Pierce Coppola added to Florida Gators SEC roster vs South Carolina
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators will have a new pitcher on the 27-man roster this weekend in redshirt sophomore lefty Pierce Coppola. Putting Coppola on the roster this weekend means he is eligible to pitch for the Gators for the first time in 2024. Kevin O’Sullivan has yet to determine how or when he will use Coppola this weekend.
Coppola will be on a strict pitch count when he does make his season debut, which we anticipate to happen this weekend.
Coppola last pitched for the Gators during opening weekend in 2022. He came out strong in his first-career start, posting the most strikeouts (seven) by a Florida pitcher in his debut since 2011.
His 2022 season ended after just that one appearance due to back surgery. Coppola made a full recovery and was on the way back to the mound in 2023 before a shoulder injury put him back on the shelf for that entire season.
He continued to work through rehabilitation and bullpen throwing program as the season began in February. Coppola has thrown to live batters multiple times in preparation for his return to the mound this year and has been up to 99 MPH on the mound.
“We always thought that probably the second half (of the SEC schedule) would probably be. I don’t want to put a timeline on it. He can have a setback. He could be a week ahead or a week behind. That’s certainly the goal, the second half of SEC play,” O’Sullivan said of Coppola.
Florida will host South Carolina this weekend for their fifth SEC weekend series, marking the official halfway point of conference play.
What Pierce Coppola brings to the Florida Gators
The 6-8 left-hander has first-round MLB potential when he’s healthy. Coppola made just one start — on Sunday of the opening weekend in 2021 as a true freshman. He allowed five hits over 4.1 innings and two earned runs while fanning seven hitters.
Due to his injury history (back and shoulder), the plan for bringing him back would most likely be as a starting pitcher. That would allow Coppola to know when he is pitching and get a normal warm-up in. Asking him to come out of the bullpen, when the situations and warm-up times can vary greatly depending on the game or situation isn’t something the coaching staff is interested in. If healthy, Coppola would be a welcome addition to a rotation — midweek or weekend — that is still looking to find its footing.
Projected Pitching matchups for Florida vs South Carolina
Pitching Matchups
| Friday | 6:30 ET (SECN+) | Saturday | 4 ET (SECN+) | Sunday | 12 ET (SECN) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | RHP Eli Jones (2-1, 3.89 ERA) | RHP Ty Good (4-0, 1.93 ERA) | LHP Matthew Becker (4-1, 3.38 ERA) |
| Florida | RHP Brandon Neely (1-0, 5.18 ERA) | TBA | LHP Jac Caglianone (3-0, 3.67 ERA) |
