GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Interstat) — Two of the Southeastern Conference’s top teams collide Thursday when the Florida Gators host the Auburn Tigers in the opener of a critical three-game series at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium.

First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. EDT under clear skies with a game-time temperature of 82 degrees.

The matchup features teams with nearly identical stellar records. Florida (27-11) holds a slight edge over Auburn (25-11) in the overall SEC standings and is a narrow favorite according to analytics. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Gators victory, and its ELO rating system gives Florida a 56.9% probability to win.

All eyes will be on Auburn third baseman Eric Guevara, who enters the series on a torrid offensive pace. Guevara is batting .500 (16-for-32) over his last 10 games, blasting three home runs and driving in 10 runs. He is coming off a dominant performance in Tuesday’s 13-0, seven-inning rout of Alabama State, where he went 3-for-4 with two homers and five RBIs.

Florida will counter with infielder Cade Kurland, a key run producer in the middle of the lineup. Kurland drove in three runs in the Gators’ 13-7 loss to Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday and is 6-for-18 (.333) over his last five contests.

The Tigers have won seven of their last 10, including taking two of three from then-Kentucky last weekend. The Gators have weathered a tougher stretch, going 5-5 over their last 10 games but securing a series win on the road at Georgia.

This series opener sets the tone for a weekend that could have significant implications for SEC tournament seeding and NCAA regional hosting privileges. The teams will meet again Friday evening and Saturday afternoon to conclude the set.