The Florida baseball team was expected to lose Tommy Mace and Jack Leftwich in this week's MLB Draft.

Instead, both pitchers are coming back for their senior years after no current Gators were selected Thursday. Projections for Mace, UF's Friday night starter, had him going in the first two rounds of this year's five-round, truncated draft.

But he elected to return to college, reportedly turning down an offer and betting on himself to raise his stock next season. The 6-foot-6 Mace, who started four games this year (3-0) with a 1.67 ERA and 26 strikeouts, has the potential to be a top-15 pick in 2021.

Leftwich, who struck out 23 batters in his four stars, will return as Florida's Saturday starter after his name wasn't called Thursday. Prospects365 had projected him as the 100th overall pick to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

With Mace and Leftwich returning, the top-ranked Gators will pick up where they left off as the preseason No. 1. With a talented young stable of arms that includes lefthander Hunter Barco and incoming recruits Franco Aleman and Timmy Manning, Florida's pitching staff next season could be one of the best under head coach Kevin O'Sullivan.

Austin Langworthy had a chance of being a fifth-round pick, but the NCAA has granted him and other seniors one more year of eligibility if he doesn't sign as an undrafted free agent.

The Gators did lose two signees to the MLB Draft, with outfielder Zac Veen going No. 9 overall to the Colorado Rockies and infielder Coby Mayo heading to the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round.