Florida’s Aidan King Earns SEC Pitcher of the Year Honors

Florida sophomore pitcher Aidan King pitched a season worthy of the throne, anchoring Florida’s pitching rotation this season. After initially working out of the Saturday rotation slot, he quickly moved into the Friday starter role and became the Gators’ most trustworthy arm in SEC play – and it paid off. 

King has been named SEC Pitcher of the Year, the league announced, becoming the first underclassman in program history to earn the award.

“He’s a throwback,” Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “He just pitches, 91-94 (mph) with command. That’s the reason why he was a freshman All-American. He throws any pitch at any time and he throws the ball at both sides.

“He pitches and he never gets rattled.”

The right-hander finished the regular season with a 2.50 ERA over 14 starts and 79.1 innings pitched. He struck out 84 batters, kept the ball in the park, allowing just three home runs, and led the SEC with a 0.93 WHIP, against some of the nation’s toughest lineups.

King’s success has been built around a fastball that he can locate at the top and bottom of the strike zone, paired with a changeup and slider he would mix in for the second and third time he faced a hitter. 

The honor adds to an already impressive list, as King was also named a semifinalist for both the National Pitcher of the Year Award and the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the top player in college baseball.

Florida now joins LSU with four SEC Pitcher of the Year selections since the award was established in 2003, the most among conference programs.

King is expected to play a central role as the Gators enter the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, where they open play Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET against the winner of Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Baseball