The countdown to postseason baseball is on, and with just one regular-season series left, Florida baseball's NCAA Tournament path is coming into sharp focus. As the Gators prepare for a pivotal three-game road trip against LSU in Baton Rouge starting Thursday, USA TODAY Sports has released its latest bracket projections—and the news is promising for Gator Nation.

According to the projections, Florida is slotted as a No. 10 seed, which would secure the right to host a regional round in Gainesville. That's a familiar and welcome sight for a program that has become synonymous with postseason hosting under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan. Since O'Sullivan took the reins, the Gators have hosted 13 regionals in 18 seasons (excluding the canceled 2020 campaign), and this would mark the 20th in program history. The last time Gainesville played host was in 2023, so the drought—if you can call it that—is relatively short.

Of course, nothing is official until the bracket drops on Monday, May 25, and Florida still has work to do. The LSU series and next week's SEC Tournament will be crucial in cementing their seeding. But with a 34-18 overall record and a 15-12 mark in conference play, the Gators are well-positioned. They currently sit in a three-way tie for sixth in the SEC alongside Mississippi State and Arkansas, six games behind league-leading Georgia.

If the projections hold, the Gainesville Regional would feature No. 23 seed Oregon, at-large bid North Carolina State, and SIU-Edwardsville as an automatic qualifier. That's a competitive field, but one the Gators—with their deep pitching staff and explosive lineup—are more than capable of navigating.

For Gators fans, the message is clear: start clearing your calendars and breaking out the orange and blue gear. Regional baseball is coming back to Gainesville, and the road to Omaha could very well run through North-Central Florida.