Florida baseball announces Kevin O’Sullivan’s return after leave of absence
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Kevin O’Sullivan is back with the Florida baseball team, UF announced Wednesday. O’Sullivan took a leave of absence on Oct. 22, saying he needed time away to address personal and family issues.
“I want to thank the University and athletic department for their support,” O’Sullivan said in a statement released via UF. “I am excited to be back and am ready to get to work with our team as we prepare for the upcoming 2026 season.”
Head Baseball Coach Kevin O'Sullivan Returns to Program
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) December 17, 2025
: https://t.co/qCYkXnr5kA pic.twitter.com/svS3QqwA8q
When O’Sullivan took leave, Chuck Jeroloman took over as the interim head coach. Jeroloman, however, left before the end of October to become the associate head coach at Tennessee, reuniting with Josh Elander, who took over as Vols head coach after Tony Vitello’s departure to become an MLB manager.
O’Sullivan heads into his 19th season leading Gator baseball. His staff is set up of associate head coach Tom Slater, assistant coach Taylor Black and pitching coach David Kopp. Slater, 57, was previously an assistant at Florida in 2004 and the head coach for Auburn from 2005 to 2008. Before returning to Gainesville, he was in the Philadelphia Phillies organization as a hitting coach with the Reading Phillies.
Florida has a 756-371 record under O’Sullivan, reaching 17 straight NCAA Tournaments. The Gators open the 2026 on Feb. 13 against UAB. but O’Sullivan will be serving a suspension during the season-opening series for his actions during the Conway Regional at Coastal Carolina.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
