Three bold predictions for Florida baseball entering 2024 season

Florida baseball will enter the 2024 season with high expectations.

The No. 3 Florida Gators are coming off a year in which they amassed a school-record 54 wins before falling to LSU in the 2023 College World Series Finals.

Five starters — catcher/designated hitter Luke Heyman, first baseman/pitcher Jac Caglianone, second baseman Cade Kurland, left fielder Tyler Shelnut and right fielder Ty Evans — return, along with some key transfer additions.

The goal for Florida is to return to Omaha and finish the job.

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"Every team is different," Kurland said. "There's different pieces to the puzzle every year. Coming off the loss last year, you kind of take that and use that as fuel, coming into this year. As far as that's concerned you take it day by day with the ultimate goal in mind."

Florida baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan has set the bar high during his 17-year tenure as head coach, guiding UF to eight College World Series appearances and a national title in 2017.

"We've kind of built that culture where the expectation is to get to Omaha and win a national championship," O'Sullivan said. "That's the bottom line ...

"It's a brand-new team, a brand-new roster and these guys will have the opportunity to write their own story."

UF baseball starting rotation set

Florida will begin the quest in its season opener Friday at Condron Family Ballpark hosting St. John's (6:30 p.m., SEC Network Plus). Sophomore lefty Cade Fisher will start the season opener on Friday night, followed by freshman righty Liam Peterson on Saturday (4 p.m., SEC Network Plus) and Caglianone on Sunday (1 p.m., SEC Network Plus).

Evans, who belted five of his nine home runs on the season during the 2023 College World Series, will miss the first two weeks of the season with a hairline fracture in his wrist. Michael Robertson will likely replace him as the opening day starter in right field.

Florida rewarded O'Sullivan for guiding the Gators to their first CWS appearance since 2018 last season with a contract extension through 2033. It makes him the second-highest paid baseball coach in the SEC, with an average annual salary of $1.844 million. Only Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin ($2.317 million per year) makes more in the conference.

"You get the opportunity to start your career here, and on the flip side of that, have the opportunity to finish your career here," O'Sullivan said. "That's hard to do in this day and age."

Here are three bold predictions for Florida entering the 2024 season:

Jac Caglianone will become UF baseball's second Golden Spikes Award winner

Caglianone will put up similar numbers to his 33-homer, 90-RBI campaign in 2023 and harness his control on the mound to become a more dependable starter for the Gators in 2024.

He won't reach 30 home runs but will win 10 games. The two-way production will not just net Caglianone SEC Player of the Year honors, but will result in earning the Golden Spikes Award, given to college baseball's best player.

The only UF player in school history to win the Golden Spikes Award was catcher Mike Zunino in 2012.

Luke Heyman will enjoy a breakout sophomore season

Heyman projects as part of UF's catcher/designated hitter/first base rotation with Coastal Carolina transfer Tanner Garrison and Virginia Tech transfer Brody Donay.

After batting .314 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs as a freshman, Heyman will benefit from the protection from Caglianone and Alabama transfer shortstop Colby Shelton (.300, 25 HRs, 51 RBIs in 2023) in the middle of UF's lineup. Expect Heyman, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound righty slugger, to belt 20 home runs and drive in 50 runs with regular at bats this season.

"Luke Heyman is just a totally different player," O'Sullivan said. "I know he had success last year, obviously he had a tremendous freshman year, but where he is defensively, he's made tremendous strides and offensively he's swinging the bat really good."

UF baseball will return to the College World Series for a second straight season

The Gators have a blend of power and pitching to get back to Omaha. Peterson, who is hitting 96-97 miles per hour on the radar gun in preseason workouts, could emerge as the ace of the pitching staff by the end of the season. There are no holes in the lineup, and righty closer Brandon Neely (13 saves in 2023) is solid in the back end and has proven the ability to protect leads in SEC games.

"We feel really great about where Brandon Neely is and his aibility to shut down games at the end," O'Sullivan said.

It all will add up to UF making its 14th CWS trip in school history and ninth under O'Sullivan.

Projected starting lineup

C Luke Heyman, 1B Jac Caglianone, 2B Cade Kurland, SS Colby Shelton, 3B Dale Thomas, LF Tyler Shelnut, CF Jaylen Guy, RF Ty Evans, DH Brody Donay; Starting rotation: LHP Cade Fisher, RHP Liam Peterson, LHP Jac Caglianone. Closer: RHP Brandon Neely.