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UCF's Russell Sandefer commits to transfer to Florida

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater•06/06/25•

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COLLEGE BASEBALL: MAY 24 SEC Baseball Tournament - Florida vs Alabama
HOOVER, AL - MAY 24: A general view of the Florida Gators logo during the 2023 SEC Baseball Tournament game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida Gators on May 24, 2023 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

RHP Russell Sandefer has played for a pair of schools in the state of Florida, in St. Leo and Orlando, already as an underclassman. Now, with his commitment today, he’ll be competing for a third in Gainesville.

Sandefer committed to Florida from the NCAA Transfer Portal. He announced that commitment to the Gators in a post on social media this afternoon.

“Blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Florida! Go gators!!” Sandefer tweeted on Friday.

Sandefer has made 29 collegiate appearances, 14 of those being starts, with a year in Division II before moving up to Division I. He played at Saint Leo University as a freshman before spending his sophomore season this past year at UCF. He has a 7-5 record with the two programs, posting an ERA of 3.36 with 88 strikeouts in a total of 96.1 innings.

In his lone season with UCF, Sandefer played in 18 games, a third of those being starts, with a 2-3 record. He had an ERA of 3.38 and 49 strikeouts in 50.2 innings in which he pitched.

UCF had lost six transfers to the portal this offseason, including Sandefer. He now is the latest addition to end this week for Florida as a quality pickup for their pitching staff,

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

More on Sandefer committing to Florida

The Florida Gators have picked up another pledge via the transfer portal. Per Jacob Rudner of Baseball America, UCF right-handed pitcher Russell Sandefer has committed to Florida.

Sandefer went 2-3 and recorded a 3.38 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 50.2 innings last season as a sophomore for the Knights. He had the third lowest ERA on the team.

Rudner noted, “Ran his fastball up to 96 mph (92.4 avg). Low-80s gyro slider drew a 47% whiff rate. Throws a changeup to lefties only that drew a lot of swing and miss, too.”

Sandefer’s commitment comes one day after Florida landed two players — Notre Dame RHP Ricky Reeth and C/DH AJ Malzone of Wabash Valley College.