Since Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan took over in 2008, the Gators have more NCAA Tournament berths (14), top-eight national seeds (nine), Super Regionals hosted (eight) and College World Series appearances (seven) than any other program.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – D1Baseball ranked Florida on Monday as the No. 4 college baseball program in the country.
Concluding the publication’s bi-annual Top-100 Programs series, D1Baseball rolled out teams No. 1-5 on Monday with the Gators making the top five for the second-straight time. Back in 2019<https://floridagators.com/news/2019/9/30/baseball-gators-rated-as-top-program-in-the-country.aspx>, Florida was handed the No. 1 overall ranking.
With these rankings, D1Baseball’s ultimate goal is to identify the programs in the best shape right now, with an eye toward the next five to 10 years.
Since Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/staff.aspx?staff=33> took the reigns at Florida in 2008, the Gators have made the NCAA Tournament every season for a program-record 14-consecutive appearances. During that stretch, no program has more top-eight national seeds (nine), Super Regionals hosted (eight) and College World Series appearances (seven) than Florida.
Across the last 15 seasons under O’Sullivan, Florida posted a 627-302 record (.675) including 257-162 in Southeastern Conference play en route to five SEC Championships. The Gators’ .613 SEC winning percentage since 2008 is the top mark in the conference.
Florida’s success on the diamond has even spilled over from the college ranks and into Major League Baseball. Since 2008, 33 former Gators have debuted in the MLB – more than any college program. 29 of those players were coached by O’Sullivan during his tenure at UF.
As for the MLB Draft, 215 individual Gators have been selected across team history. In the last 15 seasons alone, Florida’s 11 first-round draft picks rank second nationally. On top of that, 20 Florida pitchers have been chosen in the first-five rounds since 2008, which ranks third in the country. The Orange & Blue also boast 99 MLB Draft picks under O’Sullivan – the third-highest total in the SEC in that time.
With a top-five national program ranking in hand, the Gators are looking to add to their resume during the 2023 campaign. Florida’s upcoming season begins on Friday, Feb. 17 against Charleston Southern at Condron Family Ballpark.
Florida’s fall season kicks off this Sunday, Oct. 9 and features exhibition games against Georgia in Jacksonville (Oct. 28) and Stetson at Condron Family Ballpark (Nov. 6). The Gators will also revive the Orange & Blue Series, which is scheduled for Nov. 10, 11 and 13.
The gates of Condron Family Ballpark will be open to the public for the duration of fall practice.
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