A fresh wave of arms
The Florida Gators baseball program is set to welcome two Oregon State Beavers pitchers who have already made a splash in the collegiate ranks. Left‑hander Zach Edwards and right‑hander Trey Morris have signed on for the upcoming season, adding depth to a rotation that has been reshaped by a flurry of transfers.
Edwards arrives after a 2026 campaign in which he logged 25.2 innings, struck out 37 batters and posted a 5.61 ERA. His repertoire features a cutter that sits in the mid‑90s, touching 99 mph, and a mid‑80s slider that has proven effective at generating swing‑and‑misses.
Morris, meanwhile, closed his debut season with the Beavers by going 5‑0 with a 1.38 ERA over 32.2 innings, fanning 37 batters while walking only nine and surrendering just 20 hits in his final six appearances.
The Gators have also added four other newcomers — right‑hander Maddox McDougall from Jacksonville State, catcher Jon Embury III from Florida Gulf Coast, infielder Kyle McDaniel from Utah Tech and utility player John Martinez from Florida Atlantic University — bringing the total number of transfers this week to six for the program.
Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan has said the staff is actively pursuing a left‑handed pitcher and a middle‑of‑the‑order bat to round out the lineup, while also monitoring the draft decisions of several key players who have entered the portal.
Ten Gators have already filed their names in the transfer portal, including LSU‑bound infielder Cade Kurland and Georgia‑committed right‑hander Cooper Walls. The program is awaiting draft outcomes for pitchers Liam Peterson, Russell Sandefer and Luke McNeillie, as well as outfielder Kyle Jones and infielder Ethan Surowiec, before the portal closes on June 30.
With the 2026 MLB Draft set to begin on July 11 and the deadline for players to return to college looming on July 27, the Gators are positioning themselves to blend fresh talent with experienced returnees as they aim to stay competitive in the SEC.