On Friday, October 16, the Florida Gators defeated the South Florida Bulls 10-6 in a fall exhibition game at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
The Gators put on a big-time display of power hitting in the win over South Florida. They hit five home runs as a team.
Ethan Surowiec and Drew Dickerson with two home runs apiece
Two Florida players hit two home runs apiece in the win over the Bulls. The two players also combined for seven RBIs. Dickerson led the Gators in RBIs with four.
Surowiec is coming off a huge season for Florida. In 2026, he had a .317 batting average with 14 doubles, 12 home runs, and 63 RBIs. He was also the only player on the Gators to start in all 62 games last season.
Dickerson transferred to Florida after playing two seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners. He was a part of Oklahoma’s 2026 national championship season during his sophomore year.
In 2026, Dickerson had a .281 batting average with four home runs and 21 RBIs. The outfielder also scored 20 runs during Oklahoma’s national title season.
Two-way player Caden McDonald also hits a home run
Florida two-way player Caden McDonald also hit a home run in the exhibition game against South Florida.
McDonald was nominated to be a second-team All-American last season by Baseball America, Perfect Game, and the National College Baseball Writers Association.
He finished the year with a .319 batting average and nine home runs on offense. He also had a 3.42 ERA on the mound, pitching in 47 ⅓ innings. McDonald also finished the year with 28 RBIs on offense and also struck out 48 opposing hitters.
The two-way player from Tampa was also a part of the 2026 Gainesville Regional All-Tournament team. In two games on the mound during the regional, he gave up no earned runs and had four strikeouts in 5 ⅔ innings. On offense, he had six hits and four RBIs. McDonald had a two-home-run game against the Troy Trojans in the NCAA Tournament on May 31.
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