Gators Baseball Lands Two Players in the Transfer Portal

The Florida Gators baseball team landed two transfers on Tuesday, securing commitments from former Oregon State left-handed pitcher Trey Morris and Utah Tech infielder Kyle McDaniel, GatorCountry’s Nick Marcinko and Baseball America’s Jacob Rudner reported on social media.

Morris just produced a stellar freshman campaign in Corvallis in 2026. In 16 appearances (eight starts), he finished with a 7-0 record and posted a 1.98 ERA in 59 innings pitched. His ERA was top-10 nationally, and he ranked first in the country in WHIP (0.83). Additionally, he produced a 67-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio and held opponents to a .166 batting average against.

The rising sophomore ended his first season in the college ranks on a hot stretch, too. In his final six outings, Morris recorded five victories and posted a 1.38 ERA while striking out 37 batters. That includes two games fanning at least nine batters.

As a result of his dominant year on the mound, Morris earned Perfect Game and NCBWA Freshman All-American honors.

With Liam Peterson and Russell Sandefer both touted to head to the next level, adding Morris to the roster is even more important for the Gators. Based on his end-of-the-year run, he is likely to be part of the weekend rotation for the Gators.

Moreover, he is a lefty, which is an area the Gators clearly lacked this past season and that Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan wants to bring in this summer. Moreover, He is the first pitcher to commit to the Gators since the program hired pitching coach Rich Dorman, who also coached Morris at Oregon State.

McDaniel, like Morris, had a strong season in 2026. He ended his junior campaign hitting .340, with seven homers, 17 doubles and 52 RBI in 59 games. He also earned 43 walks while striking out just 27 times. He is likely to fill the second base opening left by former Gator Cade Kurland.

There is one concern for McDaniel. He is draft-eligible for the 2026 MLB Draft. So, the Gators will have to hope he decides against starting his professional career early for a year in Gainesville.

Florida is now up to four transfers with Morris and McDaniel joining the Gators transfer class. These two join former Jacksonville State right-handed pitcher Maddox McDougall and former Florida Gulf Coast catcher Jon Embury III.

It is expected to be a busy offseason for the Gators this summer. Several players have already entered their names into the transfer portal, and more could depart through the MLB Draft.

There are currently nine former Gators in the portal. RHP Matthew Jenkins, RHP Cooper Moss, RHP Christian Rodriguez, RHP Cooper Walls, LHP McCall Biemiller, LHP Eli Blair, INF Cade Kurland, INF Kolt Myers and OF Blake Brookins are all looking for or have found a new place to call home next season.

For those vying to start their professional careers early, five have received invites to the MLB draft combine. Those five are OF Kyle Jones, Peterson, Sandefer, RHP Luke McNeillie and INF Ethan Surowiec.

The transfer portal officially closes on June 30, but the deadline for drafted players to return to school is July 27 at 5 p.m.

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