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Utah Tech second baseman Kyle McDaniel committed to the Florida Gators on Tuesday.
McDaniel, a left-handed hitter, slashed 340/.451/.500 with 17 doubles, seven home runs, 52 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 2026. He started his career as a third baseman but moved to second base over the past two years. He struck out 8.8% of the time last year and had a 14% walk rate, indicating an elite eye.
The power crept up a bit, too, with his ISO improving from .114 to .160 season-to-season. McDaniel doubled his career home run total with long balls in 2026. D1Baseball ranked him No. 13 among college second basemen after Week 12 of the regular season.
McDaniel had a 22-game hit streak early in the year and an on-base streak of 49 games dating back to last season. He was named All-WAC First Team — his second all-conference nod in as many seasons.
Seven Florida arms have entered the transfer portal: McCall Biemiller, Eli Blair, Matthew Jenkins, Rivers Kurland, Cooper Moss, Christian Rodriguez and Cooper Walls (Georgia).
Starting second baseman Cade Kurland is headed to LSU. Infielder Kolt Myers and outfielder Blake Brookins are the two other position players to enter the transfer portal so far.
Florida earned its first transfer commitment from former FGCU catcher Jon Embury, the 2026 ASUN Player of the Year, on June 4, followed by Jacksonville State right-hander Maddox McDougall on June 9. Oregon State southpaw Trey Morris followed pitching coach Rich Dorman to Florida on June 16.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida baseball gets transfer portal commitment from Kyle McDaniel
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McDaniel, a left-handed hitter, slashed 340/.451/.500 with 17 doubles, seven home runs, 52 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 2026. He started his career as a third baseman but moved to second base over the past two years. He struck out 8.8% of the time last year and had a 14% walk rate, indicating an elite eye.
The power crept up a bit, too, with his ISO improving from .114 to .160 season-to-season. McDaniel doubled his career home run total with long balls in 2026. D1Baseball ranked him No. 13 among college second basemen after Week 12 of the regular season.
McDaniel had a 22-game hit streak early in the year and an on-base streak of 49 games dating back to last season. He was named All-WAC First Team — his second all-conference nod in as many seasons.
Florida Gators transfer portal movement
Seven Florida arms have entered the transfer portal: McCall Biemiller, Eli Blair, Matthew Jenkins, Rivers Kurland, Cooper Moss, Christian Rodriguez and Cooper Walls (Georgia).
Starting second baseman Cade Kurland is headed to LSU. Infielder Kolt Myers and outfielder Blake Brookins are the two other position players to enter the transfer portal so far.
Florida earned its first transfer commitment from former FGCU catcher Jon Embury, the 2026 ASUN Player of the Year, on June 4, followed by Jacksonville State right-hander Maddox McDougall on June 9. Oregon State southpaw Trey Morris followed pitching coach Rich Dorman to Florida on June 16.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida baseball gets transfer portal commitment from Kyle McDaniel
Continue reading...
