Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In their brief time back in the place that helped both turn childhood fantasies into reality, former big leaguers Nolan Fontana and Matt den Dekker can't avoid the occasional flashback.

Familiar landmarks and people are all around. Still, much has changed since Fontana and den Dekker were teammates at Florida in 2010, a season that ended with the Gators' first trip to the College World Series in five years. UF has grown. University Avenue has undergone a makeover. There is a new ballpark being built across campus from McKethan Stadium. Those are just some of the reminders of how nothing stays the same.

The greatest difference is who they see in the mirror.
 

The 28-year-old Fontana, seven years removed from his final college game in 2012, recently returned to UF to finish his degree in social science following a professional career that peaked with stints as a shortstop for the Los Angeles Angels in 2017 and '18. As Fontana adjusts to life back in Gainesville following minor-league stops in places like Lexington, Corpus Christi, Fresno and Salt Lake, he can poke fun of how much better prepared he is this time around compared to the kid who showed up from West Orange High in Orlando 10 years ago.

"The biggest thing is how the time-management skills have drastically gotten better,'' Fontana said. "To finish school was always on my mind."

Meanwhile, the 32-year-old den Dekker, whose final season at Florida was the year he and Fontana spent as UF teammates and ended up in Omaha, has returned to complete his history degree. A Fort Lauderdale native, den Dekker played parts of six seasons in the majors with the Mets, Nationals and Tigers from 2013-18. He retired in June following a stretch with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.
 
Both are ready to open the next chapter and to do so, they are once again college students with the sort of life experiences that should grab their classmates' attention. They have not left the game behind, though, serving as student assistants with UF's baseball team and their former head coach, Kevin O'Sullivan.

The Gators opened fall practice earlier this month and have an exhibition game against Georgia at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Friday night, next door to where the Florida-Georgia football game takes place on Saturday at TIAA Bank Field. More memories are sure to flood back for the two ex-big leaguers.

Fontana is helping teach the Gators infielders and den Dekker is working with the outfielders. Both have an array of experiences to draw upon and each is considering a career as a coach long-term.

That is a primary reason that, following initial discussions with O'Sullivan once they let him know they were returning to school to complete their degrees, each took an interest in rejoining the program.

"A no-brainer for me,'' den Dekker said. "The game has given me so much and this school has given me so much. It was something that I felt would be a great opportunity for me. I fell in love with baseball at an early age. I love being out at the field. I love the competition of it. I definitely miss the playing side of it, but now that I'm not playing, being on the field is something I enjoy trying to help these guys out, seeing them improve and have success and also helping them learn from failures."

Fontana and den Dekker played together on a Gators team that was not only the first under O'Sullivan to make the CWS, but produced 10 players who went on to play in the majors. As they have re-acclimated themselves to UF and began to work with the current team, Fontana and den Dekker often find themselves reflecting for a moment to be able to make an impact in the present.

Their flashback files are constantly expanding.

"You learn so much just by playing the game," Fontana said. "Dekk and I were talking about this the other day. It's all relative. You play in the big leagues and then you come back and watch college, but I didn't know that back then. You just think they'll know what you're trying to say. I think that, for us, is the harder part on getting into the coaching side of things, but it's also the satisfaction that I was in their shoes, too. And actually, it wasn't that long ago. That's the beauty in this. I think that's why we're both enjoying this so much."

Both players stayed in contact with O'Sullivan and his staff through the years. Assistant coach Craig Bell was den Dekker's outfield coach. Considered one of the best defensive players in school history, den Dekker made a significant lifestyle change for the opportunity. A week after he and his wife put their Jacksonville home up for sale, it sold and they moved to Gainesville with their young son.

Den Dekker signed with UF out of Westminster Academy in South Florida in part because his cousin, former Gators and big-league pitcher Kevin Chapman, played on the same high school team. With former Gators coach Pat McMahon and his staff scouting Chapman heavily, they noticed den Dekker in center field. They wanted him, too.

He signed with the Gators and when O'Sullivan replaced McMahon after the 2007 season, den Dekker blossomed and was one of the standouts on the 2010 team that helped build the foundation of what was to come. O'Sullivan led the Gators to Omaha seven times from 2010-19 and won the program's first national title in 2017.
 

"I got here and I worked hard,'' den Dekker said. "The new coaches came in my sophomore year and I just kind of saw my game take off and evolve. I just got better over the years. Coming to Florida is kind of where I figured out my game and what kind of player I was and what it took to get to the next level."

Fontana starred at shortstop for the Gators and like den Dekker, ranks as one of the top defensive players to play under O'Sullivan. Drafted in the second round by the Astros, Fontana made it to the majors with the Angels and ended his career following a brief stint in the Rangers' organization.

He turned the page from player to aspiring coach due to mounting injuries. It was time.

"Looking in the mirror after it happened, I couldn't really have been more satisfied how it went in my career,'' said Fontana, who can always say his only two major-league hits were home runs. "I've always had a vibe that [coaching] would be something that I would love to do."

During their professional careers, both players learned what makes the game's greatest players tick. Yes, they are ultra-talented and can do things on the field few can. But they have a drive that is unique as well.

As the World Series continues between the Astros and Nationals, both Fontana and den Dekker are watching former teammates on the game's largest stage. That will provide more lessons to share in their new roles.

"Every day someone else is trying to outwork you and outplay you," den Dekker said. "You can't let up. That's what I am kind of getting to these guys."

Fontana said he has a similar approach. Astros stars such as George Springer and Carlos Correa played in Houston's farm system the same time as he did.

They have developed into two of Major League Baseball's top stars. But they want more. That much Fontana knows. Fontana may not have had the same success, but he had the same mindset. He wants to the Gators to have it, too.

"Perennial All-Stars and they're still not satisfied,'' he said. "Then the next step is what? Then a multiple All-Star. Then a 10-year big leaguer. Then the Hall of Fame. That's what makes us crazy."