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Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan provided updates on key players who landed on the Gators baseball injury report following Tuesday’s win against UNF.
Cade Kurland Out for the Year
On Tuesday, it was announced that junior infielder Cade Kurland would miss the rest of the season due to a left shoulder injury he suffered against Miami. Kurland was rehabbing the shoulder through physical therapy, but he suffered a setback in last week’s 8-4 loss to Florida State. That setback will now require season-ending surgery to repair the left shoulder. O’Sullivan said the surgery was inevitable, either now or at the end of the season.
” I know [Kurland] was really disappointed, obviously he tried everything he could to play, even when he played up against Florida State in Jacksonville,” O’Sullivan said.
Kurland, who dealt with a hand injury most of last season, will now be the second Gator to see their season cut short due to a shoulder injury. The other is Kyle Jones, who had surgery back in March. Kurland finishes the year with a .316 batting average, 12 hits, three home runs and 15 RBIs.
Kurland’s loss is another injury blow to the Gators, who have lost center fielder Kyle Jones (shoulder) and pitcher Frankie Menendez to season-ending injuries. Starting pitcher Pierce Coppola also has been out since early March with an arm injury.
Luke Heyman Hamstring Scare
On Tuesday, catcher Luke Heyman suffered a brief scare after a first-inning base hit. While he finished the inning on base, he did not return to catch. Backup catcher and DH Brody Donay replaced Heyman behind the plate for the rest of the night. Postgame, O’Sullivan stated that Heyman suffered some hamstring tightness. While he could have returned, they pulled him out as a precaution.
” Just a little hamstring,” O’Sullivan said. “Just precautionary, he could have still played, but you can’t take any chances because we got very little room on the weekends right now.”
Fortunately for Florida (20-11), Heyman will start Friday when the Gators begin their three-game series versus Vanderbilt. Along with being the anchor of this defense, Heyman has been finding his stride offensively. He is 9-for-14 with three home runs and six RBIs in his last four games.
Looking Ahead
Florida (1-8 SEC) enters a pivotal stretch in conference play starting Friday night when the Gators host No. 23 Vanderbilt (21-8, 4-5). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Watch live on SEC Network+ and listen live at ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF + WJXL 1010AM.
