6. Florida Gators
Coming off a 38-22 season in which the Gators finished 17-13 in SEC Baseball play and hosted a regional, Florida returns a younger team in 2022, but still one that should be among the top-half of the conference.
Among the returning players for Florida are one of the SEC’s top power hitters in outfielder Jud Fabian (20 home runs in 2021), while Colby Halter, Sterlin Thompson, Josh Rivera, and Kendrick Calilao also return. In the rotation, Hunter Barco and Garrett Milchin also return, while Brandon Sproat will also likely play a bigger role.
While the Gators do return talent, Florida will also have to replace a few key names such as Nathan Hickey, Kirby McMullen, Jacob Young, Tommy Mace, and more. Because of this, the Gators will have a younger team in 2022, but have plenty of talent and depth to make up for it.
Coastal Carolina transfer BT Riopelle could takeover as the Gators catcher, while other true freshman such as Ty Evans, Deric Fabian, Carsten Finnvold, and more will all likely play key roles as well, especially in the bullpen.
Pitching will be key for Florida this season, in particular the bullpen, but the Gators have the talent and depth that will likely emerge. Florida will be one of the better teams in the SEC once again this season, and should return to postseason play, likely hosting a regional, if not more.