How to Watch, What to Know About Gators Baseball Series Against UAB

The Florida Gators are set to open the 2026 season.

The Florida Gators are set to open the 2026 season. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

Editor's note- This story has been reflected to update Saturday becoming a double-header.

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The 13th-ranked Florida Gators are set to begin its 2026 campaign with a three-game series against UAB starting on Friday. Saturday will be a double-header, UF announced, due to impending poor weather in the area.

Here's everything you need to know about the Gators' season-opening series against the Blazers.

24 hours. pic.twitter.com/GXWzCUyAHm

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 12, 2026

No. 13 Florida Gators (0-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. UAB (0-0, 0-0 American): The Rundown

	Friday, Feb. 13	Saturday, Feb. 14 (Game One)	Saturday, Feb. 14 (Game Two
Where	Condron Family Ballpark, Gainesville, Fla.	Condron Family Ballpark, Gainesville, Fla.	Condron Family Ballpark, Gainesville, Fla.
When	6:30 p.m.	2 p.m.	50 min. after conclusion of Game One.
Watch	SEC Network+ (streaming only)	SEC Network+ (streaming only)	SEC Network+ (streaming only)
Radio	Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD	Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD	Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD
First pitch	Former UF pitcher Alex Faedo (2015-17)	Former UF outfielder Buddy reed (2014-16)
Pitching Matchups	UF: RHP Liam Peterson (8-4, 4.28 ERA) UAB: RHP Mason Steele (6-1, 2.66 ERA - JuCo)	UF: RHP Aidan King (7-2, 2.58 ERA) UAB: RHP Braxton Shelton (3-4, 7.97 ERA)	UF: RHP Cooper Walls (3-3, 3.73 ERA) UAB: RHP Chase Ingram (2-5, 5.37 ERA)

O'Sullivan Suspended

While he has since returned from his leave of absence, O'Sullivan is set to miss the series against UAB due to a three-game suspension as a result of last year's outburst at the Conway Regional. He has since apologized for the incident and accepted the suspension, and last week, O'Sullivan detailed that he has since moved on.

"I don't want to go back to that, but certainly the one thing I can say is I regret it. I mean, I certainly wish I didn't do it," O'Sullivan said. "No one feels more regretful than I do. I mean, last thing I want to do is misrepresent Florida or myself or anybody for that matter."

Tom Slater was Florida's interim during O'Sullivan's leave of absence. | Cyndi Chambers/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite O'Sullivan being gone, Florida will not use an interim head coach and will instead split up coaching duties among the current staff. New associate head coach Tom Slater, the interim during O'Sullivan's leave of absence, will continue his duties as hitting coach, assistant Taylor Black will continue to coach third base and pitching coach David Kopp will handle the pitching staff, a duty he usually shared with O'Sullivan.

Additionally, student coach Michael Byrne will move to the bullpen, while director of player development Mike Rivera is being elevated to coach first base.

"Everybody's kind of trying to find their role, and they've done it so well," outfielder Kyle Jones told Florida Gators on SI of the staff stepping up during O'Sullivan's absence. "You give a lot of props to them because it's not only us going through a tough time. It was them, too. They did an amazing job."

O'Sullivan will make his 2026 debut on Tuesday when the Gators travel to Stetson.

Weekend Rotation Set

Florida returns arguably the top pitching duo in the country with junior righty Liam Peterson (8-4, 4.28 ERA), who will start on Fridays, and sophomore righty Aidan King (7-2, 2.58 ERA), who will start on Saturdays.

Peterson enters what is likely his last collegiate season as Baseball America's No. 1 pitcher for the 2026 MLB Draft, a First Team Preseason All-American (Baseball America, Perfect Game), Preseason All-SEC First Team and a name on both Baseball America's Preseason College Pitcher of the Year Watchlist and the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List.

Pitcher Liam Peterson headlines Florida's pitching rotation. | Cyndi Chambers / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Meanwhile, King returns after a breakout freshman campaign in which he had an SEC-low 2.58 ERA, which was also the lowest ERA by a UF pitcher across a full season since Brady Singer's 2.55 in 2018. He joined Peterson on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List and was on the Preseason All-SEC Second Team and D1 Baseball Preseason All-America Second Team.

Rounding out the weekend rotation, at least for now, is Hawai'i transfer Cooper Walls (3-3, 3.73 ERA), who was announced as the Sunday starter on Thursday. He joins Florida after being named the 2025 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year. This offseason saw Walls increase velocity with a fastball that averaged at the low 90s and now averages in the mid-90s, topping at 98 miles per hour.

"He's been awesome. He's developed a lot since he got here," fellow pitcher Luke McNeillie told Florida Gators on SI about Walls. "And I think the main thing for him was just his physical aspect of the game. I mean, when you have a velo jump like he had from last spring to what he has now, it's like, definitely a physical maturity of himself."

Lawson, Suroweic Headline Bats

Sophomore infielder Brendan Lawson headlines Florida's bats going into the season as Baseball America's top-ranked college player for the 2027 MLB Draft. Slashing .317/.417/.522 for a .939 OPS with 10 home runs and 14 doubles, Lawson was second on the team for RBI (61), multi-RBI games (15) and multi-hit games (23). He is also one of Florida's most versatile infielders with experience at first, second and third base, while also working at short stop this offseason.

"He's a baller," second basemen Cade Kurland said. "Not many ways to put it, but he he's gotten a lot stronger, leaned out his body a little bit, so probably help him at short stop and get rakes."

Brendan Lawson had a breakout season as a freshman. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrate

Ole Miss transfer Ethan Suroweic may be Florida's best power-hitter going into this season, though, after earning Northwoods League MVP honors this summer, when he slashed 387/.475/.779 with a league-best 17 home runs. He has been working at first and third this offseason.