The Florida Gators and head coach Kevin O’Sullivan have added two great assistants to their coaching staff in preparation for the 2027 college baseball season.
World Baseball Network takes a look at the two newest additions to Florida’s coaching staff, who will be working with O’Sullivan.
Florida adds Oregon State pitching coach Rich Dorman
After seven years coaching pitching with the Oregon State Beavers, Rich Dorman is heading to Gainesville to join Florida’s coaching staff as the pitching coach for the Gators.
In 2026, Dorman coached Oregon State into possibly the best pitching team in all of college baseball. The Beavers ranked first in the country in team ERA (3.22), hits per nine innings (6.94), and WHIP (1.14). Oregon State was also top five in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.55) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.8).
Before Oregon State, Dorman was with the Grand Canyon Antelopes, where he was also a pitching coach from 2017 to 2019, and he spent some time with the Seattle Mariners organization from 2009 to 2016.
Dorman is replacing Florida’s former pitching coach, David Kopp, who was with the Gators for five seasons.
Gators add Oklahoma assistant coach Todd Butler
Along with Dorman, Florida is also expected to bring along Oklahoma assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Todd Butler. He will replace former Florida assistant coach Taylor Black, who was with the Gators for four seasons. Black is heading to be a part of N.C. State’s coaching staff.
Butler just wrapped up his third season with the Sooners in 2026. He was a part of a team that won the college baseball national championship. It was the first national title for Oklahoma since 1994 and the third one in program history.
Butler has been in the baseball coaching buisness for nearly 30 years. He was a head coach at Wichita State and McNeese State and then became a coach and a recruiter for many Southeastern Conference (SEC) programs, including Alabama, Arkansas, and Missouri.
According to Gators Online, Butler has put together a total of 10 top-10 recruiting classes during his time as a recruiting coordinator in the SEC.
Season Results for the Gators in 2026
In 2026, the Florida Gators finished with a 41-21 overall record and an 18-12 record in SEC play. They were the number eight national seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and hosted a regional at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville.
Florida has been to 18-straight NCAA Tournaments, dating back to 2008.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan meets with officials before an NCAA baseball game against Texas A&M on Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
