Heading into 2026, the Florida Gators have two elite starting pitchers in their rotation.
Liam Peterson and Aidan King were great in Gainesville in 2025 and are both set to return to Florida for the 2026 season.
Peterson was Florida’s ace during the 2025 season.
In 69 1/3 innings of work, he had a 4.28 ERA and an 8-4 record. Peterson also amassed an astounding 96 strikeouts over that stretch.
He led the Gators in strikeouts last season and was top five in the SEC in strikeouts per nine ratio (12.5).
He had four appearances where he went six innings against Air Force, Miami, Mississippi State, and Arkansas.
All four of those appearances led to wins. Peterson had 37 strikeouts and allowed just 8 earned runs in those four appearances combined.
Over the summer, Baseball America placed Peterson as a top five prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft. He was also their number two overall college player and number one overall pitcher in the 2026 MLB Draft class.
King was one of the most impressive freshmen pitchers in the country during the 2025 college baseball season.
The Jacksonville-native had a 2.58 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 73 1/3 innings of work. He had a 7-2 record and made 12 starts on the mound this past season.
The great performances throughout the 2025 college baseball season by King landed him some individual accolades.
He was a unanimous freshman All-American and made the Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman team.
He was also a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week and was named the SEC pitcher of the week on March 3.
King’s season-high in innings came against the Fairfield Stags in the 2025 NCAA Tournament during the Conway regional.
He pitched eight innings, struck out seven batters, and allowed just one earned run. He helped Florida to a 17-2 victory over the Stags.
NCAA News: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Florida pitcher Liam Peterson (12) in action during an NCAA baseball game against Texas A&M on Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
