How Florida Gators Baseball Treats Midweeks as Upsets Happen Around the Country

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The 10th-ranked Florida Gators baseball program moved to 4-0 in midweek games this season after an 11-4 win over FIU on Wednesday.

That undefeated record may seem obvious and insignificant, but as upsets mount around the country, Florida is not minimizing the impact of winning those games.

"I think every game is important, honestly," head coach Kevin O'Sullivan told Florida Gators on SI after Wednesday's win. "I would never ever be okay with losing any game we play, regardless if it's a midweek game or a weekend game."

Over the last two weeks, a social media debate has arisen regarding the value of midweek games and if teams should hit the panic button after a midweek upset or a poor performance. Significant upsets include a wins by Charleston over No. 6 Coastal Carolina, Cincinnati over No. 9 Auburn, Morehead State over No. 18 Kentucky and UT Arlington over No. 7 TCU on Feb. 17.

On Tuesday, four of the top six teams lost to unranked opponents with No. 1 UCLA falling to San Diego State, No. 2 LSU falling to McNeese State, No. 5 Georgia Tech falling to Georgia State and No. 6 Arkansas falling to Arkansas State.

Upsets and near-upsets continued on Wednesday with Arkansas struggling to a 1-0 win over Arkansas State, No. 9 Auburn barely beating one-win West Georgia and No. 11 Georgia falling to Troy.

COLLEGE BASEBALL CHAOS 🤯

Four of the top six ranked teams lost to unranked opponents on Tuesday 👀 pic.twitter.com/4rYeWEOAwQ
— ESPN (@espn) February 25, 2026

While all of these upsets happen, Florida remains undefeated despite being down its best arms both with starters and out of the bullpen and while experimenting with the lineup. This season's early success in midweeks are nothing new, either.

Over the last two seasons, the Gators are 16-2 in midweek games, including an 11-1 record at home. Those performances have kept Florida in the mix for postseason contention despite inconsistent play over the weekend.

"Obviously the goal here is to host regionals, host super regionals. If we want to do that, we have to win midweek games," infielder Landon Stripling said. "Midweeks are super valuable. They lead you into the weekend. They give you momentum."

There is also value in midweeks being a good test for the team. Stripling identified how much the midweek opponents they face value playing at Condron Ballpark and how much upsetting the Gators would mean to them.

"That's one of the beautiful things about baseball is there's so much talent across the board," he said. "Any team, honestly, on any given day, can beat anyone. And so that's, I think that's what makes these midweeks so tough."

Infielder Brendan Lawson added that there is an adrenaline factor in playing in-state opponents while also having the balance of having class and a game on the same day.

"I think it's important that we kind of take our day-by-day preparation the same," Lawson explained. "I think that they are necessary. Play teams in the state and teams even out of state that you wouldn't normally get to play, and see how you kind of stack up against that competition."

There is also the test for O'Sullivan as he looks to identify his trustworthy pieces on the mound and in the lineup ahead of SEC play. While Florida has the depth across its roster, the Gators are still looking to find consistent pieces in the bullpen, especially from its lefties behind Ernest Lugo-Canchola.

“They're interesting because you're juggling this thing and trying to manage your pitching staff, the bullpen to prepare yourself for the weekend," O'Sullivan said. "This is a tough part of the season because we play two midweeks and next week will be the last week that we play two midweeks."

Florida will have three midweek games left (FAU on March 3, Florida A&M on March 4 and FSU on March 10), along with its weekend series against Miami and High Point before beginning SEC play on March 13 against South Carolina, hoping to continue its midweek success while pushing for another deep run in the postseason.