Brookins Stepping Up Amidst Injuries for Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- With a laundry list of injuries for the Florida Gators baseball team this season, it’s given others an opportunity to put their talents on display. 

One of those being afforded this opportunity is outfielder Blake Brookins, who has tallied hits in back-to-back games against Alabama this week after not being used at all before the series. 

For Brookins, it looked as if this was going to be a redshirt year for him as he hadn’t touched the field outside of batting practice. However, with his team in need, he became the man to step out from the dugout and onto the field in a very important series.

As for how the conversation went down between him and Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, there wasn’t much time to discuss a lot. 

“We didn’t have any other options, you know?” O’Sullivan said. “There was really not a whole lot of, there was no discussion with Blake. You didn’t have a whole lot of time to discuss it. So, it was kind of a bizarre turn of events for sure.” 

Since being inserted into the lineup, the sophomore from Miami Palmetto (Fla.) High School is 2-for-7 with a double and a run scored. Additionally, his double on Friday's series opener was the first hit of his Gators career after going 0-for-6 in 2024. 

Getting that first hit always means a lot for a player, and his teammates on the bench clearly saw what it meant for Brookins as he rounded the bases. 

“It was unbelievable,” Gators outfielder Ty Evans said. “I have never seen that kid so happy in my entire life.”

Gators southpaw pitcher Pierce Coppola also added that he didn’t know it was possible for him to show that kind of emotion. 

“Oh yeah, I didn’t even know he could get excited like that,” Coppola said. 

The double proved fruitful as he would eventually score to cut the deficit to one run. Florida would eventually win, 7-6.

With the postseason on the horizon for the Gators and having a number of season-ending injuries, Brookins will need to be ready as he could use a strong end to the season to not only keep Florida in contention for a third-straight College World Series appearance, but to earn himself a starting spot in 2026. 

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