Gators Pick Up All-Conference Pitcher

Just when we thought football and basketball were delivering about as much Gator recruiting news as possible, Kevin O'Sullivan and the Gators baseball program add an all-conference honoree to their pitching staff.

Kelly Austin, a former UCLA Bruin, announced his decision to transfer to the Florida Gators Wednesday. The righthander will have one season of eligibility when he joins the roster for 2024.

Austin spent two years with the Bruins after a short stint at Orange Coast College but is coming off of the best season of his career. In 17 appearances, 13 of which were starts, he registered a 3.39 ERA across 82.1 innings pitched. Austin allowed just 72 hits and 31 earned runs while striking out 104 batters with a .229 batting average against.

With the Gators in the midst of a potential National Championship season and their eyes set on Omaha, the program still has one eye peeled towards the future.

He took a visit to Gainesville just over a week ago which helped to secure a commitment from the transfer.

Austin's career kicked off with a successful run for Orange Coach College, going 6-0 with a 1.57 ERA and 57 strikeouts enroute to being named the Orange Empire Conference Pitcher of the Year. The honors don't stop there, as Austin was also named to the Pac-12 All-Conference team for his efforts this past season.

He becomes the first addition to the program for next year via the portal with the Gators well aware that they will have some needs to address over the offseason. At the moment, five former Gators have already announced intentions to enter the portal, including three pitchers.