four runs from the seventh through ninth innings on Saturday, three of which were plated by a home run from Ethan Surowiec in the ninth inning. Ricky Reeth added five strikeouts in four innings of relief.

Ethan Surowiec hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning of Florida's series-clinching win over Miami earlier this season. | Courtesy of UAA Communications

Should Florida face Miami, it would mark the 22nd postseason matchup between the two rivals. The Gators are riding an eight-game postseason winning streak, with a pair of wins during the 2015 College World Series, a pair of wins in the 2011 Gainesville Regional, a pair of wins in the 2010 Gainesville Super Regional and a pair of wins in the 2009 Gainesville Regional

Meanwhile, Troy, who fell just short of a Sun Belt Conference Tournament title and sneaked into the tournament with an at-large bid, could meet the Gators for a sixth time in program history. Florida holds a 5-0 advantage after a three-game sweep in the 2020 season. The Trojans enter the tournament at 32-29 overall and 17-13 in conference play.

Rounding out the regional is four-seed Rider, which reached the tournament with a MAAC Tournament title behind a pair of stellar outings from pitcher and MAAC Tournament MVP PJ Craig, who threw a complete game in their opening win over Merrimack and added a seven-inning scoreless effort two days later in the title game. The Broncs enter the tournament with a 33-18 record and 22-8 record in conference play.

The Gators previously met Rider in the 1992 Gainesville Regional, which ended in a 6-1 Florida win.

Path to Omaha

As stated, regional play in the NCAA Tournament is double-elimination, meaning each team will play each other until three teams have two losses. After which, the last team standing advances to the NCAA Super Regional to face the winner of a paired regional. As the eight-seed in a 16-host regional round, Florida is paired up with nine-seed Southern Miss and the Hattiesburg Regional.

The Gators are guaranteed to host the Super Regional if the Gators win the Gainesville Regional as the higher seed.

Florida defeated South Carolina in the 2023 Gainesville Super Regional, the last time the Gators hosted a postseason game. | Cyndi Chambers / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Gainesville Super Regional will be a best-of-three series between the Gainesville Regional and Hattiesburg Regional winners and will be held from June 5-8. The eight super regional winners will advance to the 2026 College World Series in Omaha.

The CWS, also a double-elimination bracket, splits those eight teams into two four-team brackets. The winners of each bracket face off in a best-of-three championship round to determine the national champion.

The CWS will be held from June 12-22.

An Eye on Hattiesburg

The Gainesville Regional is directly tied to the Hattiesburg Regional, with the winners of each regional set to meet in the Super Regional round. Hosted by nine-seed Southern Miss, the Hattiesburg Regional is also comprised of Virginia, Jacksonville State and Little Rock. Here is the full schedule for the Hattiesburg Regional.

Friday, May 29
Game One: 2 p.m. ET* – Little Rock vs. Southern Miss (ESPN+)
Game Two: 6 p.m. ET* – Jacksonville State vs. Virginia (ESPN+)

Saturday, May 30
Game Three: 4 p.m. ET* - Loser Game One vs. Loser Game Two
Game Four: 9 p.m. ET* - Winner Game One vs. Winner Game Two

Sunday, May 31
Game Five: 4 p.m. ET* - Loser Game Four vs. Winner Game Three
Game Six: 9 p.m. ET* - Winner Game Four vs. Winner Game Five

Monday, June 1
Game Seven (if necessary): Time TBA* - Winner Game Six vs. Loser Game Six

*All times subject to change based on TV

Florida's Postseason History

With the Gators' 2026 NCAA Tournament appearance, Florida now owns the nation's longest active streak of making it to a regional at 18 seasons, every season there has been a tournament with head coach Kevin O'Sullivan leading the program.

O'Sullivan has led Florida to 18 of its now 41 regional appearances, 13 of which have seen the Gators host a regional. Florida has been a host in seven other seasons. The Gators have been a top-eight seed 11 times since O'Sullivan took over the program in 2008.

Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan has led Florida to a regional appearance in every season a tournament was held since he took over the program. | Cyndi Chambers / USA TODAY NETWORK

Additionally, Florida has made the CWS 14 times, including nine times under O'Sullivan. Since he took over the program, the Gators have reached the CWS from 2010-12, 2015-18 and 2023-24, with a championship in 2017 and runner-up finishes in 2011 and 2023. Florida also had a runner-up finish in 2005 under Pat McMahon.

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