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After going 4-1 last week and a weekend series win against Miami, the Florida Gators are up to 11 wins and the No. 7 spot in the D1Baseball Top 25. Not everything went perfect for the Gators however.

There were plenty of positives from the weekend, but Sunday’s 13-7 loss reminded everyone Florida has plenty to work on and improve with two weeks until SEC play begins. That being said, here’s five highlights from the weekend against the ‘Canes:

Peterson makes the start he’d been working towards

Florida sophomore right-hander Liam Peterson has been carrying the load as the Gators’ Friday ace this year. He was in the same role last year and struggled mightily, only making it to 6.0 innings pitched twice and finishing with a 3-6 record and a 6.43 ERA.

Peterson had been having an excellent start to the year so far, but still hadn’t made it as deep as coach Kevin O’Sullivan and staff would like to see headed into Miami weekend. After a bumpy start on Friday, Peterson hunkered down and made it six innings, tossing seven strikeouts and allowing just two runs.

“Last year, he wouldn’t have been able to keep it together for six innings,” O’Sullivan said. “He was outstanding. He set the tone for the weekend.”

Coppola, Kurland exit injured

Game two Saturday got off to a rough start as Florida second baseman Cade Kurland and starting left-handed pitcher Pierce Coppola exited early with injuries.

Kurland seemed to have an injury to the shoulder, later returning to the dugout with a sling and missing the rest of the weekend. Coppola was pulled early on in his start after he showed some command and velocity issues. The rumor circulating is that it’s just a blister on Coppola’s hand, but nothing verified has surfaced just yet on that front.

O’Sullivan didn’t have updates for either player following Sunday’s loss. Expect more word on both before the weekend series against Harvard.

Freshman Lawson breaking out

Brendan Lawson has been an absolute force for the Gators so far this season. The true freshman out of Toronto, Canada, is batting .357 with 14 RBIs and seven homers in the 2025 campaign, and has caught the eyes of people both in and out of the program. He earned SEC Freshman of the Week Honors last week. After homering against the ‘Canes Friday, his teammates showed some love, too.

“He always just works ABs really well,” Peterson. “He’s a really good player.”

Heyman hammers the weekend

Catcher Luke Heyman has had some struggles at the plate prior to this weekend against Miami. Against the Hurricanes, however, the third-year slugger put up three hits, five RBIs and two home runs on the weekend.

Heyman has been sharing reps at catcher and designated hitter with Brody Donay and Landon Stripling. As his struggles went on the past two weeks, his consistency has wavered in terms of playing time. If he can carve out a consistent role and find success he’s had in the past, it would be a huge positive for the Gators outlook on the season.

New day, same struggles for Clemente

While Peterson grows into the role he’s needed in and Coppola’s health is currently up in the air, the thought experiment about Florida’s starting rotation is far from over. Maybe the biggest thorn in the Gators staff’s side is right-hander Jake Clemente.

Clemente was moved to the Sunday spot after struggling with command and, like Peterson, failing to get deep into his starts the past two Saturdays. After those struggles flared up again in fourth inning Sunday against Miami, O’Sullivan insisted on putting him back out there for the fifth.

That decision led to Miami taking the lead and eventually spoiling the sweep. O’Sullivan made it clear he’s gonna be looking for solutions to his starters’ struggles this week, and even implied that Clemente could be headed to the bullpen.

“I’ve been clear with these pitchers: we need you to throw six innings and allow three runs or less,” O’Sullivan said. “That’s the bottom line.”

Next up, the Gators take on UCF in a road midweek tilt. First pitch Tuesday is set for 6 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.