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O'Sullivan Provides Brief Update on Cade Kurland

The junior second baseman left Tuesday's win over Jacksonville with a shoulder issue in his first appearance since the initial injury and did not play in Wednesday's win over Florida A&M.

Cam Parker

Cade Kurland left Tuesday's game after some concerns regarding his shoulder injury.
Cade Kurland left Tuesday's game after some concerns regarding his shoulder injury. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- After the Florida Gators' 14-4 win over Florida A&M on Wednesday, head coach Kevin O'Sullivan gave a brief update on junior second baseman Cade Kurland, who left Tuesday's win over Jacksonville due to his concerns over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I think he's ok," O'Sullivan said. "Like I said last night, the most important thing is it didn't pop back out. So, we've got a couple of guys who'll throw live to him tomorrow, and we'll see how it feels."

Kurland missed 10 games after suffering a shoulder dislocation while diving for a ball in Florida's 6-3 win over Miami on March 1. He returned for Tuesday's matchup against Jacksonville but left mid at-bat in the third inning after O'Sullivan noticed a grimace as he took a swing.

"Obviously, if (Kurland's shoulder popped out) had been the case, it'd be a totally different situation," O'Sullivan said Tuesday. "I just saw him grimace a little bit on the second swing, and there's no sense of pushing it right there... Maybe it was just a little bit too soon."

Kurland recorded a walk at the plate and had two infield assists before exiting Tuesday's game. On the year, the junior is batting .353 with 12 hits in 34 at-bats, 13 RBIs and three home runs.

Cade Kurland
Cade Kurland made his return after suffering a shoulder injury against Miami at the beginning of March. After recording two assists in the infield, he left the Florida Gators' win with shoulder discomfort. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

In his place, Florida has relied heavily on Brendan Lawson to man second base instead of his usual first base starting spot. The freshman is shining at both spots with a .992 field percentage and has been even more deadly at the plate with a .351 average with 26 RBIs and five home runs.

Lawson has shined in the Gators' two midweek victories with seven RBIs across the wins over Jacksonville and FAMU.

With Lawson moving to second base, the Gators have been relying on transfer Landon Stripling at first base.

The Gators return to Condron Ballpark for a three-game series against Georgia, which begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Streaming coverage can be found on SEC Network+.

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Cam Parker
CAM PARKER

Cam Parker is a contributing writer at AllGators.com of FanNation-Sports Illustrated and is a recent graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. He also covers and broadcasts Alachua County high school sports with The Prep Zone and Mainstreet Daily News. When he isn't writing, he enjoys listening to '70s music such as The Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd, binge-watching shows and playing with his cat, Chester.

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