Florida Gators

O’Sullivan Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record

 
Kevin O’Sullivan and his staff have transformed the Gators into the marquee program in all of college baseball, winning the program’s first national title in 2017 and turning the Orange & Blue into a regular at the College World Series in Omaha with nine trips in 15 postseasons since 2010 - by far the most in the nation. O'Sullivan concluded the 2025 season with a program-record 755 career victories, having eclipsed Dave Fuller's previous school record of 556 wins on March 9, 2021. Since O'Sullivan's 2008 arrival, no college program has more CWS trips, Super Regionals hosted, top-eight national seeds and NCAA Tournament bids than the Florida Gators.

During a tenure marked by tireless recruiting and fundamental coaching, O'Sullivan has overseen the Orange and Blue's progression up the national ladder, punctuated by seven trips to the NCAA College World Series in the 2010s and back-to-back appearances from 2023-24. Florida's nine trips to Omaha since O'Sullivan's first season in 2008 leads the nation.

Florida has earned a national seed for the NCAA tournament 12 times in the 17 full seasons under O’Sullivan, more than any other school in that span. UF is the only school in the country to earn the No. 1 overall seed three times, having done so in 2012, 2016 and 2018. The Gators' 17-season NCAA Tournament streak is also the second-longest active streak in the nation.

The Gators have won six Southeastern Conference titles (2010-11-14-17-18-23) and seven SEC Eastern Division titles under O’Sullivan, most recently doing so in 2023 with a program-record 54 wins. In SEC regular season play, Florida's 305 wins and .599 winning percentage since O'Sullivan's arrival both lead the conference.

Florida has dominated all of its rivalries during O'Sullivan's tenure, none more so than the ones with Florida State and Miami. Under O'Sullivan, the Gators are 80-42 against FSU and Miami (.656). The gulf between the three programs is even wider since 2010, with the Gators holding a 74-33 record (.692). Adding Georgia to the mix, Florida is 107-62 against its three primary rivals under O'Sullivan (.633).


Lengthy Stretches of Dominance

Prior to O’Sullivan’s arrival, the stretch of seasons from 1996-98 was often pointed to as the best run in Gators history, with those teams being a combined 136-60 (.694) with CWS appearances in 1996 and 1998, a pair of SEC titles (’96 and ’98), and three SEC East crowns.
 
Florida has outdone that twice under O’Sullivan.
 
The four-year stretch from 2015-2018 is perhaps the best in program history, as the Gators compiled a 205-72 (.740) record, two SEC titles, and advanced to the CWS all four years with a national title in 2017. For the first time ever, Florida won more than 50 games for three-consecutive years, notching 52 wins each season from 2015-17. The four consecutive trips to Omaha put Florida on a list of just five programs with four straight CWS appearances since the tournament expanded to 64 teams. In addition, UF became the first school since the 1990s to reach the College World Series seven times in a single decade.
 
From 2010-12, the Gators were 147-56 (.724) with three straight CWS appearances for the first time in school history, three straight NCAA Regional and Super Regional crowns, consecutive SEC Championships and a pair of SEC Eastern Division titles in 2010 and 2011, along with the league’s tournament championship in 2011.

More broadly, Florida put together eight seasons with 40-plus wins in the 2010s. Only five other Division I programs accomplished the feat. The Gators' 455 total wins from 2010-19 ranked fourth nationally.


Major League Baseball Output 

Since O’Sullivan's arrival, 110 Gators have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, the third-highest total among SEC programs. In addition, 34 Gators have reached the big leagues since being drafted under O’Sullivan, with first baseman Jac Caglianone (Royals) reaching the MLB in 2025 while outfielder Wyatt Langford (Rangers), right-handed pitcher Christian Scott (Mets) and righty hurler Hurston Waldrep (Braves) all made their debuts in 2024. Florida has produced 15 MLB players since 2020, which is four more than the next-closest SEC program.

Florida boasts 14 first-round selections dating back to 2012 - the second-most in the nation. Two-way star Jac Caglianone became the most-recent addition to the list in 2024, going sixth overall to the Kansas City Royals. In 2023, the Gators produced a pair of first-rounders in outfielder Wyatt Langford (fourth overall to Texas) and right-handed pitcher Hurston Waldrep (24th to Atlanta). Langford represented the second-highest draft pick in team history as well as the program's top outfielder to be selected. One year prior, outfielder Sterlin Thompson was drafted by the Colorado Rockies with the 31st overall pick of the first round in the 2022 MLB Draft.

Five Gators had their named called in the 2024 MLB Draft, bringing Florida's number of unique draft picks to 225. 

Additionally, 23 pitchers have been drafted in the first-five rounds under O'Sullivan. In all, 62 Gator pitchers have been drafted in his 17 seasons, equating to 3.6 per year. 

In 2018, the Gators had three first-round picks for the first time in program history: India went No. 5 overall to the Cincinnati Reds, Singer was picked 18th by the Kansas City Royals and Kowar was the 33rd selection by the Royals.
 
The other seven first-round picks under O’Sullivan are:

• Mike Zunino, Catcher - No. 3 overall pick in 2012 (Seattle Mariners)
• Brian Johnson, Left-Handed Pitcher - No. 31 overall pick in 2012 (Boston Red Sox)
• Jonathon Crawford, Right-Handed Pitcher - No. 20 overall pick in 2013 (Detroit Tigers)
• Richie Martin, Shortstop - No. 20 overall pick in 2015 (Oakland Athletics)
• A.J. Puk, Left-Handed Pitcher - No. 6 overall pick in 2016 (Oakland Athletics)
• Dane Dunning, Right-Handed Pitcher - No. 29 overall pick in 2016 (Washington Nationals)
• Alex Faedo, Right-Handed Pitcher - No. 18 overall pick in 2017 (Detroit Tigers)

 
When Dalton Guthrie debuted with the Phillies on Tuesday, Sept. 7, he became the 13th player from the 2015 Florida team to make it to the MLB. That equates to 37.1% of the 35-man roster from that year. In addition to Guthrie, the list includes: first baseman and 2019 NL Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso (Mets), right-hander Shaun Anderson (Giants), outfielder Harrison Bader (Cardinals), right-hander Dane Dunning (White Sox), catcher Taylor Gushue, right-hander Eric Hanhold (Mets), shortstop Richie Martin (Orioles), left-hander Bobby Poyner (Red Sox), left-hander A.J. Puk (A’s), right-hander Justin Shafer (Blue Jays), left-hander Kirby Snead and left-hander Danny Young.

Another 12 players from the 2014 roster have reached the big leagues as well, while 10 members of the 2010 club reached the Major Leagues: left-hander Kevin Chapman (Astros), outfielder Matt den Dekker (Mets), right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (Marlins), shortstop Nolan Fontana (Angels), left-hander Brian Johnson (Red Sox), right-hander Austin Maddox (Red Sox), left-hander Nick Maronde (Angels), left-hander Paco Rodriguez (Dodgers), outfielder Preston Tucker (Astros) and catcher Mike Zunino (Mariners).
 
Rodriguez was the first player from the 2012 MLB Draft to reach the major leagues, while Zunino became the first position player from the 2012 MLB Draft to reach the big leagues.

Season Capsules

2025 - 39-22 (15-15 SEC), 17th-Straight NCAA Berth

O'Sullivan and company delivered one of their best coaching performances to date, achieving an unprecedented turnaround to not only make the NCAA Tournament for the 17th-consecutive season but doing so as one of the top-ranked No. 2 seeds in the entire field. Starting conference play with a 1-11 record before rallying to finish 15-15 and securing a No. 2 Regional seed, Florida became the first-ever SEC team to reach the NCAA Tournament after starting league play 2-10 or worse since 1992 expansion. The Gators wont 14 of their final 18 SEC tilts while claiming six-straight series victories – twice as long as the next-closest team in the conference entering the postseason.

In their 1-11 start to SEC action, the Gators pitched to a 9.63 ERA, .311 batting average against and 110-to-75 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 100 innings. They batted just .244/.333/.384 with 14 homers and 10 steals. In the final 18 SEC games, Florida pitchers more than cut their ERA in half at 3.76 while producing a .228 BAA and 197-to-71 K-to-BB ratio over 153 frames. The offense exploded in that time, slashing .296/.406/.500 with 26 homers and 32 stolen bases. The turnaround shifted the Gators from the NCAA Tournament bubble into the NCAA Regional host conversation, ultimately resulting in UF earning one of the highest No. 2 seeds in the bracket.

Over the course of the regular season's 14 weekends, Florida used 12 different starting pitching rotations. As for the offense, 14 Gators made multiple starts while also registering double-digit at bats. Of that contingent, 11 players came through with the game-winning RBI for Florida. This is due to the fact that the Gators saw 10 key players go down with an injury during the season. Despite this, Florida delivered a .639 winning percentage highlighted by a .704 mark in the last 27 games (19-8). The Gators simply refused to quit, boasting 15 come-from-behind victories, nine of which occurred in the last 27 games.

Right-hander Jake Clemente was instrumental in UF’s turnaround, taking over the closer role midseason. Logging all seven of his saves in the final 27 games, Clemente registered a team-low 1.33 ERA and .173 BAA on top of a 39-to-10 K-to-BB ratio over 27 innings in that span.

Setting a program record with four SEC weekly honors during the 2025 campaign, true freshman pitcher Aidan King led Florida with a 2.58 ERA, .213 batting average against, 73 1/3 innings pitched and five quality starts. King posted the lowest ERA by a Gator across a full season since Brady Singer in 2018 (2.55) while posting a 7-2 record, 1.11 WHIP, 9.7 K/9 and 3.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The SEC All-Freshman Team member was nearly untouchable across his final five starts, going 3-1 with a 0.94 ERA, .192 BAA and 29-to-10 K-to-BB ratio over 28 2/3 innings pitched.

As the top college pitcher for the 2026 MLB Draft per Baseball America, righty Liam Peterson served as staff ace from start to finish and led the Gators in victories (eight), games started (15) and strikeouts (96). Compiling 69 1/3 innings, he posted a 4.28 ERA, .250 BAA, 1.43 WHIP and four quality starts while striking out 11 or more batters in three outings. His 12.5 strikeouts per nine ranked fifth in the SEC and 20th nationally.

Finishing as a semifinalist for the 2025 Buster Posey Award and a First Team All-SEC honoree, catcher Luke Heyman was arguably the nation's top catcher prior to going down with an injury vs. Alabama on May 15. Heyman batted .301/.397/.578 across 49 games backed by 13 homers, one triple, seven doubles, 44 RBI and 37 runs scored. He slashed an even better .317/.403/.673 in 28 SEC contests. The UF backstop did this while providing near-perfect defense, finishing with a .998 fielding percentage and ranking third in the SEC with 11 runners caught stealing.

Making the Freshman All-SEC Team alongside King, infielder Brendan Lawson started 60 of 61 games while hitting .317/.417/.522 for a .939 OPS. The Canadian rookie totaled 10 homers, one triple, 14 doubles, 48 runs and eight steals while ranking second on the team with 61 RBI. Lawson also finished second on the roster with 15 multi-RBI contests and 23 multi-hit games while seeing action at first, second and third base.

Shortstop Colby Shelton and catcher/designated hitter Brody Donay both enjoyed career years at the plate. Shelton reached base in 44 of 45 games before suffering a season-ending hamate injury, hitting .377/.458/.606 with seven home runs, 19 doubles, 40 runs, 35 RBI and six stolen bases. The Brooks Wallace Award Semifinalist recorded 23 multi-hit games despite seeing limited action. Meanwhile, Donay slugged a career-high 18 home runs while slashing .303/.418/.646 for a 1.064. The junior finished with two triples, 10 doubles, 45 runs, 41 RBI and eight steals.


2024 - 36-30 (13-17 SEC), NCAA College World Series, 16th-Straight NCAA Berth

The 2024 Florida Gators baseball team advanced to the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb. for the second-straight year and for the ninth time in the last 14 postseasons. No college program has been to Omaha as many times as the Gators in that span. As a result, Florida reached the NCAA Tournament for the 16th-consecutive season under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, representing the second-longest streak in the nation. The Gators have now made the NCAA Tournament 39 total times, won 15 Regional Titles, claimed 10 Super Regionals and earned a trip to the College World Series 14 times.

Finishing with a 36-30 record on the season, the Orange & Blue represented an underdog story of sorts despite opening the year as the No. 2 team in the country. Florida entered the final two games of the regular season as an unranked team with a 26-26 record and 11-17 resume in SEC play. The Gators rebounded to win the season series finale over No. 9 Georgia, going 10-4 down the home stretch to make the postseason field and advance all the way through the Regional and Super Regional rounds as a No. 3 seed. Florida finished 2-2 in Omaha and ultimately concluded the year as the No. 8 team in the D1Baseball Top 25.

After delivering 22 comeback wins one year ago, Florida delivered 21 victories in come-from-behind fashion in 2024 featuring 12 in SEC play alone. Florida trailed in six of its playoff wins and claimed five-straight NCAA Tournament elimination games to keep its season alive. Dating back to 2023, Florida went 9-1 across a span of 10 postseason elimination matchups. 

Florida finished the 2024 campaign ranked among the top-eight teams in the country in fielding percentage (third - .982), home runs (fourth - 136) and strikeouts per nine innings (eighth - 10.7). The Gators also posted the top fielding percentage in the SEC, committing just 42 errors across 2,350 chances in 66 games.

For the first time since the 1998 season, Florida had seven different hitters with double-digit home runs: first baseman Jac Caglianone (35), shortstop Colby Shelton (20), catcher Luke Heyman (16), infielder/outfielder Tyler Shelnut (16), second baseman Cade Kurland (14), catcher/designated hitter Brody Donay (14) and outfielder Ty Evans (13). Those seven Gators accounted for 128 of Florida’s 136 home runs (94.1%).

Two-way star Jac Caglianone capped off one of the most impressive collegiate baseball careers of all-time this past season. Slashing .419/.544/.875 with a program-record 35 home runs, Caglianone made a team-high 16 starts for a 5-2 record, 4.76 ERA, .225 BAA and 83 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings. He now owns each of the two-most-prolific home run seasons in Gators history with 35 and 33 the last two years. His 2024 campaign was highlighted by three extraordinary feats, beginning by homering in an NCAA-record nine-straight games from April 6-19. Caglianone followed the act by going 66-consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout from April 7-27. The slugger then proceeded to post a 30-game hitting streak from March 23 through May 12 to tie the all-time program mark, finishing with hits in 62 of 66 games. On top of that, he reached safely in 65 of 66 games while finishing the campaign with an active on-base streak of 52-straight contests. He drew 32 more walks (58) than strikeouts (26), ranking as the 66th-most-difficult hitter to strikeout in the nation. By finishing with 104 hits, Caglianone tied the single-season program record and set a new career home run record at 75 home runs - the third-highest total in SEC history. The Tampa, Fla. native concluded his career as a .355/.447/.760 hitter over 634 at bats, owning 225 hits, 189 RBI, 176 runs, eight stolen bases and the highest slugging percentage in team history.

Across seven postseason appearances, closer Brandon Neely was lights out with a 1.88 ERA, three saves, a .185 batting average against and 38 strikeouts against six walks in 24 innings. Five of Neely’s seven NCAA Tournament outings were scoreless appearances while all seven were two-plus innings in length. The right-hander fired 5 2/3 one-hit, shutout innings to earn the win over Oklahoma State in Regionals and pitched 4.0 one-hit, scoreless frames to record the save vs. Clemson in Supers Regionals.

As the biggest breakout performer on the UF pitching staff, right-hander Fisher Jameson led the squad with a 3.99 ERA and 1.15 WHIP while posting a perfect 5-0 record across a team-high 34 appearances. Jameson’s .237 batting average against ranked second on the Gators and his 67 2/3 innings were good for third. He also struck out 79 batters against just 18 walks. Across the team’s last 31 games, Jameson led Florida with 17 appearances, a 3.35 ERA and .226 BAA over 40 1/3 frames. In that span, Jameson delivered a 3-0 record, three saves and 47 strikeouts while issuing only nine free passes. 

Florida scored in every game from May 27, 2022 at the SEC Tournament up until the final game of the 2024 regular season when the Gators were shutout, 6-0, by Texas A&M in Omaha on June 19. The streak spanned 144-consecutive games and represented Florida’s third-longest scoring streak in program history.


2023 - 54-17 (20-10 SEC), NCAA College World Series Runner-Up, SEC Champions, Program-Record 54 Wins

The 2023 Florida Gators baseball team finished the season as the NCAA Runner-Up while winning a program-record 54 games and capturing the team’s 16th SEC Regular-Season Championship. In making the program’s 13th MCWS appearance including the eighth under O’Sullivan, the Gators claimed their 15th NCAA Regional Title and posted 50 victories for the seventh time ever. In the process, the Gators set single-season program records in home runs (145), pitching strikeouts (725), strikeouts per nine innings (10.6) and offensive hit-by-pitches (90). In the process, O’Sullivan was named the ABCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year and Caglianone the ABCA National Position Player of the Year.

O'Sullivan coached seven different Gators to All-American honors in 2023 including two Unanimous First Team selections in Langford and Jac Caglianone. That is on top of Florida’s league-high seven All-SEC selections.

The 2023 Gators showed resiliency all season long, posting 22 come-from-behind victories that equated to 40.7% of the team’s overall win total. Florida won five games when trailing after seven innings and went 17-8 in games when the opponent scored first.

O'Sullivan oversaw the only rotation in NCAA Division I to go the entire season without a single starter to miss a start, as the trio of Brandon Sproat, Waldrep and Caglianone all posted 18 or more times. The three hurlers combined for 377 strikeouts, with Waldrep (156) and Sproat (134) becoming the ninth 100-strikeout duo in program history and setting a UF pitching duo record with 290 strikeouts. Waldrep’s 156 rank second all-time in a season at UF, just one behind Alex Faedo’s team record set in 2017.

The two-way-playing Caglianone set single-season program records with 33 home runs and 90 RBI while slashing .323/.389/.738. As the lone Gator to start all 71 games, Caglianone’s 33 homers led the nation and established a new BBCOR era record in college baseball. On the mound, the 2023 ABCA Player of the Year went 7-4 with a 4.34 ERA, .190 BAA and 87 strikeouts across 18 weekend starts.

Langford earned All-America status for the second-straight year, becoming a Unanimous First Teamer after being named a Unanimous Preseason All-American in February. The Trenton, Fla. native bashed 20 home runs for the second-consecutive season, becoming the third Gator to do so alongside Brad Wilkerson (1997-98) and Jud Fabian (2021-22). He finished the year with a .373/.498/.784 batting line, 21 homers, 83 runs, 57 RBI and 28 runs – which tied Mike Zunino’s program record.

Florida received remarkable contributions from the Freshman All-SEC tandem of second baseman Cade Kurland and catcher/DH Luke Heyman, who both earned everyday spots in the starting lineup while swatting double-digit homers. Kurland in particular was named First Team All-SEC and a Freshman All-American, slashing .297/.404/.555 with a program-record 17 homers at the second base position – the most by a UF freshman since JJ Schwarz’s 18 in 2015. Meanwhile, Heyman concluded the year hitting .314/.366/.555 backed by 12 homers, 39 RBI and 30 runs over 51 starts.

Shortstop Josh Rivera posted perhaps the most impressive campaign of any middle infielder in team history, crushing a middle-infield record 19 homers in Orange & Blue accompanied by a .348/.447/.617 slash line. That performance made Rivera a Brooks Wallace Award Finalist, First Team All-SEC standout and Second Team All-American. The four-year Gators star also swiped a team-high 18 bags and delivered a .965 fielding percentage across 254 chances.

One year after being named Freshman All-SEC, right-hander Brandon Neely transitioned to the full-time closer role and shined with an SEC-leading 13 saves – five more than the next-closest player. Neely fired 55 1/3 frames of 3.58 ERA ball with a .223 BAA and 72 strikeouts to earn All-SEC First Team and All-America Second Team accolades.


2022 - 42-24 (15-15 SEC), made 15th-consecutive NCAA Regional berth

After opening the first 40 games of the season with a 23-17 record (.575) and a 6-12 mark in SEC play, Florida went 19-7 (.731) down the stretch, winning the final four SEC series of the season (9-3) while posting a 13-5 record against SEC teams. That included a trip to the SEC Tournament Championship, as the Gators were one of two teams to make it to the SEC Tourney semifinals each of the last two years.

Florida continued its program-best streak of 14-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, a streak which ranks third nationally. The 2022 season marked the 18th time that Florida has hosted an NCAA Regional in addition to the program’s 37th NCAA Tournament appearance.

O’Sullivan won his 600th career game with a 13-6 win at Alabama on March 19. O’Sullivan finished the 2022 campaign with a 627-302 (.675) record, which ranks third in terms of winning percentage among active DI coaches.

The Gators hit 121 home runs as a team – the second-highest total in program history. For the first time ever, two Gators hit 20-plus home runs in the same season: outfielders Wyatt Langford (26) and Jud Fabian (24). Langford’s 26 home runs tied Matt LaPorta’s team record set in 2005.

Langford also paced the Gators in batting average (.355), on-base percentage (.447), slugging percentage (.719), hits (91), runs (73), RBI (63), triples (three) and total bases (184). As a result, Langford became the 99th Gators All-American in program history and the 25th different All-American in Orange & Blue under O'Sullivan.

Under O'Sullivan's tutelage, starting pitcher Brandon Sproat was tremendous for the Gators down the stretch, going 5-0 with a 1.59 ERA and .218 batting average against in his last six starts of the season. Sproat filled in valiantly following the season-ending injury to then-ace Hunter Barco, finishing with a 9-4 record, 3.41 ERA, .251 BAA and 82 strikeouts across 89 2/3 innings pitched.

Adding to O'Sullivan's success in developing young pitchers, right-handed reliever Blake Purnell was named a Freshman All-American, breaking out with a 3-3 record, four saves, 2.86 ERA and .258 BAA. That brought O'Sullivan's number of Freshman All-Americans to 22 combining for 49 various honors. He pitched in eight more games than the next closest Gator, totaling 50 1/3 innings across 36 appearances. Right-hander Brandon Neely earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors, posting a 3-3 record, 3.76 ERA, .205 BAA and 74 strikeouts across 69 1/3 innings spanning 21 appearances (10 starts).


2021 - 38-22 (17-13 SEC), made 14th-straight NCAA Regional berth

Entering the campaign as the unanimous No. 1 team in the country after posting a 16-1 record in 2020, the Gators opened the season with a three-game series against No. 21 Miami at the newly-minted Florida Ballpark. After dropping two-of-three to the rival Hurricanes, Florida proceeded to go 8-0 in its remaining home series throughout the duration of the season, featuring series wins against No. 3 Ole Miss, No. 2 Vanderbilt and Georgia.

Along the way, O’Sullivan passed Dave Fuller to become the winningest coach in program history with victory number 557 against Georgia State on March 9, 2021. O’Sullivan concluded the year with a 585-278 record (.678), ranking third in terms of winning percentage among active Division I head baseball coaches.

Wrapping up the regular season at 35-19 (17-13 SEC) and an impressive 28-7 (.800) mark at home, the Gators traveled to the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. For the first time in 21 years, Florida posted a 3-0 record to begin SEC Tournament play, advancing to the semifinal game against No. 4 Tennessee after defeating Kentucky, No. 8 Mississippi State and Alabama by a combined 24-4 margin. The Gators ultimately came up short in the SEC Semifinals versus the Volunteers, falling by a 4-0 score to conclude the team's time in Hoover. Nathan Hickey (third base), Sterlin Thompson (outfield) and Jacob Young (outfield) all earned spots on the 2021 SEC All-Tournament Team.

On Selection Monday, Florida earned the No. 15-national seed and the rights to host the 2021 NCAA Gainesville Regional, which brought No. 2-seed Miami, No. 3-seed South Alabama and No. 4-seed South Florida to town. In the end, the Gators went 0-2 to conclude Regional play without a victory, effectively ending the season with a 38-22 overall record.

Outfielder Jud Fabian was named First Team All-SEC and a Third Team All-American (Collegiate Baseball), batting .249/.364/.560 while becoming just the fifth Gator to ever hit 20 home runs in a single season. Fabian also garnered SEC All-Defensive Team honors in the outfield with a .971 fielding percentage and two outfield assists across 139 chances.

Catcher Nathan Hickey and left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco were both selected to the SEC All-Newcomer Team. Hickey led the Gators with a .317 batting average, .435 on-base percentage and 50 RBI, while Barco paced the team with 10 wins and finished with a 4.01 ERA to pair with 94 strikeouts across 83 innings pitched. Outfielder Sterlin Thompson chipped in an SEC All-Freshman Team accolade, slashing .301/.396/.470 with five home runs and 27 RBI in his debut season in Gainesville.


2020 - 16-1, No. 1 in final USA Today Coaches Poll and D1Baseball.com Rankings

Florida won its first 16 games of the season, eclipsing the school record for consecutive wins to open a season previously set with 11-0 starts in 1989 and 2002. The Gators' winning streak was also the third-longest in school history, behind an 18-game run in 2012, and a 17-game streak in 2016. The run of season-opening wins included a sweep at No. 1 Miami, a series in which the Gators have won 15 of the last 18 meetings.

Following its only loss of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the season's cancellation. Florida finished as the No. 1-ranked team all four of collegiate baseball's rankings, though only Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the USA Today Coaches' Poll officially published rankings following the season's cancellation.

At the time of the cancellation, Florida ranked 10th nationally in fielding percentage (.984), 12th in home runs (21) and 16th in earned run average (2.41). The bullpen was just as impressive as the staff as a whole, as it ended the season with a 1.76 ERA across 76.2 innings pitched. Sophomore outfielder Jacob Young finished the season with an active 18-game hitting streak, and became the third Gators hitter since the start of 2009 to record seven consecutive multi-hit games (Jonathan India, March 9-21, 2018; Bryson Smith, May 28-June 12, 2011).

Young garnered a second-team All-America accolade from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the only outlet to publish All-America honors. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Ben Specht, who had three saves and a 0.75 ERA across 12 innings pitched and nine appearances, was a third-team All-America selection. Left-hander Hunter Barco, catcher Nathan Hickey, and right-hander Tyler Nesbitt earned Freshman All-America honors.

A total of 13 Gators made the SEC Academic Honor Roll, and another 10 made the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

The MLB Draft was shortened to five rounds, and although no Gators were selected, junior standouts Jack Leftwich and Tommy Mace opted to return for their senior seasons, and a pair of Gators -- Austin Langworthy and Brady Smith -- signed professional contracts as undrafted free agents.


2019 - 34-26 (13-17 SEC), made 12th consecutive NCAA Regional appearance

O’Sullivan and the Gators extended the program-best postseason streak to 12 years in a row, earning a spot in the NCAA Lubbock Regional while facing the nation’s third-hardest schedule. UF went a combined 18-18 against SEC and ACC opponents to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Florida went 1-2 and was eliminated despite scoring 29 runs in three games (UF’s most in a regional since 2011, when the Gators scored 33 runs).
 
Four players were drafted from the 2019 squad, including second-round pick Brady McConnell, who hit 15 home runs on the season, the most ever by a UF shortstop. McConnell and Nelson Maldonado earned second-team All-America honors. The Gators had 13 players named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and another nine on the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.


2018 - 49-21 (20-10 SEC), College World Series qualifiers, SEC Champions, No. 1 overall seed for NCAA Tournament
 
Florida followed up its first national title by winning its second straight SEC title and earning the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament – all while playing against the nation’s second-toughest schedule. UF finished in the top 10 of the final polls for the seventh time under O’Sullivan. The Gators made their fourth consecutive trip to Omaha for the College World Series.
 
Florida went 20-10 in SEC play and clinched the league title with four games remaining. The conference title was Florida's fifth under O’Sullivan, giving him more SEC titles than all but two coaches in conference history (Tilden Campbell, 9; Skip Bertman, 7).
 
For just the second time in SEC history, the SEC Coach of the Year, SEC Player of the Year and SEC Pitcher of the Year all came from the same school. O’Sullivan earned Coach of the Year honors for the third time, while Jonathan India became the third Gator to be named the league’s player of the year, and Brady Singer became the third UF pitcher to earn the award.
 
Singer was the recipient of the Dick Howser Trophy and was named the National Player of the Year by Baseball America and D1baseball.com; he was a unanimous first-team All-American. India was also a consensus first-team All-American and was selected fifth overall in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.
 
Closer Michael Byrne earned All-America honors and broke the school record for career saves (35). Senior JJ Schwarz, named the first team captain under O’Sullivan, ended his career with more games played (266) and starts (266) than any player in school history and worked his way up the record books and finished his career second in career RBI (237), third in hits (293) and fourth in home runs (50).
 
In addition to the team's three first-round picks -- India, Singer and Jackson Kowar -- four other Gators were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft. Schwarz was taken in the eighth round by the Oakland Athletics, infielder Deacon Liput was selected in the 10th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Byrne was drafted in the 14th round by the Reds, and senior Nick Horvath was taken by the Baltimore Orioles in the 25th round.
 
Off the field, the Gators had 12 student-athletes named to the 2018 Spring Academic Honor Roll and six newcomers were named to the 2017-18 First Year Academic Honor Roll.


2017 - 52-19 (21-9 SEC), NCAA College World Series Champions, SEC Champions, No. 3 overall seed for NCAA Tournament
 
History was made, as Florida won the first national championship in program history, sweeping LSU in the CWS Finals by scores of 4-3 and 6-1 to bring home the trophy. With the title, the Gators became one of six schools to win a national championship in baseball, basketball and football, joining Cal, Michigan, Ohio State, Stanford and UCLA. The Gators were the only program to win a title in each sport in the last 50 years. UF won football titles in 1996, 2006 and 2008, and back-to-back basketball titles in 2006 and 2007.
 
The Gators finished 52-19 against the nation’s toughest schedule, in addition to a 21-9 record in SEC play to win a conference title. Florida won 50-plus games for the sixth time in school history and fourth time under O'Sullivan (previous seasons: 2011, 2015, 2016).
 
The titles did not come easy, as UF led the nation with 19 one-run wins. The Gators set a school record with 27 saves in 2017, led by Byrne who set a UF single-season record with 19 saves. UF’s pitching staff totaled 10 shutouts on the season, most in the SEC and fourth-most in the country. The 10 shutouts were the second-most by Florida in a single season, one shy of the 2011 staff’s 11 shutouts.
 
The pitching staff was led junior All-American Alex Faedo, who anchored the weekend rotation and led the nation with a school-record 157 strikeouts. After setting the school record for strikeouts in a season in 2016, the Gators notched the second-most strikeouts ever with 649 in 2017.
 
In addition to Faedo, Byrne earned All-America honors and joined catcher JJ Schwarz and right-hander Brady Singer as All-SEC selections. At the conclusion of the season, eight Gators were taken in the 2017 MLB Draft: Faedo (1st round), shortstop Dalton Guthrie (6th round), catcher Mike Rivera (6th round), catcher Mark Kolozsvary (7th round), right-hander David Lee (27th round), right-hander Frank Rubio (29th round), second baseman Deacon Liput (29th round) and Schwarz (38th round).


2016 - 52-16 (19-10 SEC), College World Series qualifiers, No. 1 overall seed for NCAA Tournament
 
The Gators turned in the best regular season (44-11) in program history and finished with a 52-16 overall record. After earning yet another national seed, this time the top overall spot, Florida advanced to the College World Series for the second year in a row.
 
On the season, UF had a 16-9 record against ranked opponents and finished the year undefeated in midweek games (14-0). Florida was 19-2 against in-state competition, including a 2-1 series win at No. 6 Miami, and a 5-1 record against Florida State – who the Gators eliminated in the Gainesville Super Regional.
 
The Gators racked up individual honors as well, with five players earning All-America recognition. Right-handed pitcher Logan Shore was a unanimous first-team selection, while first baseman Peter Alonso and righty Shaun Anderson also earned first-team honors. Alex Faedo and JJ Schwarz garnered All-America honors as well, and Jonathan India and Deacon Liput were Freshman All-America selections.
 
Shore was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year, just the second player in school history to earn the honor (Justin Hoyman, 2004). Anderson and Shore were All-SEC First Team selections, while Alonso, Guthrie and Rivera earned second-team honors.
 
Following the year, the Gators had another stellar draft class enter the professional ranks. Florida had an amazing six players drafted in the first three rounds, including a pair of first round picks in A.J, Puk and Dane Dunning. Alonso, Shore and Buddy Reed were selected in the second round, while Anderson went in the third round. Lefties Scott Moss (fourth round) and Kirby Snead (10th round) were also drafted.


2015 - 52-18 (19-11 SEC), College World Series qualifiers, SEC Tournament Champions, No. 4 overall seed for NCAA Tournament

The Gators enjoyed a tremendous season, claiming the SEC Tournament and sweeping both the NCAA Regional and Super Regionals held at McKethan Stadium to make a triumphant return to Omaha, where they finished one win shy of the CWS Championship Series.
 
O’Sullivan directed the squad to a 52-18 record, with the 52 wins being the second-most in school history. The Gators were 12-3 (.800) during the postseason – 8-2 (.800) in the NCAA Tournament and 4-1 (.800) at the SEC Tournament. And the team set a school record with a .984 fielding percentage, the second-best average in NCAA history.

Florida ranked third in the final polls and ousted Sunshine State rivals Florida State and Miami from the postseason in the same year for the first time in school history. UF boasted a trio of All-Americans: outfielder Harrison Bader, catcher/designated hitter JJ Schwarz, and third baseman Josh Tobias, while second baseman Dalton Guthrie, catcher/designated hitter Mike Rivera and Schwarz were recognized as Freshman All-Americans.
 
Schwarz was the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) National Freshman Hitter of the Year, as well as Louisville Slugger’s Co-Freshman of the Year. Schwarz joined left-hander A.J. Puk, outfielder Buddy Reed and right-hander Logan Shore on the USA Collegiate National Team at season's end.

Continuing the pipeline to the professional ranks, UF had nine players chosen in the MLB Draft. After Martin was a first-round selection, Bader went in the third round to St. Louis, followed by right-hander Eric Hanhold (sixth round, Milwaukee), left-hander Danny Young (eighth round, Toronto), right-hander Taylor Lewis (ninth round, Atlanta), Tobias (10th round, Philadelphia), left-hander Bobby Poyner (14th round, Boston), right-hander Mike Vinson (24th round, Detroit) and right-hander Aaron Rhodes (28th round, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim).


2014 - 40-23 (21-9 SEC), SEC Champions, No. 2 overall seed for NCAA Tournament
 
Florida once again turned in a strong campaign, winning its third SEC crown in a five-season span, with O'Sullivan being honored by his peers as the SEC Coach of the Year for the second time in his tenure. O'Sullivan became the fourth Florida skipper to earn the award multiple times, joining Dave Fuller (1952, 1956, 1962), Jack Rhine (1982, 1983) and Joe Arnold (1984, 1988).
 
At 40-23, UF reached the 40-win plateau for the fifth time in O’Sullivan’s tenure. The Gators were 8-1 (.889) against top-five teams, highlighted by a season sweep of No. 1 Florida State for the second time in three years. Florida also went 10-4 (.714) against top-10 foes. The squad was an impressive 16-7 (.696) in contests decided by one run, and they notched 23 victories over teams ranked in the top 50 of the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).

In conference play, the Gators set a school record with consecutive 12 league victories from April 12-May 9. Florida's 21-9 record in SEC play included sweeps of No. 4 LSU, Georgia, Missouri, and No. 20 Alabama.
 
Logan Shore was chosen as Perfect Game’s National Freshman of the Year and as the SEC Freshman of the Year, becoming the third Gator in O’Sullivan’s tenure to receive the league honor (Preston Tucker, 2009; Austin Maddox, 2010). Shore was a consensus Freshman All-American and earned third-team All-America status from Louisville Slugger. Catcher Taylor Gushue was a second-team All-American from Louisville Slugger.
 
Shore became just the third starting pitcher from Florida to earn first-team All-SEC in the past 11 years, joining Justin Hoyman (2004) and Patrick Keating (2008). Gushue led the SEC with a .389 batting average in conference games, and became the third UF catcher since 1991 to earn a first-team accolade (Mario Linares, 1991; Mike Zunino, 2011-12). Bader was an All-SEC Second Team honoree. The Gators led the conference with three All-SEC Freshman Team recipients: first baseman Peter Alonso, Shore and third baseman John Sternagel. Alonso also earned second-team Freshman All-America from the NCBWA.

Six Gators were chosen in the MLB Draft, with Gushue being first off the board in the fourth round (No. 131 overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates).


2013 - 29-30 (14-16 SEC), NCAA Regional qualifiers
 
In 2013, the Gators advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season, matching the previous longest run in school history (2000-05). It also marked the first time the same coaching staff directed the Orange and Blue into NCAA action six straight times.

Harrison Bader earned a berth on the SEC All-Freshman Team, marking the fifth year in a row a Gators freshman made the team.

Twelve Gators were named to the Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll, and five other players were chosen to the 2012-13 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll. 

Florida had seven players chosen in the 2013 MLB Draft, led by Jonathon Crawford at No. 20 to the Detroit Tigers, marking the highest selection for a Gators pitcher since John Burke was taken at No. 6 overall by the Houston Astros in 1991. Eleven high school signees were picked, with a school-record eight individuals declining contract offers to attend the University of Florida instead.


2012 - 47-20 (18-12 SEC), College World Series qualifiers, No. 1 overall seed for NCAA Tournament
 
The Gators entered the season as the consensus No. 1 team and occupied the top spot a total of 42 times in the four major polls (12 in NCBWA, 11 in Baseball America, 11 in USA Today/ESPN, eight in Collegiate Baseball) en route to a third consecutive College World Series appearance. It was one of two programs to make each CWS from 2010-12.

With a 47-20 record (UF's fourth consecutive 40-win season) against the No. 2-rated schedule by the NCAA's final RPI, Florida was awarded the top national seed in the NCAA Tournament, its fourth straight year as one of the top eight national seeds. UF swept the NCAA Gainesville Regional with victories over Bethune-Cookman (4-0) and Georgia Tech (6-2, 15-3). The Gators advanced and defeated NC State twice (7-1, 9-8) in the Gainesville Super Regional.
 
The CWS berth lifted O'Sullivan past Joe Arnold (1988, 1991) and Andy Lopez (1996, 1998) for the most trips to Omaha by a Gators head coach.
 
The Gators established a school record with an 18-game winning streak from February 21-March 22, and raced out of the gates with a 23-2 record. Florida led the nation in home runs (75) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.65), was second in fewest walks allowed per 9 innings (2.07) and was fourth in WHIP (1.15) during the season. In addition, the pitching staff’s earned run average of 2.92 was the lowest for the Orange and Blue since 1983 and ranked eighth nationally.
 
Mike Zunino was Florida’s first-ever winner of the 2012 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy as College Baseball’s Player of the Year, and collected the school’s first Johnny Bench Award.
 
The highest MLB Draft pick in school history after being chosen third overall by the Seattle Mariners, Zunino finished as the Gators’ “Triple Crown” winner, leading the team in batting average (.322), RBI (67) and homers (19). He also paced the squad in total bases (164), doubles (28), sacrifice flies (11), and slugging percentage (.669). According to the final NCAA statistics, Zunino was first nationally in sacrifice flies, third in doubles, fourth in home runs, fifth in total bases, ninth in doubles per game, 10th in RBI, and 11th in slugging percentage.
 
Brian Johnson, taken in the first round by the Boston Red Sox at No. 31 overall, became Florida’s first winner of the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. A first-team All-American by the NCBWA and Perfect Game, Johnson was a second-team All-American by Baseball America and Louisville Slugger.
 
Preston Tucker earned All-America acclaim from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) for the second straight year, All-SEC honors for the third year in a row, and made the NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament team for the fourth time. He departed Gainesville as the school’s all-time leader in games played (265), games started (259), total bases (596), at bats (1,035), hits (341), RBI (258), and doubles (70).

Austin Maddox, Hudson Randall, Tucker, and Zunino were named All-South Region by the ABCA/Rawlings. The four selections matched the highest total in school history (1978, 1979, 1991, 1996, 2005, 2011).
 
Florida boasted four All-SEC First Team selections for the first time since 1991. O’Sullivan’s club had a total of five All-SEC picks, the third straight year that it placed five or more recipients on the list. Nolan Fontana and Tucker joined an elite group of Gators on the diamond who achieved All-SEC status three times, a group that included Josh Adams (2008-09, 2011), Mike Stanley (1982, 1984-85), Marc Valdes (1991-93) and Brad Wilkerson (1996-98). Johnson, Steven Rodriguez, Tucker, and Zunino were first-team selections, while Nolan Fontana earned second-team recognition, and Josh Tobias was chosen to the league’s All-Freshman Team. Fontana was an SEC All-Defensive Team member for the third year in a row, matching Matt den Dekker (2008-10) for the most appearances on the list by a Gator. Zunino was a repeat SEC All-Defensive Team honoree.
 
Jonathon Crawford became the first Gators hurler to register a complete-game no-hitter since Burke accomplished the feat in a 2-0 shutout of Furman on May 23, 1991. Crawford overpowered Bethune-Cookman on June 1 in the NCAA Gainesville Regional opener. A member of the 2012 USA Collegiate National Team, Crawford turned in a 3-0 record over the summer with a 2.10 ERA, highlighted by a pair of victories over powerhouse Cuba in Havana. He earned a bronze medal at the Haarlem Honkbal Week in the Netherlands, starting the semifinal contest against Cuba and carrying a shutout into the eighth inning.


2011 - 53-19 (22-8 SEC), College World Series Runner-Up Finishers, SEC Champions, SEC Tournament Champions, No. 2 overall seed for NCAA Tournament
 
O’Sullivan earned College Coach of the Year honors from Baseball America, becoming the first coach from UF to collect the publication’s yearly accolade. On its way to a school-record 53 victories, Florida earned a trip to Omaha in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history. Although the Gators fell in the CWS Championship Series, they notched a second-place showing for the second time in school history (2005).
 
O’Sullivan’s team secured its spot in the final round by downing Texas (8-4) and knocking off league rival Vanderbilt twice (3-1, 6-4). The No. 2 national seed in the NCAA Tournament, Florida swept the NCAA Gainesville Regional with victories over Manhattan (17-3) and in-state rival Miami (5-4, 11-4), then defeated Mississippi State twice (11-1, 3-4, 8-6) in a classic Gainesville Super Regional to advance to the College World Series.
  
The 53 wins marked the first time since 1991 and the third time in program history the Gators finished a season with 50-plus wins. UF stayed in the top five all season long in the USA Today/ESPN rankings, spent nine weeks at No. 1 in Baseball America, and eight weeks in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's top spot.

The Gators blanked Vanderbilt, 5-0, to capture the 2011 SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. It was the first time in 20 years Florida won the league’s tournament ,and the triumph represented the first time since 1988 the Orange and Blue won both the SEC regular season and SEC Tournament titles in the same season.

With a 22-8 regular season in the SEC, which matched South Carolina and Vanderbilt for the league's best record, Florida became the East winner for the third year in a row. The Gators won eight of their 10 SEC series, and the team’s 22 victories in league play matched the school record set in 2010. The pitching staff twirled 11 shutouts in 72 games, breaking the previous school record for shutouts (10 in 1970).
 
Mike Zunino was named the SEC Player of the Year, joining Matt LaPorta (2005, 2007) as the only Gators to earn the league’s top accolade. Karsten Whitson was tabbed as the National Freshman Pitcher of the Year by Perfect Game, and a Freshman All-American by four different organizations. Preston Tucker and Zunino were named All-Americans, and were joined on the All-South Region squad by Josh Adams and Hudson Randall.
  
A school-record 11 players were chosen in the 2011 MLB Draft: Nick Maronde (3rd round, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), Anthony DeSclafani (6th round, Toronto), Alex Panteliodis (9th round, New York Mets), right-hander Tommy Toledo (11th round, Milwaukee), Adams (13th round, Florida), Tucker (16th round, Colorado), catcher Ben McMahan (23rd round, Milwaukee), right-hander Matt Campbell (24th round, Philadelphia), right-hander Greg Larson (29th round, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), outfielder Bryson Smith (34th round, Cincinnati) and outfielder Tyler Thompson (46th round, Washington). An additional eight signees were picked, four of whom turned down professional contracts. The trio of Larson, Thompson, and Tucker elected to remain in school. Before O’Sullivan’s arrival, the Gators’ previous record picks in a single MLB Draft was eight in both 1999 and 2002.

Florida also registered a school-record 24-game home winning streak at McKethan Stadium from April 24, 2010-March 8, 2011.


2010 - 47-17 (22-8 SEC), College World Series qualifiers, SEC Champions, No. 3 overall seed for NCAA Tournament
 
Returning a talented nucleus and welcoming a recruiting class hailed as the nation’s best by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, O’Sullivan directed the Gators to a 47-17 overall record which featured a program-record 22 wins in SEC play, as the Gators captured their first SEC title in five years. Voted the SEC Coach of the Year, O'Sullivan molded a lineup that featured five All-SEC recipients and a record five Baseball America Freshman All-Americans into a cohesive unit which secured Florida's first College World Series berth since 2005.
 
Facing a schedule ranked second in the country, the Gators won nine of their 10 SEC series and defeated South Carolina on the final weekend of the regular season to claim the SEC title. Seeded third in the NCAA Tournament, O’Sullivan’s club battered Bethune-Cookman (7-3), Oregon State (10-2), and Florida Atlantic (15-0) in the NCAA Gainesville Regional, marking the first time since 2004 and 2005 the Gators won an NCAA Regional in consecutive seasons. The following weekend, UF swept in-state rival Miami in the Gainesville Super Regional to secure a CWS spot for the event’s final go-round at Rosenblatt Stadium.
 
Noted for his pitching acumen, O’Sullivan oversaw a Florida pitching staff that lowered its team earned run average for the third year in a row (4.13) and finished second in the nation in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (2.15). UF’s starting pitchers were 30-15 with a 3.94 ERA, and its bullpen was 17-2 and tied a school record with 18 saves.

Kevin Chapman was chosen as a third-team All-American by the NCBWA, becoming the first Gators pitcher to earn All-America status since Justin Hoyman in 2004. He also garnered second-team All-South Region accolades and was the lone UF representative on the All-SEC First Team.
 
The quintet of Nolan Fontana, Brian Johnson, Austin Maddox, Hudson Randall and Mike Zunino thrived in their debut seasons under O’Sullivan, as all of them achieved Freshman All-America and Freshman All-SEC status. The SEC’s Freshman of the Year, Maddox was named a third-team All-American by the NCBWA. The slugger was the first Florida freshman to earn All-America recognition since Brad Wilkerson in 1996.
 
Fontana became the first player in school history to be named to the Rawlings NCAA Division I Gold Glove Team and was the lone freshman selected to the nine-player positional squad. He and Johnson each brought home a silver medal from the V FISU World University Championships in Tokyo while playing for the 2010 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. They were the only freshmen on the roster.


2009 - 42-22 (19-11 SEC), NCAA Super Regional qualifiers, No. 8 overall seed for NCAA Tournament
 
In the second year under O’Sullivan’s tutelage, the Gators captured the SEC East Division title, rolled through the NCAA Gainesville Regional, and earned the squad’s first Super Regional berth in four years. Florida finished one game back in the race for the SEC Championship. Of Florida's 42 wins, 27 of them were come-from-behind victories, with 13 of them coming against league foes. After capping its season with the program’s third NCAA Super Regional appearance, UF finished in the top 15 of all four of the collegiate baseball polls.
 
Evidence of increased player development under O’Sullivan was reflected by a school-record 10 Gators and 12 signees being chosen in the 2009 MLB Draft. The previous high of eight UF players was set in 1999 and equaled in 2002. The 10 Gators chosen was the second-highest total among all collegiate programs in 2009, only trailing Georgia's 11.


2008 - 34-24 (17-13 SEC), NCAA Super Regional qualifiers 

In his first year as a head coach, O'Sullivan directed the Gators to their first NCAA Regional appearance since 2005. Florida also finished second in the SEC East Division after being picked 11th in the 12-team league during the preseason. O’Sullivan was the fourth Florida head coach to lead the team into NCAA postseason play in his debut season.

The club's 34 wins included series victories over ?????? both of the SEC’s division winners and College World Series representatives -- Georgia and LSU.

When O’Sullivan took over the program, one of his top priorities was turning around the team’s pitching staff, which registered an SEC-worst 5.27 ERA in 2007. Not only did the 2008 squad lower its ERA to 4.39, Florida led the league in conference play with a 4.00 ERA. Offensively, UF’s team batting average went from .290 to .304, and the club’s .305 showing in the 30 conference games led the SEC. The Gators also increased their fielding percentage and turned a league-leading 72 double plays, the fourth-most in school history. 

Three Gators -- Josh Adams, Matt den Dekker, and Patrick Keating -- achieved All-SEC First Team status, Florida’s highest total since it had four first-teamers in 1991. Adams was also a unanimous pick on the SEC All-Freshman Team and collected Freshman All-America acclaim from three different organizations. Keating became the first Gators pitcher to garner All-South Region First Team honors from the ABCA since Justin Hoyman in 2004. Adams, a second-team honoree, was the first freshman on the squad since Brad Wilkerson in 1996. Meanwhile, den Dekker earned a spot on the league’s first-ever All-Defensive Team and represented the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team that was a perfect 24-0 on its 2008 summer tour.
 
Seventeen members of O’Sullivan’s inaugural team were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. The total matched the highest number of Academic All-SEC recipients in program history, equaling the 17 from 2003. It marked the sixth consecutive year the program reached double-digit honorees. An additional five student-athletes earned a spot on the league’s Freshman Academic Honor Roll, tying the Gators’ best performance.  


Hiring Announcement / O'Sullivan Prior to Florida

The University of Florida and Athletics Director Jeremy Foley announced O’Sullivan as its new baseball coach June 14, 2007. O’Sullivan arrived after nine seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Clemson, where he helped the Tigers to nine consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and College World Series berths in 2000, 2002 and 2006. A native of Jupiter, Fla., O’Sullivan became the 21st head coach in school history.
 
“This is an exciting day and signals a new chapter for Gator baseball,” Foley said. “What Kevin has accomplished as one of the top assistants in the nation with highly-respected recruiting skills and player development speaks for itself. He possesses the qualities in a head coach that we were looking for and is eager to hit the ground running. We are counting on Kevin to help return our program to the elite level of collegiate baseball.”
 
Clemson’s associate head coach since 2002, O’Sullivan and the Tigers advanced to NCAA Super Regionals in 2007 for the seventh time since the format was introduced in 1999. At the time, the total represented the second-most in the nation. A week earlier, the Tigers claimed the Myrtle Beach Regional with an unblemished 3-0 record and ousted top-seeded Coastal Carolina.
 
Under his tutelage, 29 Tiger hurlers were chosen in the MLB Draft, including five in 2007. A school-record 11 Clemson players were taken in 2007, highlighted by left-hander Daniel Moskos going fourth overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates. During O’Sullivan’s tenure, 11 pitchers were picked in the first five rounds, including a trio of first-rounders: Mike Paradis (1999), Tyler Lumsden (2004) and Moskos.
 
O'Sullivan spent the 1998 season with the Twins’ Rookie League team in Fort Myers, Fla., and helped them reach the playoffs for the first time. He was also responsible for the development of the pitchers.
 
O’Sullivan was the pitching coach at Virginia in 1996 and 1997, where he coached All-America and first-rounder Seth Greisenger. In 1996, the Cavaliers won their first ACC Tournament title and finished with a 44-21 overall record. In two years at Virginia, he coached three pitchers who were drafted in the first five rounds (one in the first, second, and fifth round), along with a 14th-rounder in 1997. O’Sullivan, who helped with the recruitment of student-athletes at Virginia, coached players picked in the third and 44th rounds in 1997 as well.
 
O’Sullivan coached at Florida Atlantic during the 1994 and 1995 seasons, where he was responsible for the hitters, catchers, infielders and outfielders. From 1992-93, he was an assistant at Florida Community College as the hitting and catching instructor.
 
O’Sullivan graduated with honors from Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in education/sports medicine in 1991. In Charlottesville, he was a member of Virginia's Captain Council and Student-Athlete Mentor Program. He later earned a master’s degree in exercise science & wellness from Florida Atlantic.
 
O’Sullivan starred at Virginia as a catcher in 1990 and 1991, where he hit a combined .351. He was a first-team All-ACC and All-ACC Tournament recipient both years and earned a spot on the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 1990. He also played for Florida Community College in 1988 and 1989.
 
O’Sullivan has two children, a daughter (Payton Tyler O’Sullivan) and a son (Finn Thomas O’Sullivan). He resides in Gainesville with his wife, Minde.

THE KEVIN O'SULLIVAN FILE

Full Name: Kevin Michael O’Sullivan
Birthdate: December 27, 1968 in Goshen, N.Y.
Hometown: Jupiter, Fla.
Education: Associate of Arts – Florida Community College, 1989
  Bachelor of Science – Education/Sports Medicine, University of Virginia, 1991
  Master of Science – Exercise Science & Wellness, Florida Atlantic University, 1995
Date announced as UF head coach: June 14, 2007

Coaching Career

Assistant Coach, Florida Community College, 1992-93
Assistant Coach, Florida Atlantic University, 1994-95
Assistant Coach, University of Virginia, 1996-97
Assistant Coach, Minnesota Twins Rookie League, 1998
Assistant Coach, Clemson University, 1999-2001
Assistant Head Coach, Clemson University, 2002
Associate Head Coach, Clemson University, 2002-07
Head Coach, University of Florida, 2007-present

Playing Career

Florida Community College, 1988-89
University of Virginia, 1990-91
 

Gators Baseball Accomplishments under O’Sullivan

All-Americans: 30 with 123 honors
Freshman All-Americans: 26 with 51 honors
All-South Region: 42 – 24 first-team and 18 second-team selections
All-SEC: 57 – 31 first-team and 26 second-team selections
SEC All-Freshman Team: 27 players with 28 honors
SEC Academic Honor Roll: 214 selections
SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll: 105 selections
Major League Baseball Draftees: 110 selections – 2008 (3), 2009 (10), 2010 (6), 2011 (school-record 11), 2012 (9), 2013 (7), 2014 (6), 2015 (9), 2016 (8), 2017 (8), 2018 (7), 2019 (4), 2021 (7), 2022 (4), 2023 (6), 2024 (5)
Major League Baseball Free Agent Signees: 7
USA Baseball National Team Members: 18 players, 20 times
Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Winners: 1
Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Finalists: 4