Baseball season is just six weeks away, and the Florida Gators are gearing up for another College World Series push after finishing as the runner-up in 2023.
Florida lost an incredible amount of talent to the draft, including two starting pitchers and No. 4 overall pick Wyatt Langford, but Kevin O’Sullivan knows how to reload for each season. The Gators start the season with three All-Americans on the roster, according to Perfect Game.
Making the first team, as a two-way player, is Jac Caglianone. He set the school record and national BBCOR-era record with 33 home runs a season ago and served as Florida’s Sunday starter for most of the season. Fall reports have Caglianone nearing triple digits off the mound, but accuracy is always the question. If he can locate his fastball at that velocity, he’ll become one of the most interesting draft prospects of all time.
On the second team is a new Gator, transfer infielder Colby Shelton. He slashes .300/.419/.729 for Alabama as a freshman in 2023 and could easily work his way up to the first team. Shelton’s bat is as sure as it gets, but the glove is the question mark in his game, especially moving from third to short.
Finally, Brandon Neely — who served as Florida’s closer last year — is on the third team. He’s listed as a relief pitcher, but there has been some talk of Neely returning to the starting rotation. Neely was a starting pitcher for Florida as a freshman, but he moved into that closer role and thrived.
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