GAINESVILLE — Florida baseball coach Kevin O’Sullivan will return from a leave of absence to address personal matters and prepare for his 19th season with the Gators, the school announced.
O’Sullivan announced Oct. 22 he would step away, while he offered no timetable on a return.
Interim coach Chuck Jeroloman soon departed for Tennessee to join coach Josh Elander, who replaced Tony Vitello after the San Francisco Giants hired him. The Gators hired associate head coach Tom Slater, a Gators hitting coach in 2004 and later the head coach at Auburn, to fill the void.
On Wednesday, UF put to rest questions the coaching future O’Sullivan, who has coached Florida to 17 straight NCAA tournament appearances.
“I want to thank the university and athletic department for their support,” O’Sullivan said in a statement. “I am excited to be back and am ready to get to work with our team as we prepare for the upcoming 2026 season.”
O’Sullivan, 56, stills faces a three-game suspension of his obscenity-laced tirade at an NCAA baseball regional, where the Gators’ 2025 season ended. He will not be allowed to coach the Feb. 13-15 season-opening series against UAB in Gainesville because of his actions during the Conway Regional at Coastal Carolina.
Before the Gators’ 11-4 season-ending loss to East Carolina University on June 1, O’Sullivan berated a staff member on site at the Conway Regional hosted by Coastal Carolina while someone recorded the incident and later posted it on social media.
At the time, Stricklin said his coach’s behavior “fell well short of expectations of how Gators treat people.”
UF (39-22) was the No. 2 seed in the regional and appeared to have an opportunity to advance. Instead, the Gators allowed 22 runs to ECU during a pair of lopsided losses and exited the NCAA tourney without getting to the Super Regional for the third time since 2021.
Known for his fiery demeanor and his long record of success, O’Sullivan led UF to the Gators’ 2017 national title.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com