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After a series sweep against Dayton this weekend — for the first time with 10+ runs in each game since 2005 — the No. 8 Florida Gators are 7-0 with the more challenging portion of the schedule coming up fast. But before the Gators move on to the midweek and beyond, here’s five headlines from the weekend:

Trending upwards among the rest

You read that right: it’s the No. 8 Florida Gators. D1Baseball upped Florida’s ranking from tenth in the nation Monday morning. The Gators are now the sixth-ranked SEC squad and the second best team in the state, sitting one spot behind No. 7 Florida State, who will serve as Florida’s first ranked opponent of year on March 11.

So until then, how is Florida supposed to move up? Staying undefeated. Only three teams ranked above UF (Tennessee, North Carolina and FSU) are without a loss. If the Gators can outlast any of these teams, there’s a chance to leapfrog them.

Stolen base standard headed towards reset

Here’s a not so fun stat: the Gators stole only 43 bases last year on 54 attempts.

Now here’s one to make you feel better: Florida has already stolen 25 bases this year on just 28 attempts — tied for second in the country. Unless something seriously drastic happens, the Gators will easily eclipse last season’s figure this year. Even more fun, they’re well on pace as of right now to break the program record of 148 set by the 2001 Gators.

Coach Kevin O’Sullivan and his staff’s approach towards speed this offseason — both in recruiting and game planning — is paying off dividends so far.

The depth is deep

One of the most impressive things about Florida so far is just how deep its bats are. Multiple Florida players have remarked that the Gators could field two competitive teams this year, and they pretty much are. O’Sullivan has brought out new lineups every night and will likely continue experimenting until at least conference play begins.

This is a welcome change for UF, which has been quick in seasons past to figure out its lineup early and stick to it, only making adjustments when things go south. This depth provides Florida with an extremely helpful advantage.

“Personally, I’ve never played on a team with this much depth,” Florida third baseman Bobby Boser said after Friday’s win versus Dayton. “I love having everyone behind us, and it kinda takes some of the pressure off of other guys.”

Bullpen holding it down after shallow starts

Florida’s starting rotation certainly has been effective this year. The trio of Liam Peterson, Jake Clemente and Pierce Coppola have allowed just four earned runs in 30 combined innings. However, O’Sullivan did comment after Saturday’s win that he’d like to see all of his guys go deeper. He also noted that short-start situations led to a lot of Florida losses last season.

“Last year, when we had games like this, a lot of the time it got away from us,” O’Sullivan said.

That’s not the case this year. Florida’s deep and young bullpen has done well to keep the Gators ahead through the end of games so far. UF’s staff as a whole has tossed 57 innings, including just four without recording a strikeout.

Still O’Sullivan already announced he’d be shaking up the rotation a bit, splitting his righties by moving Coppola to Saturdays ahead of this weekend against Miami. Time will tell if that’s the fix.

Love for Lawson all around

Freshman infielder Brendan Lawson has drawn support from all over this season. The Canadian was hyped up by O’Sullivan for his hand speed and zone control all Fall and early Spring, and it’s showing on the field. He put up six hits, nine RBIs and a home run this week to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors.

“He’s the most mature hitter I’ve ever seen,” said senior outfielder Ty Evans.

Florida’s next matchup will come this Tuesday on the road against Stetson. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will stream on ESPN+.