Is Gators Baseball Considering Flipping Pitchers Liam Peterson and Aidan King?

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Aidan King's seven shutout innings sparked the Florida Gators to a 2-0 win on Friday against Ole Miss, evening the series going into Saturday's finale. It also raised a question about whether Florida needs to make a change to its weekend pitching rotation.

King, who bounced back after allowing seven earned runs over his last two outings, is being considered to replace junior Liam Peterson as the team's Game One starter for weekend series, head coach Kevin O'Sullivan told Florida Gators on SI after the win.

However, getting to that point won't be easy, O'Sullivan added.

"If we're going to get to the World Series, Liam is a big part of this thing," O'Sullivan said. "I mean, the guy's a first-round pick. He knows that he's got to get extended during games, and at some point, if he doesn't, then obviously we have some tough decisions to make.

"But it's a really touchy – it's a tough decision to make. If we ever have to do that, we will. It's certainly something we've discussed."

Junior Liam Peterson is Florida's usual Game One starter for weekends. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Peterson, Baseball America's No. 1 pitcher in the 2026 class entering the season, has struggled in his recent outings, giving up nine hits and six earned runs in five innings against Alabama before walking six batters in four innings against Arkansas. In Thursday's loss to the Rebels, he gave up six hits, three walks and three earned runs in 3 2/3 innings of work.

Those struggles led to a conversation on Friday between Peterson, O'Sullivan and pitching coach David Kopp regarding Peterson's recent outings and his role moving forward.

"I believe in him. I mean, he's one of the best pitchers in the country, and going into the preseason, he was unbelievable," O'Sullivan said. "And in the fall... he was great. He's just got to get it going, you know? And I truly believe he will, and that's all I could do is give him a vote of confidence."

O'Sullivan also praised Peterson for his preparation between starts and added that they "can't put this all on Liam" because other starters, including King, have struggled at times during the season. There's also the chance a decision backfires.

"As a coach, you have to stay with your players, too," O'Sullivan said. "It's not that easy to make these knee-jerk reactions and decisions. I see other teams in this league that it's really disruptive when you start messing with a guy or two that's been in that situation before. It's not like you're moving this guy to the back end of the bullpen, or you're not making a change with your third starter, or something like that.

"These are difficult decisions to make, and in due time, the performance will determine."

King's performance, meanwhile, was a considerable bounce-back effort after his own struggles in recent outings. He gave up seven runs across his previous two outings, including a 3 2/3-inning outing in which he gave up five hits against Arkansas a week ago.

"To us, it doesn't matter. I mean, it's a one-two punch," King told Florida Gators on SI. "He deserves a Friday spot as much as he does. He goes out there and throws the ball low, and everyone knows he's a top guy in the draft this year, and he can throw the ball well. So, there's no doubt in my mind that he stays a Friday guy.

"And honestly, it doesn't really matter to me. He deserves it. He deserves it. So that conversation doesn't get brought up to us at all."

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O'Sullivan did not indicate a timeline on when Florida could make a switch, also adding that switching Peterson and King right after replacing Cooper Walls with Russell Sandefer as the Game Three starter adds to the decision.

"You don't want to make too many changes," O'Sullivan said.

Nonetheless, it will be something to watch for next week's series at Georgia, which begins on Friday.

"The decisions are always made by the players," he added. "I mean, I say this every year: the players make the lineup, and the pitchers determine their roles. And it's really that simple."