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Gators' Caden McDonald Continues String of Impact Performances

Florida's Caden McDonald has been one of the Gators' biggest impact players in recent games.
Kyle Lander|
Florida's Caden McDonald has been one of the Gators' biggest impact players in recent games.
Florida's Caden McDonald has been one of the Gators' biggest impact players in recent games. | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Searching for ways to ignite his offense, Florida Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan may have found his spark plug in two-way sensation Caden McDonald as the regular season approaches its conclusion. McDonald’s efforts at the plate and on the mound over the past two weeks have turned him into a vital piece for the Gators in their yearly pursuit of hosting in the NCAA Tournament. 

“He’s a hard worker, he’s a great teammate and he’s making the most of his opportunity,” O’Sullivan said on Tuesday. “It’s really that simple. He certainly has ran with it the last few weeks.”

Following a monstrous two-week stretch, McDonald is now hitting 12-for-29 (.414), with four home runs, three doubles and 12 RBI over his last seven games. 

“When you have a bat as hot as he is right now, with his power that he has, having someone like him down in the order has been awesome,” Gators infielder Landon Stripling answered when asked about how contagious McDonald’s hitting has been. 

Additionally, McDonald’s numbers against the Oklahoma Sooners this past weekend earned both College Baseball Hall of Fame John Olderud Two-Way Player of the Week and Baseball America National Team of the Week honors on Tuesday. 

These honors come after hitting .462 (6-for-13) against the Sooners with two home runs, two doubles, six RBI and five runs scored. On the weekend, he led all Gators in hits, batting average, total bases, slugging percentage, doubles, RBI and runs. 

Then, on the mound in the second game of the series, he threw three shutout innings and struck out four to earn his fourth win of the season. His outing against Oklahoma was even more important considering they were down two right-handed relievers in Jackson Barberi and Luke McNeillie. While Barberi will return to the mound this weekend, McDonald will likely keep a role out of the bullpen.

With his scoreless three innings included, McDonald commands a 4-1 record in 15 appearances. He also has a 3.24 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 33.1 innings. 

"He's awesome to be around," Cooper Walls said after Tuesday's win over UNF. "He's been working his tail off the whole year, and he got his opportunity, and he took it and ran with it. Just great to see because he's such a great teammate and a great person to be around."

His performance on Saturday did the heavy lifting for his national recognition. In addition to his work from the bullpen, McDonald went 4-for-5 at the plate, with two homers, two doubles and six runs. 

McDonald's loudest hit of the weekend series against Oklahoma came in the third inning. Working a full count, McDonald timed up a fastball and smashed it over the center-field wall for a three-run homer, giving his team a 4-2 lead. From that moment, the Gators never looked back, rebounding for a 10-5 victory. 

As for his lone appearance on the mound, Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan called upon McDonald in a crucial situation. 

Saturday starter Liam Peterson walked the bases loaded with two outs on the board in the fifth before giving way to McDonald, but the high-leverage outing did not faze the righty. Instead, McDonald induced a groundout to shortstop Brendan Lawson, who easily made the throw to second to end the frame. 

“This is one to remember for sure. I mean, you just do not see that very often,” O’Sullivan said of McDonald's Game Two performance. “Just an unbelievable offensive performance as well.”

It is the second straight weekend that McDonald has made an impact for Florida. O’Sullivan opted for McDonald in the lineup against the Texas A&M Aggies, and it panned out well for the two-way player. He went 5-for-12 against the Aggies, hitting two homers and driving in four runs. McDonald also added another hit and two RBI on Tuesday against North Florida. 

He has been one of Florida’s hottest hitters, and they’ll need that to continue in the final two weeks against Kentucky and LSU if they plan on seeing Condron Family Ballpark in the postseason.

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Kyle Lander
KYLE LANDER

Kyle Lander is a contributing writer at Florida Gators on SI. He is also a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. On top of his writing, Kyle is a photographer for the site as well. Outside of his work with Florida Gators on SI, he likes to hike, travel, watch movies and hang out with family and friends.

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