Gators INF Ethan Surowiec Re-Signs with Florida Victorious

Florida Gators infielder Ethan Surowiec has elected to return to the program for the 2027 season, should he ultimately decide to exit the 2026 MLB Draft pool.

The news was first announced by Florida Victorious, the program's official NIL partner, on Monday.

10 IS BACK! Surowiec’s staying in the Swamp. 🐊 pic.twitter.com/Sq6BxP3YZH
— Florida Victorious (@Fl_Victorious) June 29, 2026

Surowiec will return for his second season at Florida after transferring from Ole Miss. He led Florida's qualifying players in batting average (.317, tied with Kyle Jones) and in RBIs (63), while hitting 12 home runs. He will have three years of eligibility remaining after the NCAA's new "five-for-five" ruling.

Surowiec is now the fifth announced return by Florida Victorious, although he remains in the 2026 MLB Draft pool at the time of publishing. Last week, the organization announced that pitchers Aidan King, Jackson Barberi and Joshua Whritenour, and shortstop Brendan Lawson will all be returning to the program for the 2027 season.

Those four are not eligible for the 2026 MLB Draft.

Florida is still waiting on MLB Draft decisions from outfielder Kyle Jones, two-way player Caden McDonald and pitchers Russell Sandefer and Luke McNeillie. No matter what, though, head coach Kevin O'Sullivan is confident in his returning players.

"We’ve got a really good nucleus," he said after the season-ending loss to Troy. "Aidan King is back. We got Lawson back. We got Jaden Bastian back, who’s been injured the entire year... (Landon Stripling) -is back. And there’s some other good players. Like Cash Strayer hasn’t played a whole lot. He’s a middle of the order bat. But to answer your question, I do feel good about it."

Additionally, the Gators have been active in the NCAA Transfer Portal, adding five players to the roster. Oregon State lefty Trey Morris, Oregon State righty Zach Edwards, Florida Gulf Coast catcher Jon Embury III, Jacksonville State righty Maddox McDougall, Utah Tech infielder Kyle McDaniel and FAU infielder John Martinez have all joined the program for next season.

Morris is poised for a starting role should Sandefer ultimately leave the program and will likely be Florida's top lefty next season. Embury III is poised to start after Florida lost Karson Bowen and Cole Stanford to graduation. McDaniel and Martinez, a former Gator himself, seem likely compete for a spot in the infield after Cade Kurland's transfer to LSU.

Florida is also among the final three schools for star Oregon transfer Naulivou Lauaki Jr., who also has Georgia and Texas A&M among his final schools. He will announce his decision on Monday afternoon.

The NCAA Transfer Portal closes on June 30, with the 2026 MLB Draft beginning on July 11. The deadline for drafted players to return to college is July 27.

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