A Special Moment for Gators Freshman Brendan Lawson

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- It was a day to remember on Saturday for Florida Gators first baseman Brendan Lawson at Condron Family Ballpark. The true freshman belted a grand slam as his first collegiate homer that helped clinch the series in an 11-1 win over Dayton.

“It feels good to get out of the way,” Lawson said about the feeling of hitting a grand slam as his first home run. “I was just looking for anything in the zone. I didn’t really think he had anything super special that could beat me.”

The true freshman from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, stepped into the box with one out, the bases loaded and his team only holding a one-run advantage. Then, after seeing the first pitch go wide of the mark for ball one, he didn’t waste any more time as he deposited the second pitch over the right field wall for a grand slam.

This put Florida in front 5-0, and the Gators never looked back from here.

“It was great to see Brendan get his first home run,” Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said post game. “We put him in the fifth spot tonight for a reason.”

GRAND SALAMI BRENDAN LAWSON 🚀#GoGators // 📺 https://t.co/bmTLm2mmez pic.twitter.com/MSxTzKql1t
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 22, 2025

A high-profile prospect with MLB-level talent, Lawson has been turning heads all offseason and even into the early parts of this season, so it’s no real surprise seeing him hit his first homer. It was always a matter of when and not if.

And with the way O'Sullivan talked about him following Saturday’s game, it's clear the longtime head coach has high expectations for the rookie first baseman.

“His zone control is exceptional, especially for a young hitter,” O’Sullivan said. “He's got a slow heart rate. Doesn't seem to ever get too excited. The game doesn't speed up on him. He doesn't chase out of the zone very much. He's an advanced hitter and I think I've said that even before the season started.”

Florida Gators freshman Brendan Lawson is batting .300 six games into the season after not recording a single hit in the team's first two games. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated.

Despite the recent surge, Lawson struggled at the plate at the beginning of the season as he got acclimated to the collegiate game. He was 0-for-6 with two walks, one run scored and two strikeouts in his first two games in college. That’s normal for any freshman, though. Consistency isn’t always instantaneous.

However, it hasn’t taken him too long to figure that part out either. In the finale of the Air Force series, Lawson finished 2-for-3 with three runs, a double, RBI, walk and stolen base each.

This performance has since ignited a four-game hitting streak that includes two multi-hit games and now a grand slam. Additionally, his batting average now sits at .300 six games into the season after being at .000 after the first two games, which Lawson isn’t too surprised to see.

“I think all those swings kind of even out,” Lawson said not seeing the success he wants despite consistently making contact. “I hit a ball hard, and then my first hit is a dribbler to the second baseman. So, I think just trying to find barrels as much as possible because in the end it’s going to even out over a lot of at-bats.”

In addition to the average climbing, Lawson has quickly jumped near the top of the team in RBIs. Despite not having a single RBI through the first two, he’s racked up nine RBI over his last four games and is now second on the team in this department, trailing only Bobby Boser’s 10. Pretty impressive for a kid who only has six total games under his belt.

It may be early in the season, the returns from Lawson are looking great, and it’s once again looking like the Gators have another top freshman in the orange and blue.