Florida Gators Baseball's Season Ends Early, But O'Sullivan Reaffirms Commitment to Gators
Florida Gator baseball began the 2021 season as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation. They ended the season on their home field in a fast exit to the NCAA tournament.
Florida’s postseason run ended quicker than most would have predicted. After going 0-2 last weekend in the Gainesville Regional, Florida’s season came to a close.
*Watch below for a full video recap
Season In Review
Expectations for Gators Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan and his squad were high. In 2020, they won 16 of 17 games before COVID-19 struck. Florida returned all three weekend starting pitchers and seven of eight position players from the 2020 team.
So - how could a team with so much talent have the season that the Gators had?
The 2021 season was full of both highs and lows.
Florida finished 38-22 on the season and 17-13 in conference play.
It was the inaugural season at a $65 million ballpark for the Gators. Despite dropping their opening series to Miami at home, the Gators went 28-8 at Florida Ballpark.
Florida finished the regular season ranked third in the SEC East behind Tennessee and Vanderbilt. They entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 15 national seed. They, then, fell to both South Florida and South Alabama.
Gators Who Might Not Be Repping Orange and Blue Next Spring
The 2021 MLB Draft is quickly approaching, and there are some Gators who, likely, will not be in a Florida uniform come spring.
MLB.com has two Gators sneaking into the top-30 picks this summer.
Jud Fabian
The outfielder should be a solid late first round pick. Despite a rocky start to the 2020 season, piling up strikeouts on inside fastballs, he got hot at just the right time. Fabian finished the season with 20 home runs and 46 RBI’s. He plays a good outfield and can steal bases. This season he accounted for six stolen bases, making his total as a Gator 15.
Tommy Mace
Florida’s “ace” finished with a 6-2 record and just a 4.38 ERA across 15 starts. Despite Mace’s rough patches this year, he has shown growth. He has added both a four-seamer and improved his curveball. He is best known for his fastball.
The 2021 MLB Draft begins July 11.
Despite the fact that Florida will, likely, be losing some talent this summer, the future's still bright for the Gators. O’Sullivan is one of the nation’s top coaches, and UF is one of the nation’s top programs. With the pandemic ending, the Gators should have a regular off season and a full-capacity ballpark all season long come 2022.
After weeks of rumors about his name being in serious contention for the open LSU baseball head coaching job, Gators Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan released this statement on Thursday:
"I am the head coach at the University of Florida and remain fully committed to the Gators program. This is where I want to be, and I do not have interest in the head coach openings at any other schools. I look forward to continuing to build upon the success this program has experienced over the past 14 years, with the goal of bringing Florida back to the College World Series as we pursue yet another National Championship for Gator Nation."
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