Florida Baseball Receives Highest Rank Of Preseason

The Florida baseball team is ranked No. 7 in the country in Baseball America‘s Top-25 preseason poll released Monday.

In previous polls, Florida was slotted in at No. 10 and No. 11 by D1Baseball and Perfect Game, respectively. Baseball America’s poll included 10 SEC teams in its top-25, giving the top spot to Texas A&M.

With spring practices already underway, the Gators have a tough season ahead of them. Their schedule includes eight of these preseason top-25 teams across 24 games.

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Swinging Into Action

Condron Family Ballpark was open for business last Friday when fans were invited to watch the Gators first spring practice. The team had a day off Monday, following a busy weekend of scrimmages, before resuming its preseason schedule. Week two of preseason baseball will bring more of the same, including three intersquad scrimmages Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Florida will practice at 2:30 p.m. throughout the week, with no scrimmage Friday. Scrimmage time is 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday and 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. All scrimmages and open practices are open to the public.

The Gators will look to build a solid foundation for a season where they hope to return to the College World Series. A trip to Omaha this year would be the third consecutive for Florida.

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The team will need all the help it can get for the high-stakes season ahead. Luckily for Florida, there are 17 players returning from last years World Series qualifying team, including five positional starters. Shortstop Colby Shelton, second baseman Cade Kurland, designated hitter/catcher Brody Donay, catcher Luke Heyman and outfielder Ty Evans will all be back in the Gators dugout.

Shelton started all 66 games for Florida last season, totaling at least 20 home runs for the second-straight season. Along with his success at the plate, the junior finished last season with a .974 fielding percentage, recording six errors on 234 chances. Kurland was also a solid piece of last year’s Gators lineup, batting .245 with an on-base percentage of .346. Earning First Team All-SEC honors two years ago, the junior is looking to get back to his freshman year form, a season in which he was also named a Freshman All-American.

Both players, along with Miami transfer Blake Cyr and right-handed pitcher Jake Clemente, were all named to Perfect Game’s preseason top-100 juniors in college baseball. With these veteran pieces in place, Florida will come out swinging to start its season.

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Last year, Donay made 44 starts in his first season as a Gator at both designated hitter and catcher. He totaled 41 hits with 14 homers on his way to a .246 batting average. The Virginia Tech transfer also boasted an on-base percentage of .323 across 167 at bats. Heyman was solid at the dish in 2024, batting .246 across a team-high 264 at bats. He also was one of three Gators to start all 66 games last year.

Evans, a senior, is returning from a season-ending arm injury that he suffered in May of last season. Before he went down, Evans was having a mega season, putting up career highs in hits, home runs, doubles, RBIs and walks. Across 193 at bats, his batting average sat at .316 with an on-base percentage of .406. In right field, the senior posted a perfect fielding percentages. If Evans can match his pre-injury play, he will be a force in Florida’s lineup.

Regular-Season Ready

Florida will open its 2025 regular season at home Feb. 14 against Air Force. That weekend will be the first time the Gators host the Falcons for a three-game series in program history. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m.