Gators' Brendan Lawson Establishing Himself as Superstar After Miami Dominance

Behind the ascension of sophomore slugger Brendan Lawson, the Florida Gators have started 2026 as one of the hottest teams in college baseball through the first month of play.

Lawson, projected by some to be the first overall selection in the 2027 MLB draft, has lived up to his superstar expectations during the Gators' 11-1 start to the season. After being named a Freshman All-American in 2025, the Canadian shortstop has slashed a team-leading .474 with four home runs, 21 RBIs and an OPS of 1.557- good for second best in the SEC.

Despite a fantastic first year in Gainesville, the dynamic infielder has been on another level in his encore, headlining a Gators offense that has scored the seventh most runs in all of college baseball and boosting himself into the discussion for one of the best players not just in the conference, but possibly the entire country.

"I genuinely think he's one of the best hitters in college baseball. He's projected to be 1/1 in 2027 for a reason," infielder Landon Stripling said last week. "I think he has every single aspect of a hitter that you can ask for. He's got speed, he has power, he's got back the ball skills. He doesn't swing at balls. He's just he's an extremely tough out. Nobody wants to throw it at him."

Down in Coral Gables over the weekend, Lawson would continue his dominance in the condensed series sweep against Miami, a dominance that the rival Canes have become rather familiar with in his two years at Florida.

After providing a spark just moments into the series with a first-inning home run on Friday, Lawson finished the weekend going 3-for-6 with two RBIs, four runs scored and two walks. His performance earned him SEC Player of the Week honors and improved his statline to .438, two home runs and six RBIs in five career games against the Hurricanes.

BUCKLE UP, IT'S THE LAW

🎥 ACCN pic.twitter.com/nPxnHmh6xq
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 28, 2026

Though growing up over 1,000 miles away from it, the Toronto native still understands the weight of the 86 year old rivalry, showing up in the biggest moments for Florida in their past two series wins against the hated opponent.

“I love it. I think it brings out the best in both teams and it feels like there is a little bit more on the table, so it’s great.” Lawson said ahead of the matchup. “I’m as confident as ever. We are going to bring our best self down to Miami.”

The Gators red-hot roster did just that, holding the top scoring lineup in the country to just six total runs while scoring 15 themselves and officially taking hold of the all-time series lead at 138-136-1. With Lawson at the front again, the series was a testament to how potent this Florida team can be in the new year with the slugger seemingly taking the step to stardom many expected.

Florida will continue to rely on the second-year star with plenty of season to go, but the ascension of Lawson has clearly already made the Gators a team to fear, with another trip to Omaha for Kevin O’Sullivan’s squad and a first-round selection for the shortstop seemingly in the future if everything continues to click.

"I love Brendan Lawson," O'Sullivan said. "He's a kind of quiet, a little bit, but he is a fierce competitor. I mean reminds me of a lot of the big leaders I've had that they were totally different off the field than they are on the field.... Free and easy off the field, but boy, when he puts his cleats on, he's a different competitor."