Report: Florida Baseball Fires Pitching Coach David Kopp
Pitching ultimately led to Florida baseball’s early exit in the Gainesville Regional Final, and a change arrived four days later Friday.
Pitching coach David Kopp was fired after five seasons, Baseball America’s Jacob Rudner reports.
Despite helping to produce sophomore Aidan King’s best season as SEC Pitcher of the Year and candidate for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award, Baseball America’s and College Baseball Foundation’s Pitcher of the Year, Kopp will not return after pitching out of the bullpen was inconsistent all season.
Florida relievers gave up 27 runs in the regional last weekend, including eight in the Gators’ final outing.
Loading ...The Gators finished the season 41-21 (18-12 SEC) with a 4.61 team ERA. Only four pitchers tallied below a 4.0 ERA, including King’s 3.21 and Jackson Barberi’s 3.31 out of the pen.
Saturday night starter Liam Peterson is projected to be a top pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, but he still recorded a 4.59 ERA and gave up nine of Troy’s 16 runs in his final game of the season.
Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan handled most of the responsibility with pitchers before Kopp’s arrival in Gainesville in 2021. After serving as volunteer assistant, Kopp was named pitching coach in the 2024 offseason.
Kopp coached at Florida Atlantic from 2018 to 2021, working recruiting and pitching following a one-year stint at Florida Southern in those roles.
The Gators now look for Kopp’s replacement, already having former Gators closer and student assistant coach Michael Byrne on staff. Byrne is the all-time program saves leader as a part of Florida’s 2017 national title. He continues to leave his mark on this program, contributing to creating a strong final stretch of a long season, as he did with Jake Clemente and many others in 2025 when the team ERA was cut in half in the final 18 games.
O’Sullivan also continues the search for left-handed pitchers in the transfer portal and more arms to replace those leaving the program.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Baseball
