Friday Forecast for Gators Baseball Action in Gainesville Regional
GAINESVILLE, Fla.- The Florida Gators begin play in the Gainesville Regional on Friday against Rider at 1 p.m., with the follow-up matchup between Miami and Troy set to start at 5 p.m.
With Florida set to host its first NCAA Regional since 2023, and Gainesville known for its weather this time of year, Florida Gators on SI will be tracking the weather throughout the postseason. Here is Friday's forecast, via The Weather Channel.
Friday Forecast
The Gators' matchup against the Broncs appears to be safe from poor weather, with the forecast for 1 p.m. being 89 degrees Fahrenheit and cloudy with a 15 percent chance of rain.
Miami's matchup against Troy, however, is on weather watch. The forecast at 5 p.m. is 87 degrees Fahrenheit with expected storms and a 67 percent chance of rain. It is expected to be stormy until 8 p.m.
The full forecast for the weekend can be found here. Florida Gators on SI will continue to provide relevant weather updates when necessary.
What Else To Know
Florida's matchup against Rider can be streamed via SEC Network+. The Gators are turning to usual Game Three starter Russell Sandefer on the mound. Sandefer suffered an injury scare in the SEC Tournament after taking a hit to his right arm, although Florida avoided the worst as the X-rays revealed no serious damage.
"I watched his pen on Tuesday, and he looked really, really crisp," head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "I don't think there's anything that is going to hinder him pitching tomorrow night or tomorrow afternoon."
The winner faces the winner of the Troy-Miami matchup on Saturday, while the losers of Friday's games face elimination on Saturday. The Gators, winners in 10 of their last 12 games, are looking to turn their strong end to the regular season and run in the SEC Tournament to its third appearance in the College World Series in four years.
"We certainly have had our downs, and we think we've had our ups. But I am glad that we're healthy, basically for the first time all year long, and we've been playing really good baseball down the stretch," O'Sullivan said. "I don't know how many wins, somebody said nine out of the last 10, or 10 of the last 12, I don't know what it is, but I know we've been playing our best baseball as of late."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Friday Forecast for Gators Baseball Action in Gainesville Regional.
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 6:23 AM.