Kevin O'Sullivan reveals how stadium size impacts Florida's defense

Florida Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan broke down how stadium size could impact the team’s defense ahead of the College World Series.

One of the unique things about baseball is that the size of the playing field differs by stadium. There aren’t set dimensions, which means playing defense can be slightly different in every single stadium. That’s no different in Omaha for the College World Series, where the outfield is known for being large.

“No, I think with us, which helps us now, our field in Gainesville plays pretty big,” Kevin O’Sullivan said. “It’s 380 in the gaps and 400 to center, so the dimensions are not much different than they are here. We feel very capable with a couple of different options. We played Wyatt [Langford] in center recently. [Tyler] Shelnut has gotten better. We played Richie Schiekofer in left a little bit on matchups.”

Charles Schwab Field in Omaha is 335 feet down both the right and left field lines. Meanwhile, center field is 408 feet long.

“Still have obviously Michael Robertson that we’ve used late in games defensively and moved Wyatt back to left. And Ty Evans, I still think Ty has a chance to do something in this tournament that will help us. We’ll probably still play some matchups.”

Kevin O’Sullivan emphasized that he doesn’t think the dimensions at Charles Schwab Field are different enough from the ballparks Florida is used to playing in to really have a negative impact on the team defensively.

“Like I said, the dimensions of the field are not much different than what we’re used to. We played in Hoover as well, so we’ve played in some big parks. Like I said, I think with the dimensions at home, it’s not going to make that much of a difference while we’re out here.”

Kevin O’Sullivan on making it back to Omaha

From 2015 to 2018, Florida went to Omaha every season, winning the College World Series in 2017. However, the Gators haven’t made it since, making this an emotional return for Kevin O’Sullivan.

“I think there’s a great deal of satisfaction to see the players and the hard work they put in to get us back to this point. I think there’s been a lot of chatter about your team has not been out here since 2018, and I think the thing that I take out of it is what people sometimes fail to realize is how hard it is to get here. It is not just a group of good players that are talented, but it’s the players that have to come together, stay healthy, play right at the right time,” O’Sullivan said.

“You have to have the right culture to do this thing over and over. It’s not easy. I think from my perspective, it’s good to have the program back and have this opportunity, but it’s — you kind of get spoiled. My kids thought that this was vacation every year. And there’s a three- or four-year layoff, and you start realizing how difficult it is. I think it’s human nature. Even I can admit it myself. I took it for granted that this was expected every year, and all of a sudden that’s taken away from you for three or four years or whatever, and then you kind of appreciate it a little bit more.”