How to Watch, What to Know About Gators Baseball Series Against Kennesaw State

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The 12th-ranked Florida Gators baseball team enters its second weekend of the 2026 season with a home series against Kennesaw State. With the Owls undefeated to start the 2026 season, head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said the team cannot afford to underestimate its opponent.

"Kennesaw State is good. They're good, and I don't want to overstate that, but the people in college baseball that know their program and know their coaches and know their players, (know) they do a really good job," he said. "And, you're going to see a really good brand of baseball this weekend. It's going to be a good test for us, but we're going to have to play well. There's no question about it."

Here's everything you need to know about the Gators' midweek series against the Owls.

No. 12 Florida Gators (4-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Kennesaw State (3-0, 0-0 CUSA): The Rundown

	Friday, Feb. 20	Saturday, Feb. 21	Sunday, Feb. 22
Where	Condron Family Ballpark, Gainesville, Fla.	Condron Family Ballpark, Gainesville, Fla.	Condron Family Ballpark, Gainesville, Fla.
When	6:30 p.m.	5:30 p.m.	1 p.m.
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
Pitching Matchups	UF: RHP Liam Peterson (0-0, 10.80 ERA) KSU: RHP Cooper McMullen (0-0, 0.00 ERA)	UF: RHP Aidan King (1-0, 0.00 ERA) KSU: RHP Ty Bayer (0-0, 22.50 ERA)	UF: RHP Cooper Walls (1-0, 1.69 ERA) KSU: RHP Cole Royer (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

Peterson Looks to Bounce Back

Liam Peterson's 2026 debut was anything but was expected as the junior righty gave up four earned runs and walked five batters in just 3 1/3 innings in last week's season-opening loss to UAB. A preseason All-American and one of the top prospects in this year's draft class, he will need a big bounce-back effort on Friday as Aidan King and Cooper Walls impress early in their respective Saturday and Sunday roles.

"That's not the Liam we expect to see or the Liam we usually see," associate head coach Tom Slater said last week. "He's been outstanding all preseason and wasn't as crisp tonight, but we know that he'll bounce back his next outing and we'll see the Liam we're used to seeing."

Florida's Liam Peterson (12) will look to bounce back after a tough start to his 2026 season. | Cyndi Chambers/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Freshmen Making Cases for Everyday Roles, Shuffling the Lineup

O'Sullivan has made it no secret that he wants to get as many players as many at-bats as possible while also figuring out who are the best players for the lineup. That being said, a pair of freshmen are making strong cases to be everyday players.

Outfielders Cash Strayer and Jacob Kendall have been two of Florida's best hitters in recent games, with Strayer, in particular, shining this season.

Playing in four of Florida's five games, Strayer is second on the team with a .464 batting average (7-for-15) with three multi-hit games. He went 2-for-3 with a 434-foot home run and a triple in Wednesday's win over Stetson.

"You never know what to expect when the lights go on, but he has certainly earned the right to play," O'Sullivan told Florida Gators on SI after Wednesday's win. "I wish we could hit more than nine guys to be quite honest with you because there's some other guys I do want to give opportunities to, and we will. But he certainly has swung the bat as good as anyone in our lineup."

Cash Strayer had five hits across Florida's doubleheader on Saturday against UAB. — Cash Strayer is second on the team with a .464 batting average. | Kyle Lander

Still, O'Sullivan wants to work other players in while he can. Players such as Landon Stripling and Hayden Yost, who have both not played since the season-opener, and Ashton Wilson and Justin Nadeau, who have not played at all this season, make the most sense as players Florida could play at some point this weekend.

Others who have not taken an at-bat this season include two-way redshirt sophomore Caden McDonald, who pitched three innings on Tuesday, and junior outfielder Blake Brookins.

"We're just going to have to do it," O'Sullivan said on shuffling the lineup. "... I wish like other sports, we could have substitutions and reentry. That would be nice, but we don't have that luxury. Some guys have earned the right to get some opportunities, and we'll do our best to get them in there."

Injury Updates

After being on a controlled start on Wednesday, righty Luke McNeillie could appear back on the mound in his usual reliever role this weekend. McNeillie pitched two innings on Wednesday, giving up no runs with only two hits allowed while striking out two batters.

"He looked healthy to me tonight," O'Sullivan said on Wednesday. "I would assume, and hopefully he feels really good tomorrow, and then we'll evaluate the weekend as it goes along."

Luke McNeillie made his 2026 debut with a controlled start on Wednesday. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Additionally, transfer righty Russell Sandefer started throwing on Thursday but will remain out for a "week or so," O'Sullivan said. Sandefer pitched just 2/3 of an inning during the season-opener before being removed from the game after meeting with a trainer.