Florida Gators Add Pitcher from Clemson to Kevin O'Sullivan's Arsenal

The Florida Gators have been busy on the recruiting trail since their College World Series run.

The Florida Gators are adding former Clemson Tigers pitcher Billy Barlow to the fold. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former Clemson Tigers right-handed pitcher Billy Barlow announced Friday morning he's committed to Kevin O'Sullivan and the Florida Gators. Barlow had 10 starts during his sophomore year, recording a 6-1 record and 4.28 ERA in 48 ⅓ innings. He accumulated 42 strikeouts and surrendered 23 earned runs. 

Let’s work! 🐊 pic.twitter.com/sSc8KQP1yp

— Billy Barlow (@Barlow10Billy) June 28, 2024

Barlow is the sixth player Kevin O’Sullivan has added via the transfer portal, and he joins Michael Ross, Blake Cyr, Justin Nadeau, Landon Stripling and Kyle Jones. He is the second pitcher to transfer to UF, as Ross, the former Samford pitcher and Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year, committed to Florida Saturday. 

Barlow is set to join a staff consisting of multiple-young arms coming off of a poor season as a unit. Florida’s pitching finished 152nd in the country in ERA at 6.05. Though the staff vastly improved down the stretch of the season, one of the main reason the Gators found themselves in Omaha. 

Liam Peterson will return next season after an impressive freshman year. Despite struggling in the beginning of conference play, Peterson was Florida’s go-to starter during the latter half of the year but struggled in the Super Regional and College World Series. 

This summer, Peterson will play for the U.S. Collegiate National Team getting impressive experience facing intense competition. 

Peterson, Barlow and Ross may compete for the starting weekend rotation. But arms like Jake Clemente, Cade Fisher and Christian Rodriguez may also compete for starting roles. Regardless, Florida’s pitching will be more experienced and deeper than this past season, a relieving sign for Florida fans. 

So far, UF has had 11 players enter the transfer portal including Super Regional hero Michael Robertson. He’s the biggest Gator to enter the portal so far after O’Sullivan acquired Cyr and Jones, who will likely start in the outfield next season. And with the possibility of Ty Evans returning, Robertson may have not seen a place for himself in the starting lineup. 

After being one of the final four teams in the College World Series, Florida will look to improve on an up-and-down regular season and look to be more consistent in 2025.