Florida

Florida baseball opens 2025 season with Air Force

Published

1 year ago

February 14, 2025

Florida baseball opens 2025 season with Air Force

Baseball season has returned, and the Florida Gators open the 2025 campaign with a three-game series against the Air Force Falcons at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, starting Friday.

Kevin O’Sullivan is looking to lead his program to a third-straight College World Series appearance, but the team looks much different than it did last June. Jac Caglianone is in the minor leagues, only five members of the starting lineup are returners and there’s a new crop of freshmen to fill out the bullpen.

As always, hopes are high in Gainesville, but last year proved that it doesn’t take a strong regular season record for a team to be competitive down the stretch. The SEC schedule could get rough, but opening the year against Air Force should allow the Gators to find their footing.

Projected Starting Lineup: Florida Gators

Pos.	Player Name	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	HR	RBI
C	Luke Heyman	.246	.342	.481	264	46	65	16	52
1B	Brendan Lawson	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2B	Cade Kurland	.245	.346	.457	245	51	60	14	44
3B	Bobby Boser	.299	.351	.667	117	28	35	12	32
SS	Colby Shelton	.254	.374	.551	256	60	65	20	56
LF	Blake Cyr	.847	.397	.537	95	22	27	7	21
CF	Kyle Jones	.355	.459	.476	248	53	88	5	32
RF	Ty Evans	.316	.406	.580	193	44	61	13	43
DH	Brody Donay	.250	.329	.520	152	28	38	12	27

Notes: All stats are from last year.

Probable Starters: Friday (6:30 p.m. ET)

Team	Pitcher	Record	ERA
FLORIDA	RHP Liam Peterson	3-6	6.43
AIR FORCE	RHP Dylan Rogers	5-5	7.49

NOTES:

Liam Peterson is back in the Friday night role for Florida after moving around the weekend rotation as a freshman. Although his numbers leave something to be desired, there’s optimism that he’ll be a true ace this year for the Gators. Peterson’s fastball can run into the high-90s and his breaking stuff (curve/slider) is devastating. Peterson also works in a changeup. He’s looking to simplify his delivery this year in hopes of better results. Avoiding the “big inning” is key.

Dylan Rogers was a part of the weekend rotation a year ago at Air Force but saw limited success, similar to Peterson. Now he’s the team ace and is looking to complete the puzzle. His slider has been a work in progress and is leading to more strikeouts and fewer walks. He’s also improved his flyball percentage, but that could work against him with a power-heavy lineup like Florida.

Probable Starters: Saturday (4 p.m. EDT)

Team	Pitcher	Record	ERA
FLORIDA	RHP Jake Clemente	2-0	5.34
AIR FORCE	RHP Gaines Estridge	1-0	8.10

NOTES: Redshirt sophomore Jake Clemente moves into the Saturday spot this year for Florida after a breakout summer in the Cape Cod League. Another player Gators Wire is familiar with from the high school circuit, Clemente has the mental makeup and stuff to thrive in the starting rotation.

“91-93 fastball, topped 94,” said Clemente’s high school pitching coach Michael Cimilluca. “Slider sits 79-82 and is a sweeping wipeout pitch that draws lots of swings and misses. 82-84 changeup with good run.”

That fastball might be able to touch the mid-90s at this point, but it’s the secondary stuff that’s going to lead to success as a starter.

Gaines Estridge made 23 appearances out of the bullpen for Air Force last year. His 8.10 ERA as a freshman is a bit high for a starter, but that’s the roster the Falcons have to work with. He has decent command of his fastball and secondary, but a 10.9% strikeout rate says there’s not a ton of swing-and-miss there.

Probable Starters: Sunday (1 p.m. EDT)

Team	Pitcher	Record	ERA
FLORIDA	LHP Pierce Coppola	1-4	8.75
AIR FORCE	RHP John Mitchell	DNP	DNP

NOTES: Pierce Coppola has been a draft darling for some time, but he hasn’t played a full season of baseball in years. injuries plagued all three of his collegiate seasons with Florida, but now he’s healthy to start the season. Coppola posted a ridiculous 31.3% strikeout rate last season over 23 2/3 innings. For a 6-foot-7 guy, a fastball in the low-90s may seem slow, but he paired it with a mid-to-high-70s slider that draws a 40-50% whiff rate.

Air Force will throw freshman John Mitchell on Sunday. On the travel circuit, Mitchell threw a high-80s fastball that reached 92 at times, an 87-mph curve and an 84-mph slider.

Other Players to Watch

Air Force’s roster went through a lot of churn this offseason, and the expectation is a rebuilding season for the Falcons. Still, there are some returning names worth knowing, including right fielder Zach Peters, who batted .290 and had a .830 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, and designated hitter Tripp Garrish (.289/.881).

Dawson Thrush is a freshman to keep an eye. Gators Wire got a first-hand look at him last year with Dwyer High School during its state championship run. Thrush was a key member of the Dwyer lineup and rotation.

Series History

OVERALL	0-0
AT HOME	0-0
AWAY	0-0
NEUTRAL	0-0

NOTES: Florida has never played Air Force on the baseball diamond before.

Follow the Action

FRIDAY (6:30 p.m. EDT)

SATURDAY (4 p.m. EDT)

SUNDAY (12 p.m. EDT)

* Watch links go directly to game feed

Predictions

GAME 1: Florida, 9-2

GAME 2: Florida, 13-3

GAME 3: Florida, 10-0

The pitching matchups in this series favor Florida as the weekend carries on. Because there are so many new faces in the lineup, I expect the offense to click at the same rate, putting the run rule victories into play. It’s a new season, so expectations are high and there’s not much negative to go off of.

Series prediction: Florida sweeps the series convincingly, 3-0.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

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Florida

Florida man accused of firing into family’s SUV during miles-long road rage chase

Published

4 hours ago

May 2, 2026

Press Room

Florida man accused of firing into family’s SUV during miles-long road rage chase

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida gunman allegedly hunted down a family on the road, firing into their SUV with a child inside in a miles-long road rage fueled pursuit.

Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office say they responded to a 911 call at 3:14 p.m. Wednesday near Highway 92 and Wiggins Road, where a man, later identified as 33-year-old Nicolas Totherow, was reportedly following a family in an SUV and firing at them.

According to an HCSO news release, the caller told dispatch that one of the four people in the vehicle was a child and stayed on the line as the situation unfolded. Investigators say Totherow continued following the family northbound on Park Road before both vehicles entered Interstate 4. He allegedly kept firing as the pursuit moved eastbound on I-4, ending when the victims exited at County Line Road.

See also: Wasserman Schultz says she’ll run again despite tough districts created by Republican map

The victims were located shortly after and confirmed that their vehicle had been struck multiple times by gunfire, shattering the windshield, rear window, and even reporting that one bullet had gone through the seat where they child was located.

At 6 p.m., deputies say they located Totherow through investigative efforts, recovered his firearm, and took him in custody. During an interview, he allegedly admitted to firing multiple rounds at the victims’ vehicle and stated he intended to kill the driver.

Totherow was subsequently booked into Hillsborough County Jail for counts of:

Attempted Murder in the First Degree Premeditated Firearm – Discharge
Aggravated Battery Great Bodily Harm Firearm – Discharge (x4)
Discharge Firearm from a Vehicle
Shooting at Within or Into a Vehicle
Armed Possession of Controlled Substance
Driving While License Canceled, Suspended, or Revoked

“This reckless and violent behavior put multiple innocent lives at risk on our roadways,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Thanks to the quick actions of our Communications Center and the coordinated response of our deputies and detectives, this suspect was taken into custody before anyone was killed. We will not tolerate violence in our community.”

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The investigation is ongoing, anyone with information is urged to contact HCSO at 813-247-8200.

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Florida

Florida’s most-eroded beach needs help. Will T-groins work?

Published

16 hours ago

May 2, 2026

Press Room

Florida’s most-eroded beach needs help. Will T-groins work?

Army Corps and St. Lucie County spent $15 million on placing new sand on Fort Pierce Jetty Park beach.

The Army Corps of Engineers and St. Lucie County are working on a new solution to fix Florida’s most-eroded beach.

Here are 5 things to know about the T-groin project:

They plan to place a half-dozen T-groins at the Fort Pierce Jetty Park beach by 2030.
T-groins are designed to reduce wave energy and trap sand, but the county did not cite any data or studies that prove they will work.
The groins, which are typically like rock jetties, will run perpendicular from the dune line with the T part in the ocean.
The Army Corps said the two biological opinions it received “resolved” the state’s environmental concerns about sea turtle nesting and other impacts, so the project is moving forward.
The Army Corps and county plan to split the $900,000 cost.

Fixing Florida’s most-eroded beach in Fort Pierce

Fort Pierce Jetty Park costs taxpayers about $15 million every two years for beach restoration projects to replace lost sand, the Army Corps said during an April 28 ribbon-cutting ceremony for its latest effort. St. Lucie County officials hope the T-groins will reduce the need to add new sand to every four years instead of every two year.

Sand has been placed at the Jetty Park beach 14 times since 1971, said Joshua Revord, St. Lucie County Department of Port, Inlet & Beaches director.

The current project, expected to be complete by mid-May, is placing 400,000 cubic yards of sand on a one-mile stretch from the jetty south, according to Col. Brandon Bowman.

Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s environment reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.

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Florida

DeSantis reappoints three trustees to TSC board. Here’s who they are

Published

1 day ago

May 1, 2026

Press Room

DeSantis reappoints three trustees to TSC board. Here’s who they are

Tallahassee State College’s District Board of Trustees is keeping three of its current members after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent reappointments.

TSC board chair and longtime member Eugene Lamb as well as trustees Karen Moore and Sara Bayliss will remain on the college’s board after being reappointed by the governor May 1.

At the same time, Moore was reappointed to the board by DeSantis less than five months ago in December 2025 during the same time of Bayliss’ initial appointment. Trustees are usually appointed to four-year terms at a time before being considered for reappointment. The timing of the reappointments is unclear, a TSC spokesperson said.

Moore’s reappointment comes after she has served as a trustee at TSC since 2007 when she was first appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist followed by reappointments by former Gov. Rick Scott and DeSantis.

The CEO and founder of The Moore Agency currently serves as chair of the Florida College System Foundation Board of Directors and is a member of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She is also founder and chair at Tallahassee Collegiate Academy (TCA), which is the college’s STEM-based charter school on its campus.

Bayliss is a college admissions advisor at St. John Paul II Catholic High School in Tallahassee and a counselor at Game Plan College Admissions Counseling. The Florida State University alumna earned her bachelor’s degree in management information systems and French from the University of Iowa and her master’s degree in business administration from FSU.

Regarding Lamb’s reappointment, it comes as he is currently serving in his fifth non-consecutive term as chair of the board. Lamb, a Midway native and army veteran who had a 33-year career of working with youth as a teacher and coach, first joined the college’s board in 2007 after being appointed by Crist. Since then, he has been reappointed to five consecutive terms by Scott and DeSantis.

In addition, Lamb – who’s well known and celebrated by the TSC community for laying bricks for the first buildings on the college campus as a young man – was named Trustee of the Year in 2024 by the American Association of Community Colleges, which honored his leadership and service.

All reappointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.

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