Tuesday, March 17
Gainesville, Fla.
6:30 PM
Florida Gators
19-3
10
vs
1
Stetson
9-13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Stetson
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
4
3
Florida
0
0
1
6
1
2
0
0
X
10
9
0
Russell Sandefer walks off the mound during Tuesday night's win over the Hatters at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Fla. / UAA Communications photo by Hannah White
Pitching Dominates Again as No. 18 Gators Top Hatters
Tuesday, March 17, 2026 | Baseball
Russell Sandefer retired all nine batters he faced in his first start as a Gator while Ethan Surowiec (2-for-3) and Blake Cyr (2-for-4) drove in three runs apiece.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 18 Florida produced another dominant effort on the mound Tuesday night, holding Stetson to just four hits for a 10-1 victory in the third and final meeting between the two teams at Condron Family Ballpark.
Improving to 8-0 in midweek contests, the Gators (19-3) defeated the Hatters (9-13) for the third time this season (W 12-2, W 9-3, W 10-1) to run their win streak to six-straight games entering a weekend series at Alabama in Tuscaloosa (March 20-22). The Florida pitching staff limited Stetson to four hits and one walk while striking out 12 batters, and has now surrendered just four combined runs in the last four games.
Making his first start as a Gator in a controlled capacity, junior Russell Sandefer retired all nine batters he faced while throwing 29 of 35 pitches for strikes. The Tampa, Fla. native fanned six across 3.0 perfect frames and came within one pitch of an immaculate inning in the second.
At the dish, Ethan Surowiec (2-for-3) and Blake Cyr (2-for-4) drove in three runs apiece to account for the bulk of the scoring. Cole Stanford (2-for-3) slugged a solo shot and scored twice while Hayden Yost (2-for-3) doubled twice, scored two runs and drove in one.
Filling up the strike zone from the jump, Sandefer fanned the first two Hatters before inducing a nubber to the catcher for a one-two-three inning. In the home half, Brendan Lawson was walked on four pitches with one out and promptly swiped second base, but a double play two batters later ended the frame.
Sandefer cruised through the second and third frames, retiring the side in order while fanning two more batters per inning. That made it nine-straight batters retired to begin the contest, as he would later be lifted in favor of Caden McDonald in the fourth.
In the home half of the third, Yost led off with a double to left-center and advanced to third on a one-out groundout off the bat of Kyle Jones. With two men down, Surowiec lined a 1-1 offering over the center fielder's head for an RBI double to plate Yost for a 1-0 edge through three frames.
Taking over for Sandefer, McDonald surrendered a leadoff single to Juan De la Cruz in the fourth, who moved to third on a pair of groundouts. A two-out double down the left-field line by Yohann Dessureault tied the contest at one run apiece entering the bottom of the fourth.
Playing in a brand-new ballgame, the Gators stormed back in front in bottom-four with a six-run outburst – all with two outs. It began via an RBI double to right from Yost to plate Stanford, who reached on a one-out single to center. Following a free pass of Jones, Lawson was plunked with the bases juiced to force home Kolt Myers. From there, Surowiec drove in two on a single through the right side while Cyr smacked a two-run double to right field to make it 7-1 in favor of Florida.
Working with a six-run lead, McDonald retired the side in order in the top of the fifth. Stanford then uncorked a no-doubter to left field to lead off the home half, pushing the tally to 8-1 after five.
After striking out the Stetson leadoff man in the sixth, McDonald navigated around a one-out single by De la Cruz by inducing a groundout to second and fanning Foster Apple.
In the half inning to follow, Jones reached on an infield single, advanced to second on a throwing error and then swiped third for his eighth steal of the season. On the heels of a Surowiec walk, Cyr laced an RBI double to left-center, followed by a sacrifice fly from Cash Strayer to score Surowiec for a 10-1 UF advantage.
At the onset of the seventh inning, rookie Jackson Hoyt assumed pitching duties. The southpaw plunked Anthony Gonzalez with one out but rebounded to strike out the next two Hatters to send the matchup to stretch time. Hoyt teamed up with right-hander Billy Barlow to log a scoreless top of the eighth.
Working into the ninth inning, Barlow took the Gators to the finish line by stranding a one-out single. He contributed 1 2/3 scoreless frames of relief.
McDonald (2-0) picked up his second win of the season behind three innings of one-run ball. The redshirt sophomore righty finished with three hits allowed, zero walks and two strikeouts.
Hatters relief pitcher Brayden Toro (1-2) was saddled with the loss. The sophomore right-hander was charged with three unearned runs on three hits while striking out one batter.
Sandefer did not factor into the decision despite retiring all nine batters he faced for 3.0 shutout innings and six strikeouts.
Stetson starter Joel Core also received a no decision, lasting just 1 2/3 frames with zero runs or hits allowed on top of three walks.
NOTABLES
FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O'SULLIVAN
On what was working for Sandefer tonight…
"He threw some good changeups to left-handed hitters. His fastball looked 95-96 mph. He threw some really good sliders. So, he was really good. Moving forward, he is going to push us to make some tough decisions for the weekends. I'm not saying we are going to make a move right now or anything like that. I don't want to press the panic button, but if he keeps throwing the ball the way he did tonight, he is going to have to force our hand. That's the reality of it…"
On not overlooking this game between SEC series…
"Yeah, we talked about it. They (Stetson) beat Arkansas twice and they beat Virginia. They are well-coached and it's one of those midweek games where you are going to see a bunch of different arms. And with that, we have to play consistently. When teams are playing well, this is what they are supposed to do. We played clean. We didn't make any errors. I wished we would have turned that double play, but other than that, I thought it was really clean. Brendan Lawson was really awesome at shortstop and he made a couple of plays. But let's face it, they made some great plays defensively, too. The ball that Ethan (Surowiec) hit, that ball was smoked and their second baseman made a great play. So yeah, we will get after it tomorrow…"
On the challenges of playing on the road in the SEC…
"It is different on the road. That's why home records always seem to be better than the road records. But, if you want to be a team that wins the league, you have to win on the road. And it's not easy. They're (Alabama) coming off a weekend where they probably felt like they did not play their best baseball. So, I know their coach, and he's a really good coach. He's going to have his guys ready to play. We're going to have to answer the bell."
ON DECK
The Gators trek to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for a three-game, weekend series against the Crimson Tide from March 20-22. The series opener is set for Friday night at 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.
Improving to 8-0 in midweek contests, the Gators (19-3) defeated the Hatters (9-13) for the third time this season (W 12-2, W 9-3, W 10-1) to run their win streak to six-straight games entering a weekend series at Alabama in Tuscaloosa (March 20-22). The Florida pitching staff limited Stetson to four hits and one walk while striking out 12 batters, and has now surrendered just four combined runs in the last four games.
Making his first start as a Gator in a controlled capacity, junior Russell Sandefer retired all nine batters he faced while throwing 29 of 35 pitches for strikes. The Tampa, Fla. native fanned six across 3.0 perfect frames and came within one pitch of an immaculate inning in the second.
At the dish, Ethan Surowiec (2-for-3) and Blake Cyr (2-for-4) drove in three runs apiece to account for the bulk of the scoring. Cole Stanford (2-for-3) slugged a solo shot and scored twice while Hayden Yost (2-for-3) doubled twice, scored two runs and drove in one.
Filling up the strike zone from the jump, Sandefer fanned the first two Hatters before inducing a nubber to the catcher for a one-two-three inning. In the home half, Brendan Lawson was walked on four pitches with one out and promptly swiped second base, but a double play two batters later ended the frame.
Sandefer cruised through the second and third frames, retiring the side in order while fanning two more batters per inning. That made it nine-straight batters retired to begin the contest, as he would later be lifted in favor of Caden McDonald in the fourth.
In the home half of the third, Yost led off with a double to left-center and advanced to third on a one-out groundout off the bat of Kyle Jones. With two men down, Surowiec lined a 1-1 offering over the center fielder's head for an RBI double to plate Yost for a 1-0 edge through three frames.
Taking over for Sandefer, McDonald surrendered a leadoff single to Juan De la Cruz in the fourth, who moved to third on a pair of groundouts. A two-out double down the left-field line by Yohann Dessureault tied the contest at one run apiece entering the bottom of the fourth.
Playing in a brand-new ballgame, the Gators stormed back in front in bottom-four with a six-run outburst – all with two outs. It began via an RBI double to right from Yost to plate Stanford, who reached on a one-out single to center. Following a free pass of Jones, Lawson was plunked with the bases juiced to force home Kolt Myers. From there, Surowiec drove in two on a single through the right side while Cyr smacked a two-run double to right field to make it 7-1 in favor of Florida.
Working with a six-run lead, McDonald retired the side in order in the top of the fifth. Stanford then uncorked a no-doubter to left field to lead off the home half, pushing the tally to 8-1 after five.
After striking out the Stetson leadoff man in the sixth, McDonald navigated around a one-out single by De la Cruz by inducing a groundout to second and fanning Foster Apple.
In the half inning to follow, Jones reached on an infield single, advanced to second on a throwing error and then swiped third for his eighth steal of the season. On the heels of a Surowiec walk, Cyr laced an RBI double to left-center, followed by a sacrifice fly from Cash Strayer to score Surowiec for a 10-1 UF advantage.
At the onset of the seventh inning, rookie Jackson Hoyt assumed pitching duties. The southpaw plunked Anthony Gonzalez with one out but rebounded to strike out the next two Hatters to send the matchup to stretch time. Hoyt teamed up with right-hander Billy Barlow to log a scoreless top of the eighth.
Working into the ninth inning, Barlow took the Gators to the finish line by stranding a one-out single. He contributed 1 2/3 scoreless frames of relief.
McDonald (2-0) picked up his second win of the season behind three innings of one-run ball. The redshirt sophomore righty finished with three hits allowed, zero walks and two strikeouts.
Hatters relief pitcher Brayden Toro (1-2) was saddled with the loss. The sophomore right-hander was charged with three unearned runs on three hits while striking out one batter.
Sandefer did not factor into the decision despite retiring all nine batters he faced for 3.0 shutout innings and six strikeouts.
Stetson starter Joel Core also received a no decision, lasting just 1 2/3 frames with zero runs or hits allowed on top of three walks.
NOTABLES
- Kevin O'Sullivan now sits an even 400 wins over .500 at 773-373 across 19 seasons as UF head coach.
- Florida improved to 8-0 in midweek contests this season, featuring a 20-2 mark dating back to the start of the 2025 campaign.
- The Gators rose to 10-0 against teams from the state of Florida this season, headlined by a 22-4 mark since the start of the 2025 campaign.
- Florida has allowed four runs in the last four games.
- UF pitchers have surrendered 15 hits in their last 36.0 innings pitched.
- Strayer produced a sacrifice fly for the fourth-straight game.
- Making his first start in Orange & Blue, Sandefer retired all nine batters he faced highlighted by six strikeouts while throwing 29 of 35 pitches for strikes.
- Sandefer came within one pitch of an immaculate inning in the second frame.
- Lawson stole his sixth base of the season.
- Jones stole his eighth bag of the campaign.
- Stanford swatted his second homer in the fifth frame.
- Lawson has reached base in all 22 games this season.
- The Gators have won 36 of their last 44 regular-season games dating back to 2025.
- Florida has won six-straight games against Stetson.
- Florida is now 91-36 all-time and 52-11 at home against Stetson.
- The Gators are 16-2 including 10-0 in Gainesville in the series under O'Sullivan.
- Tuesday night's official attendance was 4,449.
FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O'SULLIVAN
On what was working for Sandefer tonight…
"He threw some good changeups to left-handed hitters. His fastball looked 95-96 mph. He threw some really good sliders. So, he was really good. Moving forward, he is going to push us to make some tough decisions for the weekends. I'm not saying we are going to make a move right now or anything like that. I don't want to press the panic button, but if he keeps throwing the ball the way he did tonight, he is going to have to force our hand. That's the reality of it…"
On not overlooking this game between SEC series…
"Yeah, we talked about it. They (Stetson) beat Arkansas twice and they beat Virginia. They are well-coached and it's one of those midweek games where you are going to see a bunch of different arms. And with that, we have to play consistently. When teams are playing well, this is what they are supposed to do. We played clean. We didn't make any errors. I wished we would have turned that double play, but other than that, I thought it was really clean. Brendan Lawson was really awesome at shortstop and he made a couple of plays. But let's face it, they made some great plays defensively, too. The ball that Ethan (Surowiec) hit, that ball was smoked and their second baseman made a great play. So yeah, we will get after it tomorrow…"
On the challenges of playing on the road in the SEC…
"It is different on the road. That's why home records always seem to be better than the road records. But, if you want to be a team that wins the league, you have to win on the road. And it's not easy. They're (Alabama) coming off a weekend where they probably felt like they did not play their best baseball. So, I know their coach, and he's a really good coach. He's going to have his guys ready to play. We're going to have to answer the bell."
ON DECK
The Gators trek to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for a three-game, weekend series against the Crimson Tide from March 20-22. The series opener is set for Friday night at 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: McDonald, Caden (2-0)
L: Toro (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Yohann Dessureault 1
RBI: Yohann Dessureault 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Juan De la Cruz 1
SB: Juan De la Cruz 1
HBP: Anthony Gonzalez 1
Batting:
2B: Surowiec, Ethan 1 ; Cyr, Blake 2 ; Yost, Hayden 2
HR: Stanford, Cole 1
RBI: Lawson, Brendan 1 ; Surowiec, Ethan 3 ; Cyr, Blake 3 ; Strayer, Cash 1 ; Stanford, Cole 1 ; Yost, Hayden 1
SF: Strayer, Cash 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jones, Kyle 2 ; Lawson, Brendan 1 ; Surowiec, Ethan 2 ; Stanford, Cole 2 ; Myers, Kolt 1 ; Yost, Hayden 2
SB: Jones, Kyle 1 ; Lawson, Brendan 1
HBP: Lawson, Brendan 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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OF
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RHP/1B
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INF
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RHP
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OF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballEthan Surowiec Postgame Press Conference | March 17, 2026 | Stetson
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