Ranked rivals clash again. Top-10 Florida State faces Florida in Jacksonville. Expect fireworks from potent offenses and stellar pitching in this heated mid-week showdown.
The Florida State baseball squad has jumped into the top ten in all three Top 25 polls, according to D1 Baseball, Perfect Game and Baseball America.
The Seminoles are the new No. 10 team, coming off a series win over previously 10th-ranked NC State over the weekend.
Six of Florida State’s last 12 games have been decided by run-rule, including one in both of its first two ACC series against Wake Forest and the Wolfpack.
Tuesday’s matchup in Jacksonville is part of a nine-game slate to be played within the borders of Florida and one of just two not played at Dick Howser Stadium.
Florida State is 19-4 on the season, sitting atop the ACC standings at 5-1, and boasting a 14-1 home record.
However, they are just 1-2 in games played at a neutral site.
As a team, the Seminoles are hitting .304 with 228 hits, 34 home runs, 52 doubles, three triples, 130 walks, 205 runs scored and 177 RBI.
The pitching staff has a 3.53 ERA with 75 earned runs allowed, an average of just over three runs per game. The Seminoles have allowed 139 hits, while amassing 250 strikeouts and walking 86 in 191.0 innings of work.
The Florida rivalry is the second-biggest played in FSU history. They first battled on the baseball diamond in 1956, and have played a minimum of two games per season since 1957.
The Seminoles lost to the Gators on March 10, 6-3, in Gainesville.
Last year in Jacksonville, a walk-off grand slam sealed the victory for the Seminoles in an 8-4 win on March 25, 2025.
Florida is 19-6 overall and 3-3 in the SEC after being swept on the road at Alabama this past weekend.
The Gators are 8-0 in midweek games after a 10-0 run-rule victory over Stetson on March 17. Florida will be playing its first neutral-site contest of the season. The Gators are ranked No. 25 in this week’s Coaches Poll.
Florida is led by Brendan Lawson, who leads the Gators in average (.380), home runs (10) and RBIs (29). He sports a .915 slugging percentage.
Pitchers Aidan King (1.27) and Liam Peterson (48) lead the team in ERA and strikeouts, respectively.
Florida State is led by reigning ACC Player of the Week Myles Bailey. Bailey batted .500 (6-for-12), hit four home runs and two doubles, with 10 RBIs and five walks against NC State. His stat line reads like this:
.361/1.491/.917, with 12 home runs and 31 RBIs on the season.
Kelvyn Paulino leads the Seminoles with a .404 batting average, and has struck out only five times in 52 at-bats. John Stuetzer and Chase Williams are tied with six stolen bases each in eight attempts.
The starting rotation of Wes Mendes, Trey Beard and Bryson Moore has combined for 110 strikeouts and 11 victories so far in this campaign.
How to Watch Florida State vs. Florida
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM (EST)
Venue: VyStar Ballpark
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Streaming: SEC+
Radio: 100.7 FM WFLA
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!