Report: Gators Baseball Losing 5 Players in Transfer Portal

Five players reportedly entered the transfer portal for Florida Gators baseball on Sunday, June 23.

Florida pitcher Alex Philpott / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA

Florida Gators baseball took a big hit with the transfer portal this weekend. Five Florida players, including four pitchers, entered the transfer portal Sunday afternoon, per 64Analytics and Swamp247’s Jacob Rudner.

Those pitchers included Alex Philpott, Reilly Witmer, Robert Satin, and Jacob Gomberg. Outfielder Blake Brookins was the fifth Gators player reportedly entering the portal.

All five players just finished their freshmen season and were a part of the 2023 recruiting class that head coach Kevin O’Sullivan brought to campus this past year. 

Of these portal entries, the most surprising was Philpott due to the potential he flashed on the mound. 

A 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher from Tampa, FL, Philpott was rated as the No.12 right-handed pitcher and No. 37 overall player in Florida by Perfect Game. 

He made 14 appearances (3 starts) and threw 30 innings throughout the season for the Gators. Philpott held a 6.90 ERA, striking out 28 batters and walking 16. 

The righty even made an appearance in the College World Series against Kentucky, where he threw 2 shutout innings and struck out three. 

The other four players reportedly entering the portal for Florida are far less shocking. All had little to no work on the mound or in the batter’s box in 2024.

Satin made the most appearances of the other three pitchers entering the portal for Florida. A 6-foot-3 lefty, Satin is from Plant High School in Tampa, FL, which is the same high school that produced Gators first baseman Jac Caglianone.

Satin made 10 appearances out of the bullpen in 2024, posting a 1-0 record and 4.00 ERA across 10 innings. But he struggled with his control, walking 12 batters and striking out 8.

Next, Witmer, who stands at 6-foot-4 righty, is a Naples, FL., native. He only made four short appearances out of the bullpen, pitching just 2.1 innings. 

A 5-foot-10 left-hander, Gomberg made one appearance this past season, which came against Columbia in February. He pitched one inning, giving up two earned runs and striking out two. 

Lastly, Brookins had minimal at-bats throughout the 2024 campaign. Pinch hitting in just seven games, Brookins managed one walk and struck out twice. 

The freshman outfielder only appeared in seven games despite being a highly-rated recruit out of Miami Palmetto High School down in Palmetto Bay, FL. The 6-foot-5 outfielder was ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 38 outfielder and No. 210 overall player nationally. 

These five Gators join Grayson Smith, Landon Russell, Hunter Jones, John Martinez and Sammy Mummau in the transfer portal. 

The Gators, though, have also benefited from the transfer portal. Florida has landed five transfer portal commits. 

Florida holds current commitments from former Samford pitcher Michael Ross, former Miami utility player Blake Cyr, former Jacksonville infielder Justin Nadeau, former Texas Tech infielder Landon Stripling and former Stetson outfielder Kyle Jones.

In what looks to be a major retooling of the roster, O’Sullivan seems focused on bringing in experienced players while allowing the young players from the Florida 2024 roster to search for new opportunities.