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Florida baseball lands commitment from ASUN Player of the Year

Florida baseball has landed its first player from the transfer portal.

The Gators have landed a commitment from Jon Embury, who was named the ASUN Player of the Year.

As a sophomore at Florida Gulf Coast, Embury batted .364 and belted 13 doubles, 17 home runs and drove in 80 runs. He recorded a team-best OPS of 1.084 and a .655 slugging percentage.

As a freshman at FGCU, he recorded a .264 average with 10 doubles and nine home runs in 41 starts.

Embury was also a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award, which is presented to the nation’s top catcher. This past season, he posted a .993 fielding percentage while committing only three errors. He was also 20-for-36 in throwing out runners attempting to steal.

Embury is a Venice High School product, and UF’s Director of Player Development also attended Venice High School.

Embury is considered a top 100 prospect for the MLB Draft.

Two of Florida’s catchers have exhausted eligibility, as both Karson Bowen and Cole Stanford’s college careers are over. Both were signed out of the transfer portal last offseason.

Bowen, who signed from TCU, batted .261 and hit seven home runs with 33 RBIs. Stanford, a transfer from Lenoir-Rhyne, hit .204 with six homers in 28 games.

Florida should have at least two catchers on next season’s roster, as AJ Malzone, who missed this season due to a broken hand, should return and has signed incoming freshman Luke Labbe.

Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at AAbadie@usatodayco.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida baseball lands commitment in Jon Embury from FGCU

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