Florida baseball has the SEC's most experienced coaching staff as fall ball starts up.
The Gators boast 126 combined years of full-time coaching experience among head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, associate head coach Tom Slater, pitching coach Rich Dorman and assistant coach Todd Butler. Also on staff are director of player development Mike Rivera, director of pitching analytics Michael Byrne and senior performance coach Shawn Burke.
No other SEC staff comes within 30 years of that total. Mississippi State is the next-closest SEC team with 95 years of combined coaching experience. Of Florida's 126 years, 94 come at the Division I level, which also leads the conference by a wide margin. Mississippi State (92) and Ole Miss (85) are the only other programs
within 20 years.
The additions of Butler and Dorman make the difference for Florida. Butler has 35 total years of coaching experience, with 34 coming at the DI level. He's coming off a national championship at Oklahoma, with head-coaching stops at McNeese and Wichita State on his resume. Dorman has 18 years of full-time experience, including 10 as a DI pitching coach. At Oregon State, Dorman led the Beavers to the top of the national leaderboard in ERA and WHIP.
O'Sullivan's track record is among the best in college baseball. He's entering his 20th season in Gainesville and has 35 years of experience, including 32 at the DI level. Florida has never missed the NCAA Tournament in a completed season under O'Sullivan, and the Orange and Blue have nine trips to the College World Series in that time.
Slater joined O'Sullivan's staff last fall, replacing Chuck Jeroloman, who took a position at Tennessee after serving as acting head coach during O'Sullivan's personal leave of absence. Slater has nearly four decades of experience, with 20 years at the professional level and 18 in Division I.
As Florida embarks on its quest to extend its nation-leading 18-year NCAA Tournament streak, it has an experienced staff in place to get the job done. The Gators added elite talent on both sides of the ball, and all but one member of Florida's 2026 recruiting class made it to campus.
There's no shortage of experience on Florida's staff when it comes to reaching the top of college baseball. With 31 more combined years of coaching experience than any other staff in the SEC, the Gators will enter the 2027 season with a veteran group leading the way.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida baseball's veteran coaching staff stands alone in the SEC
