What Florida Baseball Players Think of Interim HC Tom Slater, Taking on Leadership Roles

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators baseball program has had anything but stability this offseason, with head coach Kevin O'Sullivan suddenly taking a leave of absence and associate head coach Chuck Jeroloman, who was named the interim, departing for Tennessee.

As a result, Florida's players are turning to each other for consistency, while turning to a new face in Tom Slater as the interim head coach.

Slater, once an assistant at Florida in 2004, joined the program this offseason after a long stint across the Major and Minor Leagues, which came after a four-year stint as Auburn's head coach from 2005-08.

"I don't have enough good things to say about him," senior infielder Cade Kurland said. "Very laid back and very professional. We get our work in with him for sure."

In Florida's two seven-inning exhibitions against Georgia Southern, Slater took a step back and watched the team rather than play an active role. Still, his presence as a longtime coach at both the Major and Minor League levels was felt.

"He's awesome. He's got a professional approach," pitcher Luke McNeillie said after the exhibition against Georgia Southern. "Today, he just sat back and wanted to watch us play because he hasn't really been here for too long, but he's been awesome. He's been a great help so far."

But while Slater gets acclimated, Florida's veterans have elevated their leadership. McNeillie and Liam Peterson, two of the longest-tenured Gators, have stepped up as the faces of the pitching staff. They even had to step in briefly as coaches, McNeillie said, with pitching coach David Kopp welcoming a baby to his family at the beginning of fall ball.

Florida pitcher Luke McNeillie has taken on a leadership role on the Gators' pitching staff with Liam Peterson. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"The biggest goal, I want to be a leader for the pitching staff," McNeillie said. "I mean, me and Liam are pretty much the two oldest kids that we have that have been here for a while. Us two being roommates together, we've been trying to lead by example and help out with the younger guys and the new guys."

Meanwhile, Kurland is the most veteran player on Florida's roster as the lone player left from the runner-up finish at the College World Series in 2023.

"I kind of always thought that I lead by example the way I put my work in day in and day out, but there's definitely a role nowadays that—I've seen the way this program is at its best, and I know how it's supposed to look," Kurland said. "There's definitely a time where you need to let people know this his how you do this and do that."

Florida Gators second baseman Cade Kurland is the only player left from 2023's runner-up finish in the College World Series. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustratedd

While the constant change happens in the program, the players are making sure to keep things as consistent as possible, McNeillie said.

"We still have the same goal," he explained. "We're still trying to get to Omaha, win it all. I would say our team has definitely gotten closer. We've all come together and just grown with all the chaos outside of the locker room."

That consistency includes keeping true to Florida's gritty brand of baseball, evidenced in the second exhibition against Georgia Southern. The Gators erased a 6-1 deficit for an 11-6 win. Relief pitching, while not perfect, kept the Eagles at bay, while the Gator bats came alive in the middle innings.

Kurland hit a home run to tie the game, finishing 2-for-5 with the solo shot, a triple and three RBIs across the two scrimmages. The Gators now enter the post-fall stretch of the offseason, hoping to carry over the strong fall performance into the regular season while continuing to weather the uncontrollable.

"The program's made up of the players we have and the brand of baseball we play. We play hard, and we show up every day, keep our head down, and we compete," Kurland said. "That's all there is to it."

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