Florida baseball landed a pair of commitments on July 4th when Lenior-Rhyne catcher Cole Stanford and Columbia shortstop Sam Miller pledged to the Gators via social media. Stanford and Miller mark Florida’s 7th and 8th additions through the transfer portal this offseason as the Gators continue to attack positions of need.
Catcher was the main priority for the Gators as juniors Luke Heyman and Brody Donay are draft eligible. Freshman catchers Brock Clayton and Cole Bullen entered the portal, potentially leaving Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad without a rostered catcher. Looking to completely rebuild the position, Florida added three catchers through the portal including division two standout Cole Stanford, who hit .393 with 20 home runs and 18 doubles across 58 starts for Lenior-Rhyne in 2025. Stanford drove in 56 runs and held a 1-1 strikeout to walk ratio, an intriguing stat behind obvious power in the bat. Stanford posted a strikeout percentage of just 12.6%.
Defensively, the 6’0, 215-pound backstop posted a fielding percentage of .984 while throwing out 15 of 59 (25.4%) runners attempting to steal.
Stanford was the five hole hitter for a Lenior-Rhyne team that made the semifinals of the Division Two National Championship before losing to Central Missouri. Before three seasons with Lenior-Rhyne, the Ellerslie, Georgia native played college ball with Gordon State College, where he appeared in 64 games and hit .366 with six home runs.
After a breakout 2025 season in the D2 ranks, Stanford will test the waters in the SEC with one year of eligibility remaining.
The Gators needed to find their next shortstop given the likely departure of Colby Shelton to the MLB Draft. Florida did so by adding the Ivy League Player of the Year, Sam Miller. The 6’0, 205-pound shortstop hit .336 with 16 home runs for Columbia last season, making him a highly sought-after player this offseason. Miller posted a 22-37 strikeout to walk ratio in 216 at bats last year while logging an impressive OPS of 1.022.
Miller led Columbia to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Ivy League Tournament. In the Hattiesburg Regional, Miller recorded a hit in each of his three games played, finishing 4-14 (.285) with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
As a sophomore in 2024, Miller earned a First Team All-Ivy League selection after batting .353 with 12 home runs. The McMurray, Pa native also made appearances on the mound as a true freshman in 2023, logging a 4.82 ERA across 9.1 innings pitched out of the bullpen.
Defensively, Miller holds a career .942 fielding percentage and is coming off his worst season with 14 errors in 2025, which is likely something Florida’s staff and Miller will emphasize in the offseason.
It’s important to note that Miller is draft eligible with one year of eligibility remaining.