Meet the Gators: Pierce Coppola
Sunday, December 26, 2021 | Baseball
With the offseason now in full swing, Florida's 2021 Meet the Gators series resumes with left-handed pitcher Pierce Coppola, hailing from Verona High School in Verona, N.J. The six-foot-eight southpaw will wear No. 18 for the Orange & Blue as he pushes to make an immediate impact in 2022.
Recently ranked as the No. 1 recruiting class in the country by Perfect Game, Florida's 2021 incoming class features 16 freshmen and one four-year college transfer. Coppola was one of the biggest reasons why that class was held in such high regards, as he was ranked the No. 50 overall player nationally in addition to being ranked the No. 4 recruit and No. 2 left-hand pitcher in New Jersey.
Getting his first taste of Southeastern Conference action this fall, Coppola shined in the Gators' Oct. 29 exhibition against Georgia in Jacksonville. He worked 1.1 scoreless innings of relief without allowing a hit. The freshman left-hander stranded the lone base runner that reached against him via the walk and recorded one strikeout in the outing.
As a three-year letterwinner under head coach Joe Phelan at Verona, Coppola was named Preseason Northeast All-Region First Team in both 2020 and 2021. Over the course of his career, Coppola worked to a 1.91 ERA across 121 innings. He allowed just 65 hits while striking out 216 batters, equating to 16.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
In his senior 2021 campaign, Coppola produced the best season of his career. Working 42.1 frames on the hill, he surrendered just seven earned runs all year long to finish with a pristine 1.16 ERA. He struck out 88 batters and allowed 16 hits.
Coppola also competed for Scorpions Baseball Club, where he was named to various all-tournament teams and top prospect teams. In 2020, he was invited to the Perfect Game National Showcase as well as the PG All-American Classic.
Pierce is the son of Mike and Christine Coppola, the former of which played collegiate baseball at the County College of Morris.
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Recently ranked as the No. 1 recruiting class in the country by Perfect Game, Florida's 2021 incoming class features 16 freshmen and one four-year college transfer. Coppola was one of the biggest reasons why that class was held in such high regards, as he was ranked the No. 50 overall player nationally in addition to being ranked the No. 4 recruit and No. 2 left-hand pitcher in New Jersey.
— Verona Athletics (@VeronaAthletics) December 8, 2020
Getting his first taste of Southeastern Conference action this fall, Coppola shined in the Gators' Oct. 29 exhibition against Georgia in Jacksonville. He worked 1.1 scoreless innings of relief without allowing a hit. The freshman left-hander stranded the lone base runner that reached against him via the walk and recorded one strikeout in the outing.
As a three-year letterwinner under head coach Joe Phelan at Verona, Coppola was named Preseason Northeast All-Region First Team in both 2020 and 2021. Over the course of his career, Coppola worked to a 1.91 ERA across 121 innings. He allowed just 65 hits while striking out 216 batters, equating to 16.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
In his senior 2021 campaign, Coppola produced the best season of his career. Working 42.1 frames on the hill, he surrendered just seven earned runs all year long to finish with a pristine 1.16 ERA. He struck out 88 batters and allowed 16 hits.
My 1st look at the latest @GatorsBB marquee freshman arm: 6-foot-8 LHP Pierce Coppola. Reminds me of Andrew Miller in his UNC days; a tick higher slot, but one of those easy slingers with really tough angle at 92-93 (tons more in the tank), advanced feel for wipeout 80-81 slider. pic.twitter.com/EAUcyeNlA5
— Aaron Fitt (@aaronfitt) October 30, 2021
Coppola also competed for Scorpions Baseball Club, where he was named to various all-tournament teams and top prospect teams. In 2020, he was invited to the Perfect Game National Showcase as well as the PG All-American Classic.
Pierce is the son of Mike and Christine Coppola, the former of which played collegiate baseball at the County College of Morris.
Follow the Gators
#GoGators
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