Florida Gators baseball: Injury updates on three players
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators baseball team is just two days away from starting the 2024 Road to Omaha. Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan met with the media on Tuesday to preview the 2024 season. O’Sullivan provided three injury updates to three players who will miss the start of the season.
[RELATED: Kevin O’Sullivan signs a contract extension through 2033]
OF Ty Evans
The breakout star of the College World Series has had a rough offseason. Evans missed most of the fall with an injury and now is dealing with a hairline fracture in his right hand after getting hit by a pitch in an intrasquad game. Evans will not be available for the Gators when they start the season and “a couple of weeks” according to Kevin O’Sullivan.
The Gators will turn to Liberty transfer Jaylen Guy, likely in center, with Michael Robertson sliding over to a corner outfield spot with Tyler Shelnut rounding out the group. Evans would return to his regular starting role once he’s cleared to swing.
LHP Pierce Coppola
This weekend Liam Peterson will make the opening weekend start since Pierce Coppola did in 2022. The issue is Coppola hasn’t been able to throw since striking out seven over 4.1 innings in his first and only start for the Gators.
The hope is that Coppola will be able to get back on the mound sometime this spring during SEC play. Once he is cleared to throw in a game the plan would be to throw Coppola during midweek games on the Florida Gators baseball schedule. The thought process there is to give Coppola a day where he knows he’s going to throw, which allows him to go through a normal routine and pitch as a starter rather than worrying about him getting ready or getting cold during a game and rushing him to get warm in the bullpen for a relief appearance.
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Kevin O’Sullivan on Coppola:
“He’s worked awfully hard. He’s come back from back surgery and that was just painful to watch him have to go through that. You know he’s like 6’9″ but when he went in for surgery he was like 6’7″ because his back was so, you know, disconnected. We had to go through that and then had to go to the shoulder surgery. But I’ll say this, with all honesty, his attitude has been incredible. He’s right in the middle of his rehab. He’s throwing bullpens at 50%. He’ll now ramp it up to 75%. And start spinning some sliders. It’s been all fastball and change up to this point. We’re basically in you know, almost to the middle of February. Hopefully by sometime when SEC play starts. You know, we hope then hopefully he’ll be able to contribute again this year.”
INF/OF Landon Russell
The junior college transfer can be a Swiss Army Knife type of player for the Gators. Russell can play all over the infield and even a corner outfielder. Russell tore a ligament in his thumb and has been in a cast.
“He’s probably maybe three weeks away from taking a ground ball, but he’s really versatile,” O’Sullivan said. “He’s one of our best athletes. He could play infield and outfield.”
Russell is a talented defensive player who will have a role for the Gators once he’s healthy.
