Gators’ 2025 Season Defined by Resiliency to Overcome Numerous Injuries

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The team that could turned into a team that could not. And then, right when the Gators looked about to be put on the grill for dinner in the Southeastern Conference race, they woke up and proved that they could make the NCAA Tournament.

They had erased any doubt by the end of the regular season despite a 1-11 start in conference play, the first team since the SEC expanded in 1992 to qualify for the NCAA Tournament after starting 2-10 or worse in the league.

“It was a battle for sure,” senior outfielder Ty Evans said. “It’s something that we’re proud of. We battled back with our backs against the wall.”

In dissecting Florida’s 2025 season, its 18th under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, one must view it as three seasons in one. First, the Gators dominated nonconference opponents to open the season, winning their first 11 games, including taking two of three from in-state rival Miami. Florida was 16-2 and riding a five-game win streak when it opened SEC play on March 14 with a three-game series at Tennessee.

However, trouble loomed in the Smokies.

The Vols swept the series and outscored the Gators 22-7, a sign of what was to come. Florida then got swept at home by Georgia, lost to Florida State in a midweek game, and lost the first two games of a three-game series at Ole Miss. They were 0-8 in the SEC before beating the Rebels on March 28. Florida returned home to defeat North Florida but then was outscored 20-5 in losing three consecutive games at home to Vanderbilt.

At that point, few gave the Gators much of a chance to dig their way out of the massive hole they found themselves in. The Gators had talent, but by midseason, they had lost starting second baseman Cade Kurland, center fielder Kyle Jones and lefty reliever Frank Menendez for the season. Meanwhile, left-handed starter Pierce Coppola, who opened the season as the No. 2 starter behind Liam Peterson, was sidelined by injury.

Florida lifted itself off the ground with a home win over Florida State, a three-game sweep of SEC bottom feeder Missouri, followed by a midweek victory over Stetson. A trip to Mississippi State spelled possible trouble, but the Gators won two of three to keep hope alive. Florida’s seven-game win streak changed the season’s trajectory after a 4-12 slump.

The Gators won 14 of their final 18 SEC regular-season games, highlighted by series wins over No. 5 Arkansas and No. 1 Texas.

“It really took everybody pitch by pitch to grind it out,” third baseman Bobby Boser said. “We did a good job of being resilient in the middle of the year. Ever since I put this jersey on, it’s been an honor. It sucks having to take it off, but I would do it over again.”

Florida opened the season fresh off back-to-back appearances in the College World Series, with first-round picks Wyatt Langford the star in 2023 and Jac Caglianone in 2024. Langford made his major league debut a year ago and is now starting in left field for the Rangers. Meanwhile, Caglianone made his debut with the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night, a year to the day he helped the Gators win the Stillwater (Okla.) Regional.

Besides leading the Gators to all 17 NCAA Tournaments of his tenure, perhaps O’Sullivan’s most impressive feat has been his ability to reload the roster year in and year out with elite talent. The Gators lost Caglianone and signed freshman Brendan Lawson, who did not play like a rookie. Lawson hit .317 with 10 homers and 61 RBI. They needed a third baseman and lured transfer Boser from USF. Boser had the best season of his career, hitting .336 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI. Freshman pitcher Aidan King emerged as the No. 2 starter in Coppola’s absence, allowing only two runs over his final four starts of the regular season (20 2/3 IP, 0.87 ERA).

O’Sullivan and his staff are already in reload mode since Sunday’s loss to East Carolina in the Conway (S.C.) Regional. Florida went 1-2 in Conway – losing both games to the Pirates – to finish 39-22.

The Gators met the disappointing performance in Conway (East Carolina outscored the Gators 22-10) with disdain.

“When you have teams that don’t end where you want them to end – and for us, it’s Omaha – it’s difficult,” O’Sullivan said after the loss.

To make matters worse, O’Sullivan arrived at Springs Brooks Stadium on the Coastal Carolina campus Sunday fired up over the game being moved back an hour by officials late Saturday night, which caught the Gators by surprise and disrupted his team’s preparation. O’Sullivan verbally attacked officials at the ballpark, expressed his frustration to the Pirates when they walked across the field before the game, and drew the ire of Chanticleers coach Kevin Schnall after his team beat East Carolina for the regional title Sunday night.

Multiple videos of O’Sullivan’s outburst surfaced late Sunday, and by Monday, when the Gators arrived back in Gainesville, the story had gone viral on social media and become a national story. O’Sullivan and Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin issued apologies to those involved late Monday afternoon.

Before the unexpected turn of events, O’Sullivan said he planned to hold exit meetings with players when the Gators arrived home and turn his attention to 2026. The Gators lose Boser and Evans, but they have a strong core expected to return in Kurland, Lawson, outfielder Hayden Yost, starting pitchers Peterson and King, and bullpen arms Luke McNeillie, Caden McDonald, Jackson Barberi, Alex Philpott and Menendez.

Still, there are more uncertainties than guaranteed roster spots, with the transfer portal now open and the MLB amateur draft scheduled next month in Atlanta during All-Star Week. Starting shortstop Colby Shelton, who missed the final 16 games due to a hand injury, and catcher Luke Heyman, a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award who missed the postseason due to an arm injury, are expected to enter the draft. Several other draft-eligible players could do the same — Brody Donay, closer Jake Clemente and Blake Cyr, the most notable — and look for a handful of younger players to enter the transfer portal looking for opportunities elsewhere. Meanwhile, look for the Gators to likely pursue a catcher, infielder, starting pitcher and outfielder via the transfer portal.

 

The season ended with a thud and unnecessary drama, but if O’Sullivan has proven anything in his run at Florida, it’s that the Gators don’t stay down long. They have made the CWS in nine of his 18 seasons.

That’s why good players keep showing up as others leave.

“It’s meant everything,” Evans said of his time with the Gators. “I met the woman I’m going to marry at the University of Florida. I got a chance to play for the national championship two times.”

Boser, reflecting on the season’s forgettable finish, perhaps summed up the mood best.

“I was hoping to continue it,” he said.