Florida kicks off fall baseball today, Monday, September 28. The Gators are set to play five fall exhibitions, including games against USF, Troy, Ontario Blue Jays, Mercer and Air Force in October and November.
Gator Country provides our fall notebook, which is based on media availability with Kevin O’Sullivan, my thoughts on the team and what I’m hearing about the program.
Kevin O’Sullivan handing the pitching reins to Rich Dorman
Florida made two major additions to its coaching staff this offseason: Oklahoma’s Todd Butler, who will work with the infielders, and Oregon State’s Rich Dorman, who will serve as Florida’s pitching coach.
Dorman will oversee the pitching staff, which is different from last year, when Kevin O’Sullivan oversaw the staff despite David Kopp’s title as pitching coach.
Dorman will take mound visits, but O’Sullivan will still make the pitching changes. The two will collaborate on pitch calling, but Dorman is expected to have the larger role in that area.
O’Sullivan believes this will allow him to focus on other areas of being a head coach and manage the program as a whole.
Weekend rotation options
Florida has quite a few starting weekend options entering the fall.
Some of the options include RHP Aidan King, LHP Trey Morris, RHP Jackson Barberi, RHP Caden McDonald, RHP Joshua Whritenour, as well as true freshmen RHP Brady Snow.
While it’s far from decided, it’s safe to assume King and Morris are penciled into the weekend rotation, with the Sunday spot being the one up for grabs. If the season started tomorrow, Barberi would likely get the nod.
Gators need to develop left-handed pitching
One of the biggest question marks entering fall is left-handed pitching. The Gators struggled to find reliable left-handers last season, which was ultimately one of the factors in their early exit from the Gainesville Regional.
Florida landed one of the top lefties in the portal in Trey Morris, but with the Oregon State transfer expected to be in the weekend rotation, there’s still a degree of uncertainty in the bullpen.
However, O’Sullivan is optimistic about the lefties on the roster. Freshman Carter Cox is someone the staff is really high on entering fall camp. Freshman Colin White was a highly touted recruit who made it to campus. O’Sullivan also expects Jackson Hoyt to make a significant second-year jump.
Solidifying the closer position
Whritenour had his fair share of ups and downs, but he has an electric arm and could realistically take a massive jump this offseason. Florida may need him to.
The Gators feel great about their starting pitching and middle relief, but they’re still searching for a guy who can close out games at a high level, something that’s very valuable to O’Sullivan.
Only one injury
Florida is relatively healthy entering fall. The only injury is Utah Tech transfer INF/2B Kyle McDaniel, who is expected to miss about a month with a hamate injury.
Fourth-year outfielder Jadan Bastian, who missed all of last season with a compound leg fracture, is participating in fall camp without limitations. Junior catcher AJ Malzone has also been cleared from his wrist injury.
Freshmen to watch for
The Gators won the MLB Draft, getting all but one freshman to campus this offseason. Some of these freshmen are going to compete for early playing time, including outfielder Brady Harris, outfielder Braylen Montgomery, RHP Brady Snow, LHP Colin White and LHP Carter Cox.
Montgomery was a late flip in the class, thanks to Todd Butler. He’s got tons of athleticism, and Florida’s staff loves his upside. Snow had an excellent MLB Combine, and the early reports are strong on the right-hander.
Gators reloaded at catcher
The Gators reloaded at catcher this offseason after Karson Bowen and Cole Stanford ran out of eligibility. Florida added FGCU transfer Jon Embury, who is expected to start at catcher, and also brought in Samford transfer Eddie Marshall.
Florida returns a healthy AJ Malzone and added freshman Luke Labbe, who O’Sullivan says has the strongest arm on the team.
The Gators opted to carry four catchers this year instead of three after they were put in a difficult spot by Malzone’s injury last season.