Joshua Whritenour celebrates during the Gators' win over Florida State on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. / UAA Communications photo by Jordan Perez
Baseball is Back: Florida Releases Fall Ball Slate
Thursday, September 10, 2026 | Baseball
The Gators’ fall season begins Sept. 28 and features five total exhibition games including three at home.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Baseball program opens its fall practice season on Monday, Sept. 28 and will compete across five exhibition games against four collegiate opponents in October and November.
The Gators play their first exhibition contest against South Florida on Friday, Oct. 16 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. – the home of the Tampa Tarpons, Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. General ticket sales for the Florida-USF showdown in Tampa officially went on sale Thursday morning. UF students and Florida fans are encouraged to purchase tickets through a team-specific link.
As previously announced last month, Florida's second exhibition game is vs. Troy on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Fla. Set for a 2 p.m. ET first pitch, tickets for the Florida-Troy matchup are on sale now.
Following two neutral-site battles, Florida returns home to host a trio of tilts at Condron Family Ballpark beginning with a matchup against the Ontario Blue Jays, a Canadian amateur club, on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The Gators then welcome Mercer on Sunday, Nov. 1 before the fall exhibition finale vs. Air Force on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Additional information including start times for Florida's home exhibitions will be announced at a later date.
All of Florida's practices and intrasquad scrimmages will once again be open to the public for the duration of the fall. Each week, an updated weekly schedule will be posted to FloridaGators.com and @GatorsBB social channels, including approximate practice and scrimmage start times.
Entering the 2027 season, the Gators have advanced to a nation-high, 18-consecutive NCAA Tournaments dating back to Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan's debut campaign in 2008. Although Florida leads the country with nine trips to the College World Series in the last 17 years, the Orange & Blue is looking to return to Omaha for the first time since making back-to-back appearances from 2023-24.
As the Gators push to return to college baseball's promised land, they will do so with a roster comprised of 17 returners and 21 newcomers – 12 freshmen and nine transfers. Florida brings back four positional starters in shortstop Brendan Lawson, third baseman Ethan Surowiec, designated hitter/right-handed pitcher Caden McDonald and first baseman Landon Stripling, as well as staff ace and reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year Aidan King.
Beyond King, Second Team Southeast All-Region right-hander Jackson Barberi figures to take a step into the rotation after dazzling in relief as a sophomore. Closer Joshua Whritenour will be a major part of the pitching staff as well after locking down seven saves one year ago. The two-way playing McDonald will once again be instrumental to the staff as will Schuyler Sandford, Jackson Hoyt, Blaine Rowland and Minjae Seo – the latter two of which were held out all of last season. Factoring in a talented freshman class, Florida has plenty of depth on the mound thanks to the transfer portal additions of Trey Morris (Oregon State), Maddox McDougall (Jax State) and Zach Edwards (Oregon State).
In addition to Florida's returning positional starters, outfielder Jaden Bastian is ready to make his mark in the outfield after missing the 2026 campaign due to injury. He is joined by rising sophomore Cash Strayer, who excelled in a part-time role as a true freshman and is primed to be heavily involved in the outfield mix yet again. Those two will compete for jobs alongside second-year player Jacob Kendall, Oklahoma transfer Drew Dickerson and an exciting trio of freshmen.
In the infield, Colton Schwarz aims to take a step forward in year two while Nic Partridge pushes for his first taste of collegiate action after missing all of last season. They are joined by three high-profile transfers in Caden Davidson (Gaston College), Kyle McDaniel (Utah Tech) and John Martinez (FAU), who will battle for playing time on the right side of the infield.
Catchers Jon Embury and Eddie Marshall will compete behind the dish, with the former holding status as the 2026 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year and a Buster Posey Award Finalist. AJ Malzone will be in the fold behind the plate as well.
Florida's complete list of newcomers to the roster can be found below.
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The Gators play their first exhibition contest against South Florida on Friday, Oct. 16 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. – the home of the Tampa Tarpons, Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. General ticket sales for the Florida-USF showdown in Tampa officially went on sale Thursday morning. UF students and Florida fans are encouraged to purchase tickets through a team-specific link.
As previously announced last month, Florida's second exhibition game is vs. Troy on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Fla. Set for a 2 p.m. ET first pitch, tickets for the Florida-Troy matchup are on sale now.
Following two neutral-site battles, Florida returns home to host a trio of tilts at Condron Family Ballpark beginning with a matchup against the Ontario Blue Jays, a Canadian amateur club, on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The Gators then welcome Mercer on Sunday, Nov. 1 before the fall exhibition finale vs. Air Force on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Additional information including start times for Florida's home exhibitions will be announced at a later date.
All of Florida's practices and intrasquad scrimmages will once again be open to the public for the duration of the fall. Each week, an updated weekly schedule will be posted to FloridaGators.com and @GatorsBB social channels, including approximate practice and scrimmage start times.
Important Fall Dates
| Monday, Sept. 28 | First Day of Fall Season |
|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 16 | Florida vs. USF (George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.) |
| Saturday, Oct. 24 | Florida vs. Troy (Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Fla.) |
| Wednesday, Oct. 28 | Florida vs. Ontario Blue Jays (Gainesville, Fla.) |
| Sunday, Nov. 1 | Florida vs. Mercer (Gainesville, Fla.) |
| Sunday, Nov. 8 | Florida vs. Air Force (Gainesville, Fla.) |
Entering the 2027 season, the Gators have advanced to a nation-high, 18-consecutive NCAA Tournaments dating back to Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan's debut campaign in 2008. Although Florida leads the country with nine trips to the College World Series in the last 17 years, the Orange & Blue is looking to return to Omaha for the first time since making back-to-back appearances from 2023-24.
As the Gators push to return to college baseball's promised land, they will do so with a roster comprised of 17 returners and 21 newcomers – 12 freshmen and nine transfers. Florida brings back four positional starters in shortstop Brendan Lawson, third baseman Ethan Surowiec, designated hitter/right-handed pitcher Caden McDonald and first baseman Landon Stripling, as well as staff ace and reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year Aidan King.
Beyond King, Second Team Southeast All-Region right-hander Jackson Barberi figures to take a step into the rotation after dazzling in relief as a sophomore. Closer Joshua Whritenour will be a major part of the pitching staff as well after locking down seven saves one year ago. The two-way playing McDonald will once again be instrumental to the staff as will Schuyler Sandford, Jackson Hoyt, Blaine Rowland and Minjae Seo – the latter two of which were held out all of last season. Factoring in a talented freshman class, Florida has plenty of depth on the mound thanks to the transfer portal additions of Trey Morris (Oregon State), Maddox McDougall (Jax State) and Zach Edwards (Oregon State).
In addition to Florida's returning positional starters, outfielder Jaden Bastian is ready to make his mark in the outfield after missing the 2026 campaign due to injury. He is joined by rising sophomore Cash Strayer, who excelled in a part-time role as a true freshman and is primed to be heavily involved in the outfield mix yet again. Those two will compete for jobs alongside second-year player Jacob Kendall, Oklahoma transfer Drew Dickerson and an exciting trio of freshmen.
In the infield, Colton Schwarz aims to take a step forward in year two while Nic Partridge pushes for his first taste of collegiate action after missing all of last season. They are joined by three high-profile transfers in Caden Davidson (Gaston College), Kyle McDaniel (Utah Tech) and John Martinez (FAU), who will battle for playing time on the right side of the infield.
Catchers Jon Embury and Eddie Marshall will compete behind the dish, with the former holding status as the 2026 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year and a Buster Posey Award Finalist. AJ Malzone will be in the fold behind the plate as well.
Florida's complete list of newcomers to the roster can be found below.
| # | Name | Position | B/T | Class | Hometown / High School / Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Keaton Neal | INF | R/R | FR | Olathe, Kan. / Spring Hill |
| 1 | Brady Harris | OF | R/R | FR | St. Augustine, Fla. / Trinity Christian Academy |
| 3 | Drew Dickerson | OF | R/R | JR | Lee's Summit, Mo. / Lee's Summit West / Oklahoma |
| 4 | Jon Embury | C | R/R | JR | Port Charlotte, Fla. / Venice / FGCU |
| 5 | Eddie Marshall | C | R/R | SO | Lighthouse, Fla. / Cardinal Gibbons / Samford |
| 9 | John Martinez | INF | R/R | RS JR | Orlando, Fla. / Montverde Academy / FAU |
| 12 | Trey Morris | LHP | L/L | SO | Easton, Calif. / Washington Union / Oregon State |
| 14 | Kyle McDaniel | INF | L/R | SR | Pahrump, Nev. / Pahrump Valley / Utah Tech |
| 17 | Tyler Ellis | LHP | L/L | FR | Kingsland, Ga. / Trinity Christian Academy |
| 18 | Brady Snow | RHP | R/R | FR | North Palm Beach, Fla. / American Heritage |
| 23 | Braylen Montgomery | OF | R/R | FR | Walker, La. / Walker |
| 24 | Caden Davidson | INF | R/R | SO | Fletcher, N.C. / T.C. Roberson / Gaston College |
| 25 | Cameron Hanes | RHP | R/R | FR | Windermere, Fla. / TNXL Academy |
| 26 | Sam Lovitz | RHP | R/R | FR | Wellington, Fla. / Cardinal Newman |
| 30 | Colin White | LHP | L/L | FR | Powder Springs, Ga. / Harrison |
| 32 | Luke Labbe | C | R/R | FR | Saint Johns, Fla. / Bartram Trail |
| 41 | Maddox McDougall | RHP | R/R | JR | Wesley Chapel, Fla. / Wiregrass Ranch / Jax State |
| 50 | Zach Edwards | RHP | R/R | JR | Riverton, Utah / Riverton / Oregon State |
| 51 | Ethan Wheeler | RHP | L/R | FR | Middleburg, Fla. / Trinity Christian Academy |
| 66 | Lorenzo Laurel | OF | R/R | FR | Coral Springs, Fla. / Marjory Stoneman Douglas |
| 95 | Carter Cox | LHP | L/L | FR | Venice, Fla. / Venice |
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