Following a run-rule victory over Alabama State on Tuesday night at Plainsman Park, No. 13 Auburn baseball hits the road to take on No. 20 Florida in a highly anticipated three-game SEC showdown.
“The rest of the year, I’m trying to sell to our guys that it’s an unbelievable opportunity, and it’s all about us playing ball,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson said. “We’ve been through a lot — the good, the bad, the ugly, and everywhere in between — and we’ve learned a ton of lessons with our ball club. This is just an awesome part of something they’ve earned, and they got to go play at some great places and play some amazing teams. We want to consider ourselves one of those types of teams, too. It’s time to just go play ball. It’s time to turn it loose, learn some lessons and function collectively as a group.”
The Tigers will look to continue their recent success against conference opponents this weekend, as Thompson’s squad has won two consecutive weekend series against Arkansas and Kentucky. Although Auburn has fared well of late, much of its success this season has come on home turf, as the team has struggled on the road with a losing record, including a series sweep in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Florida has boasted an impressive 17-7 record at home in Condron Family Ballpark (27-11 overall) and will enter the weekend clash coming off a statement series win over conference rival Georgia before dropping a mid-week contest on Tuesday evening to Bethune-Cookman.
Florida is no stranger to top-ranked matchups, with No. 13 Auburn coming to town, as the No. 20 team has thrived in the spotlight this year, completing season sweeps of No. 8 Florida State and No. 16 Arkansas, as well as clinching a weekend series win over the Bulldogs in Athens.
Infielders on both sides of the diamond have been major parts of each team’s recent success, as Brandon McCraine and Eric Guevara both rank in the top four in the SEC while leading Auburn in batting average at .378, respectively.
Eric Guevara celebrates a double against Kentucky at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala. on April 12, 2026.
Brendan Lawson is the player to watch on the other side of the diamond for the Gators, as the standout sophomore is slashing .347/.553/.772 with 11 home runs, which ranks among the top 20 in major statistical categories in the SEC.
Auburn enters Gainesville with its weekend starters at the top of their game while standing atop the conference in ERA, setting up what should be a must-watch battle between both rotations full of dominant arms.
“We're going to see great arms, a hitter that’s at the top of the food chain in our league, and just an athletic team all over the field,” Thompson said.
The Tigers hold the all-time edge over the Gators by a slim margin at 135-121-2, despite a losing record of 51-68 in Gainesville. Auburn will look to turn its road trends in a positive direction as the series commences Thursday evening with a 6 p.m. CDT first pitch, followed by a 4 p.m. first pitch on Friday and an 11 a.m. first pitch on Saturday.
Thursday and Friday’s matchups will be televised on SEC Network, while Saturday morning's series finale will be aired on ESPN2.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Will is a sophomore majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @willdembo
