![Gators outfielder Ty Evans (2) with a two run homer in the bottom of the second inning against South Carolina. The Gators ended their six game losing streak with an 11-9 win over the Gamecocks in Game 3 of the weekend series at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida, Sunday, April 14, 2024. [Cyndi Chambers/ Gainesville Sun] 2024](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_3741,h_2104/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01jh0yk0qyqcmar02e9f.jpg "Gators outfielder Ty Evans (2) with a two run homer in the bottom of the second inning against South Carolina. The Gators ended their six game losing streak with an 11-9 win over the Gamecocks in Game 3 of the weekend series at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida, Sunday, April 14, 2024. [Cyndi Chambers/ Gainesville Sun] 2024")
The 2025 season is just around the corner for Florida Baseball, and the Gators are hoping for a less chaotic year than what they had in 2024. Even though the Gators made it to the national semifinals, they were also 28-27 in the regular season and made it into the NCAA Tournament by the absolute thinnest of margins.
The Gators were ranked 11th in the preseason rankings by Perfect Game, the first time since 2020 they have started a season outside the top ten.
While Florida does have some highly rated freshmen incoming for 2025, including Joshua Whritenour, Aidan King, Brendan Lawson, and Schuyler Sandford, as well as eight transfers that include Blake Cyr, Kyle Jones, and Justin Nadeau, the Gators are going to need to lean on returners as well to have a better regular season in 2025.
The following are five key returners the Gators need to step up for 2025.
Ty Evans
Ty Evans is the only returning member of the Gators who hit north of .300 last season and one of just two members on the squad last year who had an OPS north of .900.
Evans was having a breakout year in 2024 after hitting just .239 in 2023, but his campaign was cut short after he crashed into the outfield wall while making a diving attempt against Kentucky.
Evans had zero errors in 2024 and figures to be a key cog for the Gators if healthy in 2025.
Colby Shelton
The only other returner on the squad from last year with an OPS north of .900, Colby Shelton has the near-impossible task of trying to replace the power of Jac Caglianone.
Shelton had 20 home runs last year, though consistency down the stretch was up and down. He had a massive three-run home run during Regionals against Oklahoma State to stave off elimination, but he was just 6-27 (.222) with zero home runs over the final seven games of the season.
Cade Kurland
While he has been entrenched at second base both years he has been in Gainesville, there is definitely a pathway Cade Kurland could start to lose playing time in 2025 if he doesn't rebound to his 2023 form.
After hitting .297 with 64 strikeouts and eight errors as a freshman in 2023, Kurland saw his average dip to .245 with 73 strikeouts and nine errors in 2024.
Liam Peterson
The ceiling for Liam Peterson is still sky-high as he was thrown into the fire as a true freshman last season. Command issues led to 44 walks in 63 innings pitched in 2024. Only twice did Peterson make it through the 6th inning, and he didn't make it past 2.1 innings in any of his final three starts of the year.
The rotation for Florida is a giant wildcard for 2025, and Peterson figures to be a key player if the unit is going to have success this season.
Pierce Coppola
Speaking of wildcards, Pierce Coppola was a top 50 overall prospect out of the class of 2021, but injuries have derailed his time in Gainesville thus far. After back surgery in 2022, Cappola had shoulder surgery in 2023, and he was unavailable at the start of the 2024 campaign.
He eventually was inserted into the starting rotation and made eight starts in 2024. He wound up with a 9.28 ERA, but his final start of the season against Kentucky did leave some hope heading into 2025 that Coppola can reach the top 50 potential.
In that outing, Coppola went five innings and gave up four runs. He also struck out nine batters in that game while only walking three.
The Gators do have Christian Rodriguez, Joshua Whritenour, Aidan King, Jackson Barberi, and Schuyler Sandford as highly ranked freshman arms, and Billy Barlow joined Florida out of the transfer portal from Clemson, so there are options for O'Sullivan to play with, but a successful Gator season is going to require Coppola to have a solid season individually.