Three Takeaways from Florida’s series win vs. Texas
(Hector)
The Florida Gators earned their fifth consecutive SEC series win of the 2025 season, and this might be Florida’s most impressive. The Gators were on the road and took two out of three against the #1 Texas Longhorns.
Florida has great pitching all weekend, especially from freshman right-handed pitcher Aidan King. After this series, Florida has firmly solidified their spot in the NCAA Tournament and is competing for a chance to host a regional. Here are three takeaways from Florida’s series win versus the Texas Longhorns.
1. Florida tops #1 Texas in road series win
The Florida Gators have been playing some of their best baseball after the worst start to SEC play in the Kevin O’Sullivan era. Since that putrid start, the Gators have won five consecutive series against SEC programs and just upset #1 Texas on the road.
The Gators jumped on the Longhorns early in the series with a six-run first inning and cruised to an 8-2 victory in the series opener. In Game Two, Florida was leading early in the game, but the Gators lost momentum and their ace pitcher, Liam Peterson, due to a weather delay. Texas stormed back and evened the series, forcing a Mother’s Day rubber match.
In the series finale, Florida had an incredible pitching performance from their freshman starter, Aidan King. The Jacksonville native pitched seven shutout innings and led Florida to a series-clinching win over Texas.
2. Aidan King dominated Texas’s lineup in hostile territory
For the second time this season, freshman right-handed pitcher Aidan King has pitched a gem on the road against one of the top teams in the country. King played a huge role in Florida’s series win over the Longhorns last weekend.
In his last outing, King had a career performance. King pitched seven innings, allowing two hits, no runs, no walks, and a career-high nine strikeouts. He also picked up his fifth win of the season.
This isn’t the first time King has dominated on the mound against an elite lineup. In his first SEC start, King had an electric outing against the Tennessee Volunteers. King threw six innings, allowing four hits, one run, one walk, and six strikeouts. King has pitched like a Freshman All-American this season and could be one of the best arms in the country in the next couple of seasons.
3. Could Florida end up hosting a regional?
After such a historically bad start, many people wondered if Florida would qualify for the NCAA Tournament. No program has started 2-10 or worse to begin SEC play and make it to the NCAA Tournament. Not only will Florida be the first to do it, but they also have a legit chance to be a regional host.
The Gators have one final series before they enter the NCAA Tournament. Florida will host the Alabama Crimson Tide in a three-game series starting Thursday night. According to D1 Baseball, Alabama ranks 18th in the country.
If Florida can at least win the series and have a good showing in the SEC Tournament, the NCAA Tournament committee will have to discuss whether Florida has done enough to host a regional. The Gators have the fourth-toughest schedule in the country and are also ranked #14 in the RPI rankings. If Florida can finish strong, it’s not out of the question that there could be a regional hosted in Gainesville, Florida.
(Hector)
The Florida Gators earned their fifth consecutive SEC series win of the 2025 season, and this might be Florida’s most impressive. The Gators were on the road and took two out of three against the #1 Texas Longhorns.
Florida has great pitching all weekend, especially from freshman right-handed pitcher Aidan King. After this series, Florida has firmly solidified their spot in the NCAA Tournament and is competing for a chance to host a regional. Here are three takeaways from Florida’s series win versus the Texas Longhorns.
1. Florida tops #1 Texas in road series win
The Florida Gators have been playing some of their best baseball after the worst start to SEC play in the Kevin O’Sullivan era. Since that putrid start, the Gators have won five consecutive series against SEC programs and just upset #1 Texas on the road.
The Gators jumped on the Longhorns early in the series with a six-run first inning and cruised to an 8-2 victory in the series opener. In Game Two, Florida was leading early in the game, but the Gators lost momentum and their ace pitcher, Liam Peterson, due to a weather delay. Texas stormed back and evened the series, forcing a Mother’s Day rubber match.
In the series finale, Florida had an incredible pitching performance from their freshman starter, Aidan King. The Jacksonville native pitched seven shutout innings and led Florida to a series-clinching win over Texas.
2. Aidan King dominated Texas’s lineup in hostile territory
For the second time this season, freshman right-handed pitcher Aidan King has pitched a gem on the road against one of the top teams in the country. King played a huge role in Florida’s series win over the Longhorns last weekend.
In his last outing, King had a career performance. King pitched seven innings, allowing two hits, no runs, no walks, and a career-high nine strikeouts. He also picked up his fifth win of the season.
This isn’t the first time King has dominated on the mound against an elite lineup. In his first SEC start, King had an electric outing against the Tennessee Volunteers. King threw six innings, allowing four hits, one run, one walk, and six strikeouts. King has pitched like a Freshman All-American this season and could be one of the best arms in the country in the next couple of seasons.
3. Could Florida end up hosting a regional?
After such a historically bad start, many people wondered if Florida would qualify for the NCAA Tournament. No program has started 2-10 or worse to begin SEC play and make it to the NCAA Tournament. Not only will Florida be the first to do it, but they also have a legit chance to be a regional host.
The Gators have one final series before they enter the NCAA Tournament. Florida will host the Alabama Crimson Tide in a three-game series starting Thursday night. According to D1 Baseball, Alabama ranks 18th in the country.
If Florida can at least win the series and have a good showing in the SEC Tournament, the NCAA Tournament committee will have to discuss whether Florida has done enough to host a regional. The Gators have the fourth-toughest schedule in the country and are also ranked #14 in the RPI rankings. If Florida can finish strong, it’s not out of the question that there could be a regional hosted in Gainesville, Florida.
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