Among the very real reasons why Florida isn’t still playing in 2026 and why their season ended in Gainesville rather than in Omaha was the complete collapse of its pitching staff. The Gators had two shots at Troy and just couldn’t get a solid outing from anyone not named Caden McDonald. That led to Kevin O’Sullivan letting go of pitching coach David Kopp and hiring Oregon State guru Rich Dorman.
Dorman’s presence is already paying dividends as Florida just landed a massive left-handed pitcher from Oregon State who gives the Gators the potential of one of the scariest starting rotations in all of college baseball.
Florida lands LHP Trey Morris from Oregon State
Trey Morris was a freshman All-American in 2026. He’s from Easton, CA, and made 16 appearances in 2026 with a 7-0 record and a 1.98 ERA. His WHIP of 0.83 was No. 1 in the country this year. Against Washington State in the NCAA Tournament, Morris went 6.2 innings and gave up just one run off six hits.
Had Florida gotten that kind of outing in either of their two games against Troy, the Gators might still be dancing in Omaha.
But alas, Gator fans have to look ahead to 2027, but the potential for Florida’s staff next year does look bright. It starts with Dorman, who produced multiple All-Americans while at Oregon State, and he will have quite the rotation to work with in Gainesville.
Aidan King is coming off an All-American season of his own, and at one point had some metrics that mirrored that of the famous 2023 Paul Skenes season at LSU. King regressed a bit in the final month of the season, including his outing against Miami in the NCAA Tournament, but he gives Florida the potential for a bona fide No. 1 Friday ace when he is clicking.
Assuming Liam Peterson gets drafted high enough in the MLB Draft and is gone, Morris would more than likely take his Saturday spot. As mentioned above, if Florida had been able to get 6.2 innings out of Peterson in the NCAA Tournament, they probably would have made it to the CWS.
The No. 3 weekend starter is going to be the wildcard for 2027, but signs seem to point towards Jackson Barberi having the inside track for that, as it felt like he was being groomed for that role this past season. Caden McDonald would probably get a look as well, but he would need to have his pitch count doubled compared to what he was given in 2026.
The transfer of Morris somewhat overshadows the fact that Florida also landed 2B Kyle McDaniel from Utah Tech. He hit .340 this past season and had a 22-game hit streak to open the season. He will more than likely fill the role left behind by Cade Kurland, who transferred to LSU after claiming he was going to pursue professional opportunities.
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