After falling one win short of hosting a Super Regional, Florida entered the offseason with several glaring roster needs.
Through the transfer portal, the Gators have already added a frontline left-handed pitcher, an experienced catcher and multiple infielders, but with the MLB Draft looming and the portal still open, head coach Kevin O’Sullivan's 2027 roster remains a work in progress.
The transfer portal remains open until June 30, giving O’Sullivan and the Gators time to reshape a roster that fell short. While Florida has already landed several significant additions, the program’s work is far from complete..
However, a strong foundation for next season is already in place.
“We’ve got a really good nucleus,” O’Sullivan said following Florida’s season-ending loss to Troy. “Ethan [Surowiec] has a chance to be drafted, but who knows, hopefully he’s back. You know, Strip’s [Landon Stripling] back, and there’s some other good players, like Cash Strayer hadn’t played a whole lot, but I think he’s a middle of the order bat. Got Josh [Whritenour] back on the mound, got Barbs [Jackson Barberi] back on the mound, so I like the nucleus for sure.”
Despite returning talent throughout the roster, one weakness stood out throughout the 2026 season: left-handed pitching.
Florida entered the offseason needing a proven left-handed starter, and the Gators addressed that need by landing Oregon State freshman Trey Morris on Tuesday. The Freshman All-American appeared in 16 games, making eight starts while posting a 1.98 ERA across 56 innings. The Easton, California, native also led the nation in WHIP at 0.83.
Morris heads to Gainesville alongside pitching coach Rich Dorman, who left Oregon State to join Florida on Monday
However, one addition isn’t likely to remedy the issue.
“We have to go and get some left-handed arms,” O’Sullivan said.
After the departures of sophomore McCall Biemiller, graduate Ernesto Lugo-Canchola and freshmen Rivers Kurland and Eli Blair, freshman Jackson Hoyt is currently the only other left-handed pitcher on Florida’s roster.
The Gators do have three left-handed high school pitchers committed for 2027 in Colin White, Carter Cox and Tyler Ellis, but all three could hear their names called in the upcoming MLB Draft.
That uncertainty makes adding additional left-handed pitching a priority.
Florida’s lack of southpaws became especially noticeable late in the season when the Gators faced predominantly left-handed lineups.
“The lineups that we faced in the regional here were not great matchups for us, because we are a little bit short-handed, left-handed pitching wise,” O’Sullivan said.
While searching for more left-handed arms, Florida has already added depth to its bullpen with Jacksonville State rising junior Maddox McDougall. The right-hander posted a 2.76 ERA and recorded 54 strikeouts through 49 innings during his sophomore season.
UF’s infield became another area of concern after a surprising departure.
Senior second baseman Cade Kurland, a four-year starter for the Gators, entered the transfer portal despite expressing a desire to play professional baseball.After securing a medical redshirt following an injury-shortened 2025 season, Kurland chose to continue his career at LSU in his final collegiate season.
His departure leaves a significant opening at second base, and Florida could face another infield vacancy if Surowiec is selected in the MLB Draft.
With a hole at second and uncertainty at third, the Gators turned to the portal.
Florida landed a commitment from Utah Tech second baseman Kyle McDaniel after a junior season in which he slashed .340/.451/.500 with 17 doubles and seven home runs.
Florida also added Florida Atlantic infielder John Martinez. The Orlando native previously spent time on Florida’s roster in 2024 before transferring to FAU. During his redshirt sophomore season, Martinez hit .297/.345/.438 with 16 doubles and five home runs.
Behind the plate, Florida was faced with another major need.
With both senior catcher Karson Bowen and graduate catcher Cole Stanford exhausting their eligibility, the Gators needed a replacement. With no obvious substitute already on the roster, Florida once again looked to the portal.
The answer came in the form of rising junior catcher Jon Embury, who arrives in Gainesville after earning Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year honors while at Florida Gulf Coast. During his sophomore season, Embury batted .364 with 13 doubles and 17 home runs, emerging as one of the most productive offensive catchers in the country.
His addition addresses another area O’Sullivan identified immediately after the season ended.
“We just need to sign a catcher, and you know, just get some middle of the order bats,” O’Sullivan said.
Even with several key additions already committed, Florida’s total offseason remains tied to the uncertainty of the MLB Draft.
The transfer portal closes on June 30, but the draft does not begin until July 11. That timing often leaves coaches building rosters for the season without knowing which high school recruits or current players will ultimately remain in the program.
“[The transfer portal] doesn’t coincide well with the draft either, because you don’t know who you’re losing,” O’Sullivan said. “The portal closes before the draft starts, so it would be nice to have those two things connected, so you can figure out what the team looks like after the draft.”
For now, Florida has addressed several of its most pressing needs, but until the portal closes and the draft concludes, the Gators’ offseason rebuild remains a work in progress.
Contact Colton Veres at cveres@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @colton_veres.
Colton Veres is a senior sports journalism student in his first semester at The Alligator. He is currently the Summer 2026 baseball reporter. In his free time he enjoys watching the Red Sox and spending times with friends and loved ones.
