Condron Family Ballpark will see its first action of the year on Feb. 13 as Gators baseball begins its spring season, looking to leave a tumultuous 2025 in the rear view.
Florida comes off of a rollercoaster season that saw it start 1-11 in Southeastern Conference play. However, the year will be remembered by the comeback, as Florida won its last six series matchups, including a victory over No. 1 Texas in May to finish 39-22.
But its postseason run was short-lived after coming up short in the Conway Regional against East Carolina. This year, the Gators will look to make it back to Omaha, Nebraska, for the first time since 2024.
“Obviously, it didn't end the way we wanted it to,” said Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan. “But in the grand scheme of things … no one in the history of the SEC in baseball, since ‘91 … has ever started out at 1-11 and turned it around. So hopefully, that momentum, we can build off of that.”
The program saw the departure of several key players to the 2025 MLB Draft. The losses included shortstop Colby Shelton, right-handed pitcher Jake Clemente, left-handed pitcher Pierce Coppola, third baseman Bobby Boser and catchers Luke Heyman and Brody Donay.
But Florida responded by adding nine transfers that look to be key contributors right away.
New pitchers join returning leaders
Among the additions, three D1 transfers came to help the pitching staff, including Ricky Reeth (Notre Dame), Russell Sandefer (UCF) and Cooper Walls (Hawaii). They also added Division II transfer Ernesto Lugo-Canchola (Northwest Nazarene), who was named a fourth-teamer in the NCBWA’s Preseason All-American list.
The Gators will see the return of some familiar faces. Pitchers Liam Peterson, Aidan King and Luke McNeillie, as Florida’s big three, will lead the staff on the mound.
“I think overall, as a staff, we got significantly better in almost every department now,” Peterson said. “I’d set the ceiling pretty high.”
All three pitchers were named Preseason All-SEC. Peterson and McNeillie were selected to the first team, while King was awarded a spot on the second team.
Peterson and King, who will open as the Gators’ weekend starters for the second straight season, were also named Preseason All-Americans.
“I think we have a really good group of guys here,” King said. “Pitching this year is going to be a game changer.”
However, the third weekend starter spot is still up for grabs. McNeillie is in the mix, O’Sullivan said, but the coach is waiting to see how his pitchers will perform once gameplay begins.
“Everybody's in the running for Sunday’s spot,” O’Sullivan said. “I don't have all the answers quite yet, but once we play and how they perform when the lights go on, they'll answer the questions for us.”
Versatile infield, deep outfield
As for the infield, the team added infielder Ethan Surowiec (Ole Miss), shortstop Sam Miller (Columbia) and catchers AJ Malzone (Wabash Valley College), Karson Bowen (Texas Christian) and Cole Stanford (Lenoir-Rhyne).
Meanwhile, returning infielder Brendan Lawson looks to make a second-year jump and lead Florida’s defense. Lawson was a 2025 First Team Freshman All-American last season, and he starts off 2026 on the SEC Preseason Second Team.
“I think the biggest surprise for me when I got back was the shape that Brendan Lawson was in,” O’Sullivan said. “We got a lot of versatility in the infield.”
Florida also added former Jacksonville outfielder Jaden Bastian. But a compound fracture in his right leg during fall training will sideline Bastian for the season.
Despite losing a projected starter, O’Sullivan said he remains confident in the team’s depth. Florida will look to returners Kyle Jones, Hayden Yost and Blake Cyr to step up to fill the void.
“Yeah, that was a shame,” O’Sullivan said. “What a great kid, great family. Fortunately enough for us … we do have some depth.”
The Gators open the season No. 13 in D1 Baseball’s preseason rankings. The SEC leads all conferences with nearly half the teams inside the top 25. Florida’s tough slate will include six of those teams: No. 2 LSU, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 9 Auburn, No. 15 Georgia, No. 18 Kentucky and No. 25 Texas A&M.
In addition, the Gators will face No. 16 Florida State and No. 22 Miami during the team’s non-conference run.
The Gators will start off the 2026 season against the University of Alabama-Birmingham on Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. for the first weekend series.
O’Sullivan will not be a part of the first weekend action as he serves a three-game suspension after a heated exchange with NCAA officials during 2025’s regional.
Nonetheless, O’Sullivan said he’s eager to get the campaign underway.
“I’m excited about the season getting started,” he said. “Let’s have a good one.”
Contact Adrian Carmona at acarmona@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @abcarmona04.
Adrian is a senior journalism major and the baseball reporter for the Spring of 2026. He previously served as the soccer reporter in the fall of 2025. He enjoys playing Sporcle quizzes and ranting about South Florida sports.
