On Thursday, Florida catcher Luke Heyman suffered a forearm fracture against the Alabama Crimson Tide when he was hit by a pitch in the first inning, putting an end to his 2025 season.
Heyman was hitting his stride this season for the Gators. He had a .301 batting average with an on-base percentage of .397. His 13 home runs this season made him a reliable power bat for the Florida offense. He also had 44 RBI and was on-pace to set a career-high.
Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan spoke with The Gainesville Sun and other media members after the game about his catcher’s season-ending injury.
“Everybody is disappointed for him,” O’Sullivan said. “He’s worked his tail off, and you’ve seen the improvements he’s made from his first year to his second year, and his second year to his third year.”
Despite the injury, the Gators were able to dig themselves out of a 5-0 deficit to come back and defeat Alabama, 7-6. Florida is now 13-3 in their past 16 SEC games.
Heyman joins an extensive list of Florida players who are out for the season and have missed time because of injuries. His teammates, Kyle Jones and Cade Kurland, are out for the season. Colby Shelton, another big-time hitter for Florida, has also missed some time due to an injury.
With Heyman out, the Gators will presumably move Brody Donay to the catcher position. They also have depth at that position with players like redshirt junior Cole Bullen and freshman Brock Clayton.
Up Next – The Gators will look to win their final SEC series of the season against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday. The first pitch from Condron Family Ballpark 6:30 p.m. EDT.
Photo: Florida catcher Luke Heyman (28) in action during an NCAA baseball game against Florida State in Gainesville, Fla., Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
