GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators have earned the No. 11 spot in Perfect Game’s 2025 preseason rankings following their second straight trip to the Men’s College World Series.
While Perfect Game’s rankings are not the standard for college baseball, they mark the first national preseason list for the season. The official D1Baseball rankings, which are widely recognized in the sport, will be released in February.
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) dominates the preseason rankings, with 10 teams making the list. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) follows with six teams. The top 25 teams SEC
include of the No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 2 LSU, No. 4 Georgia, No. 5 Tennessee, No. 7 Texas, No. 13 Arkansas, No. 15 Vanderbilt, No. 20 Oklahoma, and No. 22 Auburn.
Florida returns 17 players from last season’s College World Series team, including five positional starters: designated hitter/catcher Brody Donay, outfielder Ty Evans, catcher Luke Heyman, second baseman Cade Kurland, and shortstop Colby Shelton. Postseason standout Ashton Wilson and rising sophomore outfielder Hayden Yost are expected to make a significant impact in their second year with the team.
The Gators return nine pitchers, including projected ace Liam Peterson, southpaw Pierce Coppola, right-hander Jake Clemente, and righty Luke McNeillie. The first three are likely to be starters, with McNeillie, lefty Frank Menendez, right-hander Alex Philpott, and Clemson transfer Billy Barlow filling out the bullpen.
Florida added several key transfers for the 2025 season, including Bobby Boser (USF), Blake Cyr (Miami), Kyle Jones (Stetson), Justin Nadeau (Jacksonville), and Landon Stripling (Texas Tech). Cyr and Jones are expected to start in the outfield alongside Evans, while Boser, after three strong seasons at USF, is projected to take most of the starts at third base.
The Gators will begin their 2025 season at home on Friday, February 14, against Air Force. This will be the Falcons’ first three-game series in Gainesville (February 14-16).
