Gators hosting a familiar face at Florida Ballpark this weekend

The drive south on I-75 South on Thursday afternoon was familiar for Lars Davis. It’s a drive he’d made countless times over the last seven years while working for the Florida Gators.

“It felt like coming home,” Davis told Gators Online.

This weekend won’t be like any other for Davis or Kevin O’Sullivan. This weekend Davis will be wearing road greys in Gainesville.

Davis was born in Canada and grew up in Grande Prairie, a city in Alberta. As a youth, he played for his father and went to the Prairie Baseball Academy in Lethbridge for his Grade 12 year. He then earned a scholarship to play at the University of Illinois. It was there where he met his wife Katie.

He played at Illinois for one season and was a third-round selection by the Colorado Rockies in 2007. The life of a minor leaguer is tough, but Katie got a job working at Long Beach State with the baseball team. The couple married in 2010 and lived in California until, in 2013, an opening came for an athletic trainer with the Florida Gators softball team came open.

Katie applied for it, got the job, and the two were off to Gainesville. Davis was entering what would be his final year of pro ball.

“My last season was 2014. During that offseason, the 2013 offseason I worked out with the club. I was at the field almost every single day getting ready for my season personally. I got to know Sully, Craig, and the rest of the staff while I was working out” Davis told Gators Online. “When the volunteer position came open the following year, when Buddy Monroe took the operations job, they asked me if I wanted to do it and that’s how I started.” 

Seven years in Gainesville

The life of a volunteer assistant is a lot of work. The NCAA limits baseball coaching staffs to three full-time coaches, including the manager. At the time, O’Sullivan had two long-term assistants in Crag Bell and Brad Weitzel.

Davis fit right in, but a volunteer assistant doesn’t get a salary. They work summer camps and do other things to make ends meet, but it’s not an area where the NCAA has done college baseball or its people any favors.

Davis never complained.

“I couldn’t thank Sully enough for the opportunity to work under him for a number of years and learn from him,” he said. “Getting a coaching career started here at the University of Florida. It was an absolutely fantastic experience.”

Those seven years were filled with tremendous memories. Davis became an American citizen while working in Gainesville. He was part of the Gators’ 2017 National Championship team. He and Katie made countless friends and memories during a near decade as Gators.

“The Gators are baseball royalty. They’re a powerhouse,” Davis told Gators Online. “They’re what so many programs look up and want to be.”

He was an integral part of making his above statement true, even if he doesn’t get the credit for it.

The time came, however, for Davis to make a decision for himself. He had talked to O’Sullivan over the years about a full-time role, but the opportunity didn’t come open until just before the 2022 season. A full-time, paid position became available at Georgia State and he needed to take the next step in his professional career.

“I would have loved to stay in Gainesville for my entire coaching career. I love the Gators,” Davis said. “It’s where I got my start. It’s like home to me. Sometimes you’ve got to take that next step and work your way up through the system.”

Davis has the scouting report on the Gators

Typically teams will watch film of their opponents. Who are the hitters? What are their tendencies? How do the pitchers throw, what’s the mix? Things like that. This week Georgia State didn’t need to do a lot of film work.

As the volunteer assistant for the Gators, Davis would spend more time than any other coach with the players. Davis was around the guys constantly. He threw batting practice, worked with the hitters, and was closer in age and to his playing days than the others on staff. He was a coach first, for sure, but also a friend to a lot of the guys.

That means Davis is very familiar with the team.

“That was kind of a joke at the office this week. They kept saying don’t worry about the scouting report, we don’t have to really look at too much video because, well, I’ve been with all these guys,” Davis told Gators Online. “Even the freshmen that came in Summer B, I had an opportunity to get to know them a little bit. I think it’ll be cool to be on the other side of the ball and we’re definitely hoping for a good series.”

Davis’ return to Gainesville is highly anticipated by both he and the Gators’ staff.

“I know he’s excited to come back. We’ve been giving him a hard time and he’s been giving us a hard time,” O’Sullivan said. “It’ll be really good to see him this weekend.”