Florida vs. FSU baseball: All the details of Tuesday's Sunshine Showdown in Jacksonville

Florida will meet Florida State in the 15th edition of the Sunshine Showdown at 121 Financial Ballpark in Jacksonville on Tuesday, March 28, at 7 p.m. It will be the 158th meeting between the two baseball teams, who have played three times each season since 2007 — one game in Gainesville, one in Tallahassee and one in Jacksonville.

The exception was a two-year period in 2020 and 2021 when the Jacksonville games were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Florida holds an 8-6 edge in the rivalry in Jacksonville and has won the last five games. The Gators also have won four of the last five games against the Seminoles.

Here’s what fans need to know about the game:

• The teams: No. 3-ranked Florida is 22-4 after sweeping an SEC series at Ole Miss. FSU is 12-12 and dropped all three games of an ACC series at Virginia. UF and FSU have played once this season, with UF scoring five runs in the top of the eighth in Tallahassee to beat the Seminoles 9-5 on March 21.

• The rivalry: FSU leads 131-125-1 but the Gators are 32-19 against the ‘Noles under coach Kevin O’Sullivan.

• Tickets: Can be purchased at taxslayergatorbowl.com or Ticketmaster.com. Tickets also will be sold on the day of the game, as supplies last.

• Parking: Available in Lots J and P between TIAA Bank Field and the baseball stadium. Fans can pre-pay for parking at the ticket websites. Parking will also open for the garage near the stadium as needed.

• Will Call: Opens at 4:30 p.m. on the East Adam Street side of the ballpark.

• Dugouts: Florida State is the home team this year and will be in the third base dugout. Florida will be in the first base dugout.

• Gates: The home plate gate will open at 4:30 p.m. and all other gates open at 5:30 p.m.

• About the Gators: Florida has used a potent hitting attack, led by sophomore first baseman/pitcher Jac Caglianone (.400, 17 HR, 38 RBI through March 25), junior shortstop Josh Rivera (.402, 11 HR, 39 RBI) and freshman second baseball Cade Kurland (.378, eight HR, 33 RBI).

• The Gators lead the nation in slugging percentage (.621), runs (260), are second in home runs (61) and third in team batting average (.328). Caglianone leads the nation in home runs and Rivera is second in RBI.

• About the Seminoles: FSU got off to a good enough start in its first season under coach Link Jarrett, winning seven of the first eight games. The 'Noles beat JU on the road, then took two of three games from then-No. 8 ranked TCU, in Fort Worth. But FSU has since gone 5-11 and is 2-5 in games against in-state teams, including two losses each to Florida Gulf Coast and UCF. The main problem is that FSU is allowing too many free baserunners: they're 199th in the nation in fielding percentage (.963) and 86th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (232 strikeouts, 104 walks). FSU is led by first baseman James Tibbs (.376, eight homers, 25 RBI), left fielder Jamie Ferrer (.365, four homers, 23 RBI) and catcher Colton Vincent (.316).

• Homecoming: First Coast players on the rosters are third baseman Coby Halter (Bishop Kenny) and outfielder Tucker Talbott (Providence) for the Gators; and infielder Connor Moore (Baker County), outfielder Jordan Taylor (St. Johns Country Day), right-handed pitcher Jackson Baumeister (Bolles) and right-handed pitcher Davion Hickson (IMG).

Sunshine Showdown past results

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida vs. FSU baseball: What you need to know about Sunshine Showdown