Gators Pitching Trio Shines as Team USA Falls to Japan in Championship
The trio of Gators who headed to Taiwan with USA Baseball are heading back across the pond championship-less.
Florida pitchers Aidan King, Jackson Barberi and Joshua Whritenour were all selected the USA Baseball Collegiate team together, and made their debuts in the World Collegiate Baseball Championship final loss against Japan together.
King came into the game first, pitching two scoreless innings during the fifth and sixth. Whritenour came in and pitched the seventh and part of the eighth inning. Barberi pitched two scoreless innings as well and escaped a jam after coming in during the eighth inning.
Team USA’s tournament run came to an end in the final after its 6-3 loss to Japan.
During the collegiate tournament, King, Barberi and Whritenour pitched a combined 15 2/3 innings, allowing only three runs, seven hits and five walks, with 22 strikeouts.
The trio looks to follow in the footsteps of other former Gators pitchers who played in the tournament before getting drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft, including Liam Peterson, Alex Faedo, AJ Puk, Jonathan Crawford and Brian Johnson.
King is coming off a year in which he was named SEC Pitcher of the Year, recording a 3.21 ERA, eight wins and a .218 batting average against. Perfect Game ranks King the No. 8 collegiate prospect and the fourth-ranked pitcher overall, as well as the second-ranked right hander. He is expected to maintain his role as the top of the starting rotation for the Gators.
In 2026, Barberi posted a 3.13 ERA, won five games, recorded two saves and held opponents to a .156 batting average. According to Perfect Game, Barberi is the 26th-ranked collegiate player in the 2027 class, as well as the 14th-ranked pitcher. According to projections from the Gainesville Sun, Barberi is expected to take over one of the two other starting pitcher roles.
Whritenour had four wins on the season for the Gators with seven saves. Whritenour is Perfect Game’s 34th-ranked collegiate prospect and is expected to retain his role as the primary closer for the Gators in 2025.
As the Tournament comes to a close for Team USA, lets take a look back at how they faired. During the World Colligente Baseball Championship, Team USA went 2-2 with their two losses coming in their final two games. Team USA had a significantly better outing this team around, as in 2025 they had gone 0-5. Next years WCBC is scheduled to be played in Cary, North Carolina. Team USA looks to continue their improvement and make a run for a finals next year.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Baseball
