Dane Dunning's best pro season was in 2023, when he went 12-7 with a 3.70 ERA to help lead Texas to its first World Series title. [Photo: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images]

Gators in the Pros: Dane Dunning on Winning a World Series, His Time With UF

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Dane Dunning has had quite a career.

Dunning, who pitched for UF from 2014-16, was a part of two College World Series teams in Gainesville, appearing in 66 games with the Gators. His best year at UF came as a junior in 2016, when he appeared in 33 games with five starts posting a 6-3 record and a 2.29 ERA.

Washington selected Dunning with the 29th overall pick In the 2016 MLB Draft, the. He spent his first professional season in the Nationals’ organization before being traded to the Chicago White Sox in December 2016. Dunning’s major league debut came four years later on August 19, 2020. As a rookie, he appeared in seven games with a 2-0 record and a 3.97 ERA.

In 2021, Dunning was traded to the Texas Rangers and became a key member of the 2023 pitching staff that led the Rangers to win the World Series. He was the Rangers 2023 Pitcher of the Year with a 3.70 ERA across 172 2/3 innings. Dunning struggled with injuries the following season, when he slumped to a 5.31 ERA in 95 innings in 2024.

Dunning, 30, was placed on outright waivers last week after he did not make the Rangers’ 2025 Opening Day roster. He likely will start the season with Triple-A Round Rock as he looks to return to the majors.

Sports@CJC caught up with Dunning last week at the Rangers’ spring training facility in Surprise, Arizona, where he talked about his time at UF, winning a World Series title with Texas in 2023 and the impact fatherhood has had on him.

1. What is your favorite moment from your time at Florida?

Dunning: Honestly, I would probably say it was my junior year. We got shut out in the first game against Florida State in Super Regionals and then we proceeded to put the smackdown on after that. I remember hugging Shaun Anderson afterward [knowing we were] going to the College World Series. That was probably one of my favorite moments, from being almost eliminated to going out and being able to make it back to the College World Series.

But, other than that, I would just say all the camaraderie with the teammates. That was one of the bigger things for me. I try to be a pretty open, social person, and that team was really easy being able to talk to everybody.

2. What do you miss the most about Gainesville?

Dunning: I miss going to the football games, for sure. Living in Charlotte doesn’t help because that is now a seven-hour drive. But, other than that, I used to go to Mi Apa a lot. I don’t know if that’s still there. (Editor’s Note: It is.)

I used to ride my scooter over to Mi Apa and pick up a Cuban and then go to class. I used to go there all the time. Me and Shaun used to go to Chipotle a lot too, but it got to a point where every time I go there, they already knew what I wanted and so I didn’t even have to order, they had it prepared and I just paid.

I also played a lot of ping-pong in the locker room, and that was a lot of fun.

Dane Dunning pitched for Florida from 2014-16, helping lead the Gators to the College World Series in both ’15 and ’16. [Photo; Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images]

3. How would you say your time at UF helped prepare you for professional baseball?

Dunning: A lot of that stems from, really, everything that has to do with that program. Kevin O’Sullivan has done an amazing job of just mentally toughening up a lot of players, and I was definitely one of those players who needed to go through there.

The camaraderie you have with your teammates; that desire to play baseball and win. And when you win, you have fun with your teammates, just makes it so much more enjoyable, and you push each other to the next level.

I would say the biggest takeaway from my entire career was I met some of my best friends there that they they pushed me harder and harder each day. And I couldn’t thank them enough for that.

4. Now you get to watch Wyatt Langford with Texas as a former Gator yourself. How has that relationship been?

Dunning: Wyatt, I watched him last year, his first full season playing 162 games. I got to see him through ups and downs, I couldn’t be more proud of him. Just the way he handles himself, carries himself, the way he works. I think he’s going to be extremely special from here on out.

5. Do you think you share that bond with not just him, but with other Gator Alumni who went on to play pro baseball, because you come from Florida?

Dunning: Definitely. There are a lot of players I get to interact with that I never got to play with. And you know, we just have that connection of being at Florida.

A lot of times it’s probably talking about places we shouldn’t be at, which is like bars and stuff like that. But, no, we have that interaction of that memory of being back in Florida. And then we kind of just go down the rabbit hole of all the good stuff and bad stuff that happens, so it’s definitely an easy connection with a lot of other Gators.

6. What do you try to focus on when you’re in spring training?

Dunning: For me personally, I’ll go into the offseason. I’ll watch a bunch of videos of the past year. I’ll break down the games that I had really good, and the games that I pitched really bad. And then I’ll try to like also break down some of the older games, you know, times when I was at Florida – some of my better starts to try to figure out what I was doing to make me so successful.

Last year, I didn’t have a great year. So then it’s like, all right, let’s break down what was I doing that led to me getting injured twice and stuff like that. Fast forward to spring training, you’re implementing that into games — you’re not in your peak form, so it’s like still tweaking some things to get ready for the season.

So what I am working on right now is my front glove side keeping it a little bit lower and my arm path on my backside, just keeping them tighter, pretending to escape down with my hands down low, which creates a long action behind me. All that just makes it so my body has to delay more time to let my hand get up front.”

Dane Dunning has been in the Texas organization since 2021, and was named the Rangers Pitcher of the Year in 2023. [Photo: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images]

7. When you won the World Series in 2023, what were the emotions like of reaching the mountaintop?

Dunning: Obviously, one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life. That’s been my dream since I was a little kid, is win a World Series. My dream was actually me pitching a perfect game in Game 7 to win the World Series, but I’ll still take the World Series.

The coolest thing about that whole thing was knowing all the work I put in from years past, and then being able to have that season go about — I think I led the team in innings that year — and I was able to help out in a pretty significant way. I don’t really look back at my numbers too often – but looking back at it was really cool. Everything you put into it, all the hard work and everything just come into existence, and being able to go out and compete and have fun.

8. In 2023, you not only won a World Series, but that year your son was born. What was that like for you and the emotions?

Dunning: I feel like every unknown there’s always some scared feelings. Growing up for me there weren’t a lot of kids around. So it wasn’t like I was handling babies or any sort of kids in any way. So it was that unknown of what’s to come and then it’s like, son was born and two days later they’re pushing us out of the hospital, we’re going home. And I am like I don’t know what to do with this thing.

But overall, for me, I am very fortunate with my wife. She’s my rock. She holds down the fort and she definitely wears the pants in our relationship … and I am not afraid to say it.

That whole year (2023) was just a roller coaster of emotions of just being at the newborn stage. [My son was] not getting a lot of sleep and I am in Texas playing and I am getting eight hours a night. I feel awful and feel like I am ditching my family, stuff like that. But, in the long run I know I am working for them. And through that whole season we ended up winning it all, so it had a lot of ups and downs.

9. What advice would you give to a new dad trying to balance the same situation of being an athlete?

Dunning: The biggest advice, I would say is to, like, obviously, sit down and talk with your significant other and work out what’s best for y’all.

But when you sit down and you talk and then you have that – this is the plan, the course of action we want to take, it makes everything a lot easier. Makes it a lot smoother. So, but just being honest with your significant other and being like, being there to support each other no matter what.

Category: Cactus League, Gators in the Pros, Texas Rangers
Tagged: Dane Dunning MLB Spring Training Texas Rangers