Gators Baseball Sees Three Members of Roster Ranked Among Top Sophomores

Three Florida Gators baseball sophomores received recognition as some of the top members of their class. Perfect Game listed pitcher Liam Peterson (No. 14), center fielder Kyle Jones (No. 40) and outfielder Hayden Yost (No. 88) cracked the top 100 members of their class.

Sophomore stars ⭐#GoGators pic.twitter.com/nnhLH8PjnF
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) January 18, 2025

Peterson was the third-highest-ranked right-handed pitcher. Peterson joined the Gators, starting rotation in his first year of college. Of his 18 appearances, he made 16 starts, 15 were weekend starts.

In 63 innings pitched, he had a 6.43 ERA, a 1.71 WHIP, a .257 opponent’s average and 77 punchouts. While his numbers for the full season weren’t pretty, he showed improvement in the later part of the season. In his final nine appearances (eight starts), Peterson had a 4.76 ERA with a .239 BAA and 34 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings pitched.

His efforts earned him a place on the 2024 SEC All-Freshman Team.

Jones comes in as a transfer following a freshman campaign at Stetson. The sophomore lashed .355/.459/.476 with five homers, 32 RBIs, 53 runs and 23 stolen bases in 248 at-bats. He started all 62 games for the Hatters in center field and batted leadoff. An impressive stat along with the standout numbers is that he only stuck out 27 times the entire season.

Jones was named the ASUN Freshman of the Year and was an NCAA Gold Glove Finalist. The Gators are looking to build upon a year that saw a miracle run to the College World Series. Getting this highly disciplined bat with some pop and speed at the top of the order will bode well for them.

Yost comes in looking to show the streak he was on before his season-ending injury is what the Gators will get in 2025. In 24 games from April 12 on, slashed .366/.469/.439 with three doubles and three stolen bases. The power isn’t quite there, but he more than makes up for it with the rate he gets on base.

Yost suffered a season-ending torn ACL on May 15. Originally, he was unlikely to be ready for the start of the season but he’s made a quick recovery and has been ruled as ready to go.

The Gators will take the field on Feb. 14 to open their season against Air Force. They’ll head into this season as a top-10 team in the game and it’s heavily in part to the talent they have on this team, including these three recognized sophomores.