Florida Gators vs. Rider Broncs: How to watch, betting odds, notes

The No. 8 seed Florida Gators (39-19, 18-12) open NCAA Tournament play on Friday against Rider in the first game of the Gainesville Regional. UF is hosting a regional for the fourth time in the last six seasons.

The Gators have won 10 of their last 12 games, including three straight SEC series. The Broncs (33-18, 22-8 MAAC) are winners in seven of their last eight games and captured the 2026 MAAC Tournament title.

How to watch Florida against Rider

When: Friday, May 29
Where: Condron Family Ballpark (7,000) | Gainesville, Fla.
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV | Stream: ESPN+ | ESPN app
On the call: Eric Frede & Lance Cormier

Betting odds for Gators vs. Broncs

Spread: Florida -4.5
Over/Under: 11.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +450 Rider, -700 Florida

Florida Gators projected starters

1. CF Kyle Jones
2. SS Brendan Lawson
3. LF Blake Cyr
4. 3B Ethan Surowiec
5. DH Caden McDonald
6. C Karson Bowen
7. 1B Landon Stripling
8. 2B Cade Kurland
9. RF Hayden Yost

SP: RHP Russell Sandefer

Kevin O’Sullivan on Rider

“I know they got three guys that can run, I know they got three lefties in their lineup. I know the extent of the number of pitches that (PJ) Craig threw last weekend, and their number one reliever out of the pen, a lefty, threw quite a bit of pitches, but really remarkable weekend for them (to win the MAAC Tournament Championship). To rely on those two arms and throw as many pitches as he did, so congrats to them.”

Game notes

* Last hosting in 2023, Florida secured a spot in an NCAA Regional for the 18th-straight postseason under Kevin O’Sullivan, now the longest-active streak in the nation. Since O’Sullivan took the reins at UF in 2008, the Gators’ 11 top-eight national seeds also rank first in the country. The 2026 campaign represents Florida’s 20th as an NCAA Regional host and 13th under O’Sullivan, as Condron Family Ballpark has hosted in four of its six seasons (2021, 2022, 2023, 2026).

* Across 40 previous NCAA Tournament appearances, Florida owns a 138-90 record (.605) including a 91-54 mark (.628) in Regional play. The Gators have claimed 16 Regional titles while advancing to Super Regionals 12 times since its inception, most recently doing so in back-to-back seasons from 2023-24 with consecutive trips to the Men’s College World Series. Florida’s last Regional title came in Stillwater, Okla. in 2024, as the Orange & Blue last won a home Regional in 2023. Should the Gators advance, they have won nine-straight Super Regionals under O’Sullivan since 2010, only once falling in that round during his tenure — to Southern Miss in his 2009 Supers debut.

* Taking a look at the Gainesville Regional field, the only opponent Florida has not previously played in a series is first-round foe Rider. The Gators and Broncs played one time on May 21, 1992, with Florida posting a 6-1 victory in Gainesville. As for Troy, the Gators are 7-1 in the head-to-head series featuring six-straight wins since 1996. Florida most-recently swept the Trojans in Gainesville from Feb. 28-March 1, 2020, with the first-ever meeting taking place on April 24, 1935 (W, 3-2).

* With a two-game series sweep in Coral Gables, Fla. earlier this season, Florida stole the all-time series lead against Miami at 138-136-1. This marks the first time the Gators have held the series advantage against the Canes for one calendar week since leading at 29-28 from 1969-70. Florida has dominated Miami under O’Sullivan, winning 11 of the last 12 series overall including five in a row, and seven of the last eight series in Gainesville. Going 26-9 over the last 35 meetings, Florida’s 45-19 record vs. Miami under O’Sullivan translates to a .703 winning percentage. The Gators are 23-10 at home in the series in the O’Sullivan era and 81-52-1 all-time in Gainesville.

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