GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Perfect Game included four Gators in its preseason list of the top-100 juniors in college baseball entering the 2025 season featuring right-handed pitcher Jake Clemente, outfielder Blake Cyr, second baseman Cade Kurland and shortstop Colby Shelton.
As one of nine schools to have at least four players in the rankings, Florida’s contingent was headlined by Clemente at No 59 overall. On his heels at No. 63 was Cyr, followed by Kurland at No. 74 and Shelton at No. 83.
Figuring to bey a key member of the UF rotation, Clemente is fresh off an All-Star summer in the Cape Cod League in which he logged 27 innings with a 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9.7 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9. Prior to that, he delivered a noteworthy redshirt freshman campaign that saw him conclude with a 5.34 ERA, .234 batting average against and 39 strikeouts in 28 2/3 frames.
Entering year one as a Gator, Cyr played in 85 games for Miami from 2023-24 and batted .298/.418/.593 with 24 homers, 15 doubles and 84 RBI. He burst onto the scene with Freshman All-American honors in 2023, slashing .305/.427/.620 highlighted by 17 long balls. Although he missed time due to injury last year, Cyr made a successful defensive transition to left field and managed to produce a strong .933 OPS and seven big flies in just 25 games.
As an everyday starter at the keystone for Florida’s back-to-back College World Series teams, Kurland quickly became a fan favorite after earning First Team All-SEC honors as a freshman by hitting .297/.404/.555 with 17 homers in 67 starts. Although his offensive production took a step back as a sophomore, he gutted through injuries to finish with a gaudy .804 OPS across 62 games. He is again projected to bat in the middle of the Gators lineup.
Another returner expected to hit in the heart of the Gators order, Shelton batted .254/.374/.551 with 20 homers, 14 doubles and 56 RBI in his debut season in Gainesville. Making a successful transition into one of the SEC’s premier defensive shortstops, the Lexington, S.C. native boasts 45 career homers to go along with a .275 batting average and .630 slugging percentage.
Florida opens the 2025 regular season at home on Friday, Feb. 14 against Air Force, hosting the Falcons for a three-game series (Feb. 14-16) for the first time in program history. Season tickets and SEC Five-Pack Mini-Plans are currently on sale now in addition to single-game tickets.
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