Florida baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan has withdrawn his name from the running to become the next LSU baseball head coach.
The Gators skipper released a statement Thursday to put rumors of his interest in other head coaching opportunities to rest.
“I am the head coach at the University of Florida and remain fully committed to the Gators program,” he said, according to FloridaGators.com. “This is where I want to be, and I do not have interest in the head coach openings at any other schools. I look forward to continuing to build upon the success this program has experienced over the past 14 years, with the goal of bringing Florida back to the College World Series as we pursue yet another National Championship for Gator Nation.”
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Florida made O’Sullivan the highest-paid coach in college baseball after Texas courted UF’s manager after Auggie Garrido retired.
The Tigers have reportedly turned their sights to former Oregon State head coach Pat Casey for the opening, according to Kendall Rodgers of D1Baseball.com.
The Gators bounced out of their Gainesville Regional after two embarrassing losses to USF and South Alabama. Despite the rough finish, Florida finished the 2021 season 38-22 with a 17-13 record in SEC play.
O’Sullivan’s program is set to lose a slew of top players to the MLB draft like outfielders Jacob Young and Jud Fabian, pitchers Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich, as well as Nathan Hickey. But Florida has usually done a strong job of reloading where the team doesn’t skip a beat the following year.
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