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No. 1 Texas Baseball Hosting Florida in Final Home Conference Series

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Connor Zimmerlee | Last updated May 9, 2025 11:15 AM ET

After a long, ardous campaign the No. 1 Texas Longhorns (39-5, 19-5) are down to their final six games in the regular season. First up is the final home conference series, as the Florida Gators (33-17, 11-13) are coming to town for a clash with major implications for both teams.

For the Longhorns, the pressure is not nearly as high as it will be for the Gators. They are comfortably within reach of several of their preseason goals, with a regional host site and potential national seed firmly in grasp. However, this series will go a long way toward them winning or losing the SEC.

Currently they are two games ahead of the Arkansas Razorbacks, who just last weekend swept them. The Razorbacks are taking on the LSU TIgers this weekend, so a series win for Texas could propel them even closer to the conference crown.

In the other dugout, the Gators need a series win and they need it in a big way. While they currently have a solid chance to make the Field of 64 in June, every win matters. If they can pick up an upset series win over Texas, then they will likely clinch their spot in the tournament.

How to watch/listen:

Friday May 9 at 6:30 p.m. CT - ESPNU/TexasSports.com/Audio

Saturday May 10 at 1 p.m. CT - SEC Network+/TexasSports.com/Audio

Sunday May 11 at 1 p.m. CT - SEC Network+/TexasSports.com/Audio

A look at Florida's season so far -

As has been the case for several of Texas' opponents, the Gators have had a rollercoaster of a season filled with ups and downs. They've dropped some puzzling midweek games, such as a loss to UCF, and have been swept in three different conference series. However, they also boast a series win over the same Arkansas team that had no issue sweeping the Longhorns.

Florida by the numbers:

Record - 33-17 (11-13)

Runs scored - 390

Runs allowed - 257

Team Avg. - .301

Team Avg. against - .252

Team ERA - 5.18

Florida wins this series if...

It can get the offense rolling early and force the Texas pitching staff to come to them. There's no denying that the Longhorns boast one of the top staffs in the country. However, as we saw in the series against Arkansas, they are definitely beatable.

That's where the Gators need to take advantage if they want to leave Austin with a series win. Walks were a detriment for Texas last weekend especially, so look for Florida to do its best to work counts into its favor. Should that happen, then it could lead to the Longohrns losing their second consecutive conference series.

Texas wins this series if...

It can get better outings from Ruger Riojas and Luke Harrison then the ones they delivered against Arkansas. Heading into the series with the Razorbacks the Longhorns' top rotation arms had consistently shut down opponents, but that was not the case last weekend as both delivered their worst outings of the season.

Now, they'll look to bounce back against a Gators squad that can put up runs in bunches if they get hot. Riojas and Harrison getting back to their usual dominant selves would be a big win for Texas. If they can, then the Longhorns have a strong chance at taking this series and moving even closer to a regular season conference title.

This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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