Florida Baseball Biggest Questions Before Opening Day, Answered
Florida baseball’s season starts this Friday against UAB, but our beat writers, Hunter Zbarsky and Liana Handler, are ready to take on the biggest questions in the minds of Gators fans across baseball. While the questions still linger about whether the raw talent will be able to overcome the offseason debacles, here are some answers to guide you through this Opening Day:
Liam Peterson, Aidan King and Cooper Walls have been named the three weekend pitchers against UAB. Are they the best starting rotation in the SEC?
Hunter Zbarsky: The hype around this starting rotation has already begun to bubble — and for good reason. Peterson and King were named to USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, recognizing the best amateur player in the country. Expectations are rising, but so is Peterson’s fastball, which currently sits around 97 mph.
King enters his sophomore season coming off one of the most impressive freshman campaigns in Gator history. He can strike out a batter faster than you can say “strike,” tallying 79 strikeouts a year ago — the most by a Florida true freshman since Jack Leftwich in 2018. A 1-2 punch of Peterson and King could knock out SEC opponents before Walls is even called upon for his start on Sunday.
That said, this is a conference that placed 11 teams in D1 Baseball’s preseason rankings. Of those, I’ve got my eye on LSU, the reigning national champions. Its pitching room is the deepest and most talented it’s had in years, even after winning it all last season. While Florida had one starting spot up for grabs, LSU’s arms were battling for all three starter slots, simply because of how deep its staff is.
For now, I’d rank Florida’s rotation second in the SEC, with Texas at third.
Liana Handler: Here’s the thing, if we’re just ranking the starting rotation by raw talent, Florida’s 1-2 punch can knock out any batter in the box. The biggest question will be Walls. Sure, he was named the 2025 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year … but he was at the University of Hawaii. The Rainbow Warriors haven’t won their conference or made an NCAA tournament appearance in more than a decade.
However, Walls’ ceiling is sky high. In a May 4 matchup against Oregon State last season, he blanked the Beavers across five innings, earning the win and striking out five. Mind you, that’s an Oregon State team that made it to the College World Series.
Both Florida and LSU will have to prove their capabilities before I completely buy into either rotation. The Tigers lost their 1-2 starters in Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson. Replacing them is a tall order, reminiscent of the 2024 season, when it took the Tigers half the season to figure out their identity.
Purely based on Peterson returning, I think Florida has a razor-thin edge over LSU. We can check back in once conference play starts, though.
Florida returns 22 players from last year’s squad. Which player is most likely to have the biggest impact?
Hunter Zbarsky: Let’s talk about a player who’s poised to have a big offensive year. This man totaled nine home runs, nine doubles and 45 runs scored while drawing 26 walks and stealing eight bases last season. Power, speed and discipline — and, no, I’m not referring to a created player in MLB The Show. Blake Cyr is entering a pivotal senior season, and I think he can rise to the occasion.
My prediction is not solely based on his stats from a year ago. Cyr has been one of the hottest hitters for the Gators during their preseason scrimmages. Consistency was an issue last season, but persistence beats resistance, and Cyr has improved defensively while finding his hitting motion. Freshmen Cash Strayer and Jacob Kendall, who will be waiting to seize their moment. When it comes to returning players, I have my eye on Cyr.
Liana Handler: You’ve got to admire Ole Miss transfer Ethan Surowiec as a powerful bat in the lineup, but my bet’s on Brendan Lawson. He enters this season having started in all but one of Florida’s games as a true freshman and slashed a .317/.417/.522. But here’s the stat that stands out the most: He led the Gators with 33 walks as a rookie.
Lawson has a good feel for the strike zone, and he’s lethal when he gets under a ball. And that was his debut in the SEC. I expect the Canadian sophomore to see the baseball better than he did last season because he’s been here before. He established a familiarity that should scare opposing pitchers.
At the end of the season, will Gator baseball be lifting its second national title?
Hunter Zbarsky: After Texas A&M entered last season as the SEC favorite, it went on to finish 30‑26 and 11‑19 in SEC play, a result few would’ve predicted. That goes to show how preseason rankings are just a prediction. But it will be hard to overthrow LSU or compete with other top programs like Texas and UCLA.
From a mindset perspective, it’s better to be an underdog trying to dethrone the king than to have the crown that everyone wants to hold. It’s hard to trust Florida, given it made a lot of simple errors last season and lacks the pitching depth to weather injuries. Florida should host a regional, but in terms of winning a national championship, I don’t see it happening.
Liana Handler: As the Dodgers proved in the World Series last season, sometimes it’s just the inevitable.
Florida will be competitive in the SEC, but without a firm closer, it’s difficult to see how it gets past a team likeUCLA or LSU. Florida’s pitchers need to prove that they can be trusted. Both Peterson and then-Gator Pierce Coppola recorded only 10 combined outs in the Friday and Sunday elimination games against Eastern Carolina.
The problems don’t lie all on the shoulders of the rotation, but in both games, Florida dug itself into at least a six-run hole. That’s hard to get out of, regardless of who can hit in your lineup. Do I think Florida is ushered out the same way this year? No. Do I predict a championship title? Also no.
It’s a good team, just not the best in college baseball.
Category: Baseball, College Baseball, Gators Baseball
