Florida’s baseball season isn’t over yet, but the transfer portal opens up before the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament and Florida’s coaching staff is already working.
The Gators added a pair of infielders — Jacksonville’s Justin Nadeau and Texas Tech’s Landon Stripling — on Thursday, according to Jacob Rudner of Swamp247.
Nadeau was on campus Tuesday and Wednesday to visit campus. A Florida native who played high school ball in Bartram Trail in the Jacksonville area, Nadeau quickly made a name for himself at JU.
He appeared in 49 games (47 at second base) for the Dolphins and slashed .294/.385/.376 en route to a conference All-Freshman selection. He started 29 of 30 games as a sophomore and elevated all of those numbers, ending the year with a .395/.482/.521 slash line, albeit through 75 fewer at-bats.
Stripling is a first baseman who spent more time as a designated hitter with Texas Tech. He was born in Florida and raised in Georgia, so this is a homecoming of sorts for him.
As a freshman, Stripling hit four home runs and drove in 20 runs over 118 plate appearances. His .255 batting average isn’t too impressive but he walked (17) more than he struck out, which implies a good approach. A power surge is expected in 2025 with Florida.
One departing player
With the transfer portal already booming and another strong freshman class incoming, Florida is going to lose its fair share of players to the portal, too.
The first name to depart from Gainesville is infielder John Martinez who did not play as a freshman at Florida, therefore maintaining four years of eligibility.
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