Gator Rebirth! Kevin O'Sullivan brings new hope to Titletown

The 2005 College World Series was supposed to be a turning point for a program mired in mediocrity for so long.  That was what Pat McMahon was supposed to do when he was hired at the Head Baseball Coach at the University of Florida in 2001.  A tough loss in the finals to an admittedly better Texas team did little to squash expectations in 2006, as the Gators opened up the new season as the consensus #1 team in Americaand nothing but clear sailing back to the College World Series.  Two years later, and two long stays at home from the NCAA tournament, much less the CWS, resulted in the firing of McMahon.

Jermey Foley, Athletic Director of the University of Florida, went to work immediately on finding a new coach to once again attempt to bring Gator baseball to prominence.  Any independent observer of the team over McMahon's final years could identify two key areas that needed improvement; the passion and energy the players played with on a nightly basis, and the talent needed to compete in a rugged SEC.

Jermey Foley quickly identified a coach that could do both of those in Kevin O'Sullivan.  While his name carried little recognition in comparison to Urban Meyer and Billy Donavan, O'Sullivan's name was highly regarded in college baseball. A native of South Florida, O'Sullivan had helped shape the pitcher's and catchers at Clemson University into one of the most feared battery's in the nation.  He also acted as recruiting coordinator attracting one top flight recruit after another.

Coach O'Sullivan jumped at the chance to return to his home state and take his first Head Coach position, and he went to work immediately.  He took the .500 team he was given and turned them into a winning ball club completing the 2008 season 10 games over .500 including a series win against highly ranked UGA and key big game victories over top ranked in-state rivals University of Miami and Florida State University.  With out a doubt his got the most of his players, increasing their dedication to getting better in the off-season, and drive to win.  His knack for attracting superb talent continued getting highly regarded pitcher Tommy Toledo (#117 MLB draft pick out of Tampa, FL) and Freshman All-American Josh Adams (.330/.430/.536 Jacksonville, FL).

Gator fans can look forward to a bright future under Coach O'Sullivan as he attempts to bring another NCAA title to Gainesville.  While winning is never guaranteed, one thing is for certain: O'Sullivan will not stop pushing till the Gator's are back on top.