Shawn Burke enters his fifth season as the strength and conditioning coordinator for the Florida baseball program and his eighth year overall at the University of Florida in 2025-26.
In Burke's first four seasons on staff, the Gators achieved four of the seven-highest home run totals in program history (121, 135, 136, 94). After setting the team record with 135 home runs in 2023, Florida blasted 136 long balls in 2024 to reset the program mark. A grand total of 21 Gators have achieve double-digit homer campaigns in Burke's four years on staff: four in 2025, seven in 2024, six in 2023 and four in 2022.
Prior to Burke joining the baseball staff, only one Gator had ever launched 20-plus homers in back-to-back seasons (Brad Wilkerson, 1997-98). That feat has since been accomplished by three different Gators across three-straight seasons with Burke overseeing the strength & conditioning: Jud Fabian (2021-22), Wyatt Langford (2022-23) and Jac Caglianone (2023-24).
Despite playing just 61 total games in 2025, four Gators eclipsed double-digit home runs in Bobby Boser (18), Brody Donay (18), Luke Heyman (13) and freshman Brendan Lawson (10). The Orange & Blue also racked up 645 strikeouts on the mound, good for the fifth-most in program history.
For the first time since the 1998 season, Florida had seven different hitters with double-digit home runs in 2024: 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%).
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.
During the 2023 campaign, Florida set the team record while leading the nation with 135 home runs. Burke and the Gators also produced the nation's home run leader in two-way star Jac Caglianone, whose 33 long balls broke the BBCOR era record at the time.
Going back to Burke's first season with the program in 2022, the Gators hit 121 home runs as a team – then the second-highest total in program history. For the first time, two Gators hit 20-plus home runs in the same season: Langford (26) and Jud Fabian (24). At the time, Langford’s 26 home runs tied Matt LaPorta’s team record set in 2005.
Over the past eight years, Burke has worked with various Florida athletic programs including baseball, softball and men’s tennis. Under his watch, Florida softball reached the 2019 Women's College World Series and later claimed the 2021 SEC Championship. Burke also helped power men’s tennis to a National Championship and SEC title in 2021, while Sam Riffice claimed the 2021 Singles National Championship. One year later in 2022, Burke produced another NCAA Singles National Champion in Ben Shelton, who was subsequently named the ITA National Player of the Year. Shortly thereafter, Shelton made the decision to turn pro and has been turning heads in the professional ranks in the months since.
Prior to his time at UF, Burke was employed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2016-18, working with baseball, softball, men’s gymnastics, women’s gymnastics, women’s soccer and cheer.
Throughout his career, Burke has trained over 30 active Minor League Baseball players. Additionally, he trained nine All-SEC selections and six All-America honorees in softball from 2019-21.
Burke also holds numerous certifications in his field. He holds status as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and is also certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
Burke played collegiate football at the University of Rochester in New York, where he graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in Exercise Science with a Strength and Conditioning Concentration from Concordia University-Chicago in 2018.
BASEBALL ACCOLADES
Bobby Boser - 2025 Third Team All-American
Aidan King - 2025 First Team Freshman All-American
Brendan Lawson - 2025 First Team Freshman All-American
Jac Caglianone - 2024 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year
Jac Caglianone - 2024 First Team All-American
Liam Peterson - 2024 SEC All-Freshman Team
Jac Caglianone - 2023 First Team All-American
Wyatt Langford - 2023, 2022 First Team All-American
Josh Rivera - 2023 Second Team All-American
Brandon Neely - 2023 Second Team All-American
Hurston Waldrep - 2023 Second Team All-American
Cade Fisher - 2023 Freshman All-American
Cade Kurland - 2023 Freshman All-American
Brandon Sproat - 2022 Second Team All-South Region
Blake Purnell - 2022 Freshman All-American
Brandon Neely - 2022 SEC All-Freshman Team
Six All-SEC Selections in 2023
Two All-SEC Selections in 2022
SOFTBALL ACCOLADES
Three All-America Selections in 2021
Five All-SEC Selections in 2021
2021 SEC Regular Season Champion
Women’s College World Series Appearance (2019)
Three All-America Selections in 2019
Four All-SEC Selections in 2019
2019 SEC Tournament Champion
MEN’S TENNIS ACCOLADES
Ben Shelton - 2022 Singles NCAA Champion, 2022 ITA National Player of the Year
2022 SEC Tournament Champions
Four All-SEC Selections in 2022
2021 National Champions
Sam Riffice - 2021 Singles NCAA Champion
2021 SEC Regular Season Champion
Five All-SEC Selections in 2021
Two ITA All-American Selections
CERTIFICATIONS
Driveline Pitching & Hitting Certification
National Strength and Conditioning Association, Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (NSCA-CSCS)
Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association-Strength and Conditioning Coaches Certified (CSCCa-SCCC)
USA Weightlifting Certified (USAW)
ALTIS Certified
OnBaseU Hitting Certified
RacquetFit Certified
Adult CPR/AED Certified
