Takeaways from Florida Gators Baseball's Road Series Win at No. 15 Oklahoma
The No. 15 Florida Gators (31-17, 13-11) clinched another top-25 road series victory on the season, beating the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday and Sunday to claim their first victories in Norman, Okla., in program history.
Here are three takeaways from the Gators' triumph in the Midwest.
McDonald? No, it's Mactani
Pitcher/first baseman Caden McDonald stayed hot at the plate for the second straight weekend in the conference. He hit 6-for-13 in the series against the Sooners, driving in six runs and tallying four extra-base hits.
Moreover, two of his four extra-base hits were homers, with both being hit in Saturday's contest. One of the two was a three-run blast, while the other was a solo shot that gave his team an insurance run late.
His work in Saturday's ballgame extended outside the batter's box as well. O'Sullivan, needing help from the bullpen, called upon McDonald in the fifth inning to take over on the mound. McDonald threw three shutout innings, striking out four along the way for his fourth win of the season.
"This is one to remember for sure," O'Sullivan said after Saturday's win. "... I mean, you just do not see that very often. Of course, you go back and see an offensive performance, like Preston Tucker-type stuff from way back in the day. Wyatt Langford, Jac Caglianone type of stuff. Just an unbelievable offensive performance as well. For him to go out there in a tough situation, bases loaded, two outs, and then get a ground ball. And then another three scoreless. I can't say enough about him."
The legend of Mactani grows… pic.twitter.com/fRZIqKCnz9
- Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 3, 2026
He is now the first Gator since Jac Caglianone against Sienna in 2023 to hit two home runs and toss three scoreless innings in the same game.
Lawson Still Stumbling at the Plate
Despite inconsistencies among several batters, the most confusing and surprising is shortstop Brendan Lawson's slump. After batting 0-for-12 against the Sooners' pitching, Lawson's batting average has slipped to .289.
His problems at the plate began against Jacksonville back on March 31. Over the last 14 games, he is hitting 8-for-52 (.154), with 17 strikeouts. For whatever reason, he has not been the same hitter he was at the beginning of the season, struggling to read any pitch thrown his way.
If Florida plans to attend the College World Series, Lawson needs to find himself again at the plate quickly.
Gators Power Hitting on Full Display
The Gators had a loud weekend at the plate against the Sooners. Florida's offense smashed 10 homers against Oklahoma.
Fortunately for the Gators, a large chunk of them came when they needed them most. In search of a series-clinching victory, the offense launched seven homers on Sunday. Additionally, four were hit in the fifth inning.
Collecting homers in the series were Kyle Jones, Blake Cyr, McDonald (two), Ethan Surowiec, Karson Bowen (two), Hayden Yost (two) and Landon Stripling.
YOSTY is TOASTY
- Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 3, 2026
SECN+ pic.twitter.com/8u0XHTOVeB
The bats finding life in this series against the Sooners is important for the Gators, who will most likely need to take the next two series to earn a regional host seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Takeaways from Florida Gators Baseball's Road Series Win at No. 15 Oklahoma.
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This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 7:28 PM.