Opening Day for Florida and the rest of the college baseball world is upon us, and the Gators are looking for a much less chaotic 2025 campaign than the one they had in 2024. Last year, Florida squeaked into the NCAA Tournament before going on a run 54all the way to the College World Series.
With the departure of Jac Caglianone to the Big Leagues, this year's squad is going to look different as Florida opens their season against Air Force.
The following are three bold predictions we have for Florida as they embark on their new campaign.
All three members of Florida's outfield will hit over .300
Florida brought in Kyle Jones from Stetson and Blake Cyr from Miami out of the transfer portal. Jones hit .355 last year and was a freshman All-American, while Cyr hit .305 his freshman year and was hitting .285 last year before an injury knocked him out.
Combined with a returning Ty Evans, who was hitting .316 last year before his season ended due to injury, there is a pathway Florida's outfield could be on base machines in 2025.
Colby Shelton hits 30 home runs
During his 2023 campaign at Alabama, Shelton hit .301 with 25 home runs. Those numbers dipped to .254 and 20 home runs last year during his first go-around in Gainesville.
Playing off of what the outfield may do and depending on where in the lineup, Shelton could wind up with better protection than last year when he was left on an island at times in the middle of the lineup and could reach 30 home runs as a result.
Pierce Coppola will have an ERA under 4.00
At times, Coppola has felt more like an urban legend rather than an actual member of the Gators. After coming to Gainesville as a top 50 overall prospect, injuries have derailed his time as a Gator.
And while he struggled last year after returning and being inserted into the weekend rotation, he started to piece some things together towards the end of last season.
With an entire offseason of being healthy, the hope is he can make the leap in 2025. He had a solid final outing during the spring scrimmages, going five innings with no runs allowed.