One of the biggest storylines of the offseason was the return of senior outfielder Ty Evans, who hit .316 with 13 home runs last season before his 2024 campaign was cut short due to injury. As a sophomore in 2023, Evans set a College World Series record with five home runs at the event while being named to the MCWS All-Tournament Team.
Evans’ senior season hasn’t gone as planned, for himself or the team. After battling yet another wrist injury earlier in the season, Evans scuffled at the plate, hitting .217 with no home runs through his first 69 at bats. The Auburndale, Florida native was eventually removed from the lineup for nearly three weeks.
The 6’2, 215-pound outfielder got his first opportunity since March 8th vs FSU when head coach Kevin O’Sullivan wrote his name in the lineup card in game three vs Arkansas on March 27th. It was clear from his first at bat vs the Razorbacks that Evans was seeing the ball well. While he only went 1-3 at the plate in his return, Evans hit the ball hard every at bat and smashed a home run late in the game that provided Florida with a much-needed insurance run. The big fly marked his first home run of the season.
“It was a good feeling, man. I was ecstatic obviously,” Evans said postgame. “Just to go out there and win a series, being in the lineup, it was incredible.”
A large part of finding success on the diamond is handling the mental side of things. After not getting an at bat for nearly three weeks, Evans felt more comfortable than he’s been all season.
“I felt better today after not seeing at bats for three weeks than I did when I was in the lineup just about every day. A lot of it is just a mental thing,” Evans said after the Arkansas series.
“This kind of stuff happens every year whether it’s with me or somebody else,” Evans said on his struggles. “There is always other guys that have to step up and luckily the guy going in is one of my best friends. It isn’t too complicated for me, as long as we’re winning.”
It wasn’t just a one game fluke, either. In his last four games, Evans is 6-16 (.375) at the plate with three home runs, nine RBI, and seven runs scored, establishing himself as one of the more productive bats in the Gators’ lineup as of late. O’Sullivan has even moved Evans up to the 5-hole spot in recent games.
While this may be cliche to say, the Florida Gators are at their best when Evans is swinging a hot bat and in the lineup every day. Not only is Evans capable of high levels of production, but the leadership and experience he brings to the team is extremely valuable. Evans is one of, if not the most respected player in the locker room.
“We’re not going to get to where we want to without him in the lineup,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said on Evans. “So, I’m really, really pleased for him.”
A good sign Evans is seeing the ball well is his limited strikeouts. Evans has struck out just three times in his last 16 at bats and 18 plate appearances, posting a strikeout percentage of 18.75%, which is well below his career average of 29.4%. Two of Evans five walks this season have come in the last four games as well, a sign that he’s not chasing pitches out of the zone.
In order to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, you need production out of guys you might not have expected to make an impact. While Evans was a projected starter this season, it looked for a while like he may not be the long-term solution in the 2025 season. Evans is historically a streaky hitter, but when he’s hot he can and will catch fire. With three injuries to starters this season, the Gators will need Ty Evans to step up and continue producing in the middle of Florida’s batting order, and he is certainly capable of doing so.
Evans carries a four-game hit streak into Tuesday’s matchup with USF.