Player Intro: Cade Kurland
Baseball isn’t an individual sport, it’s a team game. Every single ballplayer adds their touch to the game. It’s not like football where you’ll see Patrick Mahomes or DJ Lagway passing every time; in baseball each guy gets their shot at the plate, and each guy has to play the best defense they can. Every single player on the team is important, and every single player can change the game. That’s exactly what Cade Kurland brings to the Florida Gators. If the Gators want to go far in 2025, Cade Kurland is going to have to show up and play out of his mind every single game. Luckily, he’s just the kind of guy who, no matter what, is always working as hard as he can to change the game and get the W for the Orange and Blue.
Kurland was a class of 2022 graduate from Berkeley Prep High School. Don’t be fooled by the name, this school is in Tampa rather than California. Either way, that didn’t stop Kurland from being on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2023 and 2024. Kurland was the #7 shortstop prospect in the state, in no small part due to his experience: Kurland had been playing for Berkeley Prep’s Varsity Baseball team since he was in the 7th grade. Even though he would only bat .182 that year, he’d end up slashing a ridiculous .468/.606/.957 by his senior year across 32 games. In 94 at bats, he would hit 13 Home Runs; that’s a better At Bat to Home Run rate than Aaron Judge’s 62 HR 2022 season. Kurland was, by any way you slice it, an elite prospect and an amazing get for the Gators.
Photo of Cade Kurland from Florida Baseball
Since arriving in Gainesville, Kurland has kept up his outstanding performances. Instead of playing at shortstop, he’s mostly moved to playing at 2nd base. As a Freshman in 2023, he became a Freshman All-American in an amazing season where he batted .297. His accolades that season are too long to recount: 5 for 11 at bat in Omaha, second-all-time HBPs in a season for the Gators, posted excellent defensive numbers, and started 67 of the Gator’s 71 games that season. Overall, an outstanding freshman stint where nobody could stop him. He was a weapon who could change the game all on his own. A season worthy of his All-SEC and All-Freshman selections.
In 2024, Kurland experienced a bit of a sophomore slump. Of course, for Kurland, that just means putting up “regular” numbers, batting only .245. He was still a guy who always seemed to turn up when it counted, helping the Gators save their season at Georgia with two home runs, four RBI, and three runs scored to keep the Gators in the hunt for Omaha. He later helped secure the Gator’s spot in Omaha after scoring 3 runs in an all-important game against Clemson.
Overall, the Gator’s 2025 success will rely on the whole team. A single guy out of position or batting poorly could have us watching College Baseball on the television in June. But Cade Kurland isn’t going to be that guy out of position: he’s going to be the guy who’s always in position, always ready to make the defensive play, and always ready to blast one out of the park for the Orange and Blue. Cade Kurland is the guy who you want at the plate at the most important junction, doing all he can to work the count and get the most he can out of any given pitch.
