Gators Baseball's Opponents, Seeding for NCAA Tournament Revealed

GAINESVILLE, Fla.— After clinching its first hosting bid for the NCAA Regional since 2023, the Florida Gators now know who will join them in the Gainesville Regional.

After clinching its first hosting bid for the NCAA Regional since 2023, the Florida Gators now know who will join them in the Gainesville Regional.

Florida, tabbed as the No. 8 overall seed, will play host to rival Miami, Troy and Rider. The Gators begin play on Friday at 1 p.m. ET against Rider, with streaming coverage on ESPN+. The winner faces the winner of Miami-Troy, which plays on Friday at 6 p.m. ET, while the losers face each other in an elimination game.

8️⃣ Seed@GatorsBB 🐊
#RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/cgb6CEPgR4
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) May 25, 2026

The Gators’ naming as the No. 8 overall seed, which was predicted by national media outlets such as D1Baseball and Baseball America, also marks its first top-eight seeding since 2023 and gives Florida hosting duties for the Super Regional should they win the Gainesville Regional. It also marks the 12th time Florida is a top-eight national seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Gainesville Regional is tied to the Hattiesburg Regional, which is hosted by the nine-seed, Southern Miss, with Little Rock, Jacksonville State and Virginia.

Florida had a strong showing during the SEC Tournament with wins over Vanderbilt and Alabama and a close loss to Georgia to ultimately clinch a top-eight seed.

"I think we definitely did," Caden McDonald said after Saturday's loss in the SEC Tournament when asked if Florida had done enough to be the eight seed. "We had convincing wins here, and, you know, the last month or so stretch that we've been on, we have been playing some really good baseball. So look at all the comparisons. I think the numbers are there and I think we definitely pass the eye test."

The 2026 marks Florida's 20th season the Gators host an NCAA Regional and 13th under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan. The Gators have never missed the NCAA Tournament in a full season under O'Sullivan, with its lone miss coming in the cancelled 2020 campaign.

Play in the double-elimination NCAA Regional begins on Friday and ends on Monday, June 5. After which, the 16 regional winners will advance to the Super Regional from June 5-8. Winners of the eight Super Regionals advance to the 2026 College World Series in Omaha, Neb., which will be played from June 12-22.

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