Just over two years ago, Florida pitcher Pierce Coppola sat in his parked car sobbing. The then-sophomore left-hander had just found out he sustained his second season-ending injury in a row. This time, months before he could officially take the mound in the 2023 season.
“Our athletic trainer told me at practice, and I was like ‘Damn, again,’” Coppola said. “In my tears, in my car, I was like, ‘This is not fair. I literally just got over the injury, something that took a toll on my life for like seven months.’”
Even in the face of a misfortune that has ended countless careers before his, Coppola continued to fight on. It took multiple surgeries, repeated tiresome bouts of injury rehab and over two years of recovery in total, but Coppola finally heard his name called at Condron Ballpark once more on April 13.
Coppola’s journey back from recurring leg and back injuries was anything but smooth. The Verona, New Jersey, native finished the 2024 campaign with an 8.75 ERA and a 1-4 record as he struggled to find his rhythm after spending two years away from the mound.
He eventually started to get his groove back as the Gators flipped the script on their season. Florida went from being one of the final teams to earn an NCAA Tournament berth to making an appearance in the 2024 College World Series semifinals.
Coppola took to the mound twice in UF’s postseason run, appearing as Florida’s starting pitcher in a pair of wins over Nebraska in the Stillwater Regional and Kentucky in the College World Series.
With their 2025 season opener now less than a month away, the Gators will look to make a run back to Omaha and find new key contributors to step up along the way. Coppola, who became Florida’s go-to Sunday starter upon his return last Spring, now has a prime opportunity to become the ace arm that analysts and fans alike believed he could be upon his arrival in Gainesville three years ago.
When asked about his own goals for the upcoming campaign, however, Coppola kept his main objective relatively simple.
“I’m just trying to pitch a whole season,” he said. “I’m just trying to get through one season as a Florida Gator and try to pay my dues. That’s something I’ve been waiting to do for a while.”
Early uphill battle
Starting his freshman season with the Gators, Coppola was ranked as the No. 9 left-handed pitching prospect and No. 50 overall recruit in the country, per PerfectGame. The young left-hander was slated to make an immediate impact in his first season at UF, having earned the Sunday starting slot in Florida’s first series of the year against Liberty.
Coppola made the most of his debut outing, throwing five innings while finishing with a line of five hits, two walks, two runs and seven strikeouts. What initially looked to be a promising start would turn into his last outing on the mound for two whole years. Soon after his first start, Coppola faced struggles with recurring back pain that finally caught up to him and forced him to get surgery.
“I didn’t want to get back surgery,” Coppola said. “You sign a waiver that [says] you could be paralyzed coming out of this. It was a scary moment for me. … But at the end of the day, it was something that I needed to do to be able to play again.”
Following a lengthy rehab process keeping him sidelined for the remainder of the 2022 campaign, Coppola was set to return and take back his spot in Florida’s rotation in 2023. Late in the subsequent offseason, however, Coppola sustained another long-term injury that effectively ended his year before it could truly begin.
Sidelined for another season
During Florida’s Fall Orange & Blue Series, Coppola felt a sharp pain in his shoulder after three innings on the mound. In the subsequent days, Coppola’s condition dramatically worsened to the point where he couldn’t throw hard pitches.
Coppola returned to UF’s medical staff, who gave him an instant verdict this time: There would be no physical therapy or remedies that could hasten his recovery. He would have to spend a second consecutive season tucked away in the dugout.
Nagging ailments like these have prompted athletes from all levels of professionalism and all sports to throw in the towel and call it a career. But Coppola refused to let these early roadblocks define the rest of his tenure as a Florida Gator.
“Baseball has always been my life, and I always know that I’m going to have a future in it,” he said. “In my head, I just think of it as like I got my injury bug early in my career here.”
While Coppola endured his share of mental struggles and inner turbulence, it never reflected in his clubhouse interactions. Florida pitching coach David Kopp, who arrived in Gainesville the same summer as Coppola, noted how the New Jersey native always had a smile on his face even as he went through his darkest days.
“I never personally have seen Pierce too disappointed, because I always think he has this positive mindset that he’s going to get through it,” Kopp said.
A long-awaited return
Coppola would miss the first two months of Florida’s 2024 campaign before making his return to the mound midway through the season. Despite his initial struggles, Coppola slowly settled back into his rhythm, eventually helping the Gators punch their ticket to Omaha and advance to the semifinals with a win over Kentucky.
In a do-or-die matchup against the Wildcats with a berth in the CWS Semifinals on the line, Coppola set new career-highs in innings pitched (five) and strikeouts (nine). The Gators cruised to a 15-4 victory, with UF head coach Kevin O’Sullivan singling out Coppola with praise in his post-game remarks.
“I thought this was the best Pierce has thrown all year long,” O’Sullivan said. “His stuff looked really crisp. … He had the best start he’s had all year long.”
Now, with numerous key contributors in the bullpen gone due to graduation and the 2024 MLB Draft, Coppola will likely play a larger role in Florida’s pitching rotation than ever before. The redshirt junior is expected to serve as a weekend starter for the Gators once more this season alongside sophomore Liam Peterson and redshirt sophomore Jake Clemente.
While the expectations remain high for a Florida squad looking to make it back to Omaha, Coppola isn’t letting any of it get to his head. He isn’t letting his past injuries or early struggles last season bog him down, either.
“Everyone knows I’m a goober,” he said with a smile. “I’m just a 6’8” dude that likes to get hurt.”
Contact Jack Meyer at jmeyer@alligator.org. Follow him on X @jackmeyerUF.
Jack Meyer is a fourth-year journalism major and the Sports Editor for The Alligator. In his free time, he enjoys reviewing music, spending time with friends, playing video games and going to the gym.
