Gators hand No. 5 Seminoles first loss of the season, 7-2

Colby Shelton rounds first base after his 2-run homer in the seventh against FSU (UAA Photo)

With their first Southeastern Conference weekend series looming against 2nd-ranked Tennessee, the 7th-ranked Gators got a serious jolt of confidence Tuesday night when they handed 5th-ranked Florida State its first loss of the season, 7-2, at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee.

Following a weekend of total domination against a completely outclassed Harvard team, the Seminoles presented Florida’s biggest challenge of the season. The Harvard series was like shooting fish in a barrel as the Gators went 3-0, outscoring the Crimson, 41-6. Despite a significant step up in the level of competition, the results weren’t all that different. Four Florida pitchers mowed down one Seminole hitter after another. At the plate, Florida hitters pushed across six runs after the fourth inning.

Billy Barlow gave the Gators three shutout innings to start the game. He gave up three hits, struck out two and faced only 11 Seminoles before giving way to freshman Jackson Barberi. In Barberi’s three innings, he gave up a fifth inning home run to Drew Faurot, but that was the only hit the Seminoles managed off him. He walked one and struck out three.

Barberi gave way to Luke McNeillie, who bounced back from a shaky outing against Harvard to strike out four in two hitless innings. Alex Philpott came on to pitch the ninth. He gave up a 1-out home run to Myles Bailey but set down the last two hitters he faced.

The final line on Florida’s four pitchers: 9 innings pitched, six hits allowed, two walks and 10 strikeouts. Barberi got the win, the first of his collegiate career.

“The pitching was really good tonight,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. Jackson Barberi, that was his best outing of the year. Luke McNeillie, who really was sharp, and then Alex hadn't pitched in a while, he was not quite himself tonight, but he'll be better this weekend.”

McNeillie needed a strong outing. He has an electric fast ball but he has struggled to consistently get the ball over the plate. He’s a necessary part of O’Sullivan’s middle inning relief so it was good to see him make quality pitches.

McNeillie walked one batter while throwing 24 strikes among his 33 pitches. He pitched with purpose against the Seminoles.

"Yeah, there was some urgency,” O’Sullivan said. “It really comes down to that and comes down to execution. I thought his stuff against Harvard was good. Fast ball and the breaking ball were good. He just made some mistakes with two strikes and then got a little frustrated with himself, but then tonight was a big night for him. He really threw the ball really good."

The way Florida pitchers were throwing the ball, they didn’t need a lot of support. The Gators pushed across a second inning run for a lead that stood until the fifth when they extended the lead to 4-0.

In the second, Brendan Lawson led off and was hit by a pitch. One out later he moved to second on a bad pickoff throw. Luke Heyman drilled a 2-out single up the middle to bring in Lawson with the first run of the game.

Landon Stripling led off a 3-run fifth with a walk. After a wild pitch and an infield hit by Heyman, Ty Evans hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Heyman moved to second on a wild pitch and came home to score on Justin Nadeau’s double down the right field line. The Gators concluded the scoring in the fifth when Colby Shelton hit a 2-out single to center that drove home Nadeau.

Nadeau and Shelton came through in the seventh as the Gators stretched their lead to 6-1. Nadeau reached on a bunt single, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored when Shelton went opposite field to left for his second home run of the season.

Shelton’s willingness to go opposite field has made him a much more dangerous hitter than last year. He hit 20 home runs in 2024, but he struck out a lot. Shelton has only struck out seven times in 72 at bats so far.

“He's worked awfully hard to use the whole field and certainly tonight was another night that,” O’Sullivan said. “… he's got a countless number of hits the other way, and obviously the home run he hit was one of the furthest balls I've seen hit from a left-handed hitter the other way here, at this stadium."

The Gators loaded up the bases in the eighth on a walk and two hit batters, scoring on a ground out by Bobby Boser.

The Gators are expected to send sophomore righthander Liam Peterson (4-0, 0.86 ERA) to the mound to face Tennessee in the first game of the weekend series Friday night. Freshman Aidan King (3-0, 0.55 ERA) could get the start in game two if Pierce Coppola’s blisters aren’t yet healed.