Cade Kurland comes up clutch for Florida baseball

OMAHA, Neb. — On another day or with a different wind pattern, Colby Halter might have played hero for the Florida baseball team. Halter smacked a Garrett Wright offering to the wall where Austin Davis made a run-saving web gem. The long fly allowed Michael Robertson to advance to third, bringing Cade Kurland to the plate.

Kurland has been an everyday starter for the Gators since a month into the season. For a stretch, he led the Gators in batting. Now, the 19-year-old is in a slump the likes he’s never dreamed possible.

Kurland went to a small school, Berkley Prep, in Tampa Florida. He was starting on the varsity baseball team when he was still in middle school. He’s always been a phenom — the best player on any team he’d ever been part of. Kurland batted .382/.510/.655 with 18 home runs, eight triples, 25 doubles, 126 runs, 106 RBI, and 52 stolen bases across 123 career games at Berkeley. He graduated a full year early and enrolled at Florida in the fall of 2022. Kevin O’Sullivan wouldn’t have asked that, and the Kurland family wouldn’t have signed up for that if both parties didn’t believe he could make an impact.

Kurland has been steady at the plate all season. The now 68 game long campaign is roughly triple the length of any season he’s played prior. The day in, day out grind of a college baseball season is tough. Practice started in October. There was a brief break, but the team was back to work in January to begin its run to Omaha. The sheer length of the season could be wearing on the young infielder.

Kurland erases any thoughts of his slump with the go-ahead RBI

Heading into the SEC Tournament, Kurland was hitting well above .300. When he walked to the plate in the top of the ninth with the go-ahead run 90-feet away he was just 9 for his last 49 — .184.

“A lot of times in baseball things may not go your way, but I think baseball always has a way to come back around,” Kurland said after the game. “It’s really important to stay in the moment for when you do get the opportunity.”

The opportunity now was massive. Two outs. A fresh pitcher on the mound and the entire baseball world glued to a newly tied game.

 “He got me 0-2 quick, and I just knew he wasn’t going to get me out,” said Kurland. “I wasn’t going to go down.”

Baseball is a game of failure. The best hitters in the world will fail seven out of ten trips to the plate. How you deal with failure, internalize it, process it, and flush it will separate the good from the great.

Kurland fouled another pitch back. There was no thought of the last month or even the last at-bat. In the moment it was one-on-one.

Wright threw a good pitch that had Kurland on his front foot. His arms extended all he could do was roll it over towards shortstop.

The ball found a hole and Kurland put his head down and dug toward first base. Anthony Silva did a tremendous job to even get to the ball but with Kurland barreling down the line he needed to rush his throw. Silva, feet on the outfield turf fielded, turned, and threw while falling back all in one motion. Kurland’s hustle forced Silva’s hand and without planting, his throw to first skipped twice on the infield grass.

Kurland was safe at first, Robertson safe at home. Florida was up 3-2 and wouldn’t relinquish the lead.

A month of swing and miss and frustration erased in a moment. A moment that sent the Gators back to a place they haven’t been since Kurland could legally drive a car — the College World Series final.