Gators Freshman OF Cash Strayer Rewarded for Big Debut Series

Florida Gators outfielder Cash Strayer collected SEC Co-Freshman of the Week honors on Monday, following an impressive debut weekend against the UAB Blazers. Oklahoma’s Cord Rager joins Strayer as the freshman honored with the award.

Strayer only played in two of the three games against the Blazers, missing the opening contest on Friday but featuring in the doubleheader that took place Saturday. He finished the day 5-for-8, two doubles, one homer, one RBI and two runs scored.

The freshman also played strong defense in his first collegiate series, roaming the right side of the outfield. Strayer recorded a 1.000 fielding percentage on five putouts.

“He’s just a good player,” Gators associate head coach Tom Slater said about Strayer. “Just a good outfielder. He could swing a bat. His ability to use the whole field, he drove a double and a homer both oppo today.”

CASH BASH 👊

First-career tank for 26!

📺 // SECN+ pic.twitter.com/Rs5MJcHoRM
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 14, 2026

He had an eventful first game as a Gator, registering a three-hit performance in Game Two of the series. Strayer grabbed his first hit in the opening frame, punching a ball into right field for a single. Then, after singling again in the fourth, the freshman legged out a double in the sixth.

The more notable moment in his debut series came in the finale. Strayer went 2-for-4, hitting another double in the first and launching the first home run in his Gators career in the eighth.

Fellow outfielder Kyle Jones, after previously telling Florida Gators on SI in the preseason that Strayer is an underrated player people need to keep an eye on, touched on Strayer’s performance across both games, stating this is not new for the first-year Gator.

“I've been one of Cash’s biggest fans,” Jones said. “So, I knew how good a baseball player he is. This is no surprise to what he's going to do and what he's capable of doing. So, very, very, very good.”

Cash money 💵

📺 // SECN+ pic.twitter.com/o1SMtC9Q5W
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 14, 2026

Florida has a talented group of freshmen on the 2026 roster. Alongside Strayer, five other freshmen made their collegiate debuts. Schuyler Sandford and Joshua Whritenour stepped on the mound for the first time while infielders Kolt Myers and Colton Schwarz and outfielder Jacob Kendall earned spots in the starting lineup across all three games.

“You guys all know about the returning guys, and you know how good they are, but it's really fun to watch these young kids get in there and play well,” Slater said. “They're ball players. They like to play.”

Sandford saw action in Game Two against the Blazers, pitching one inning while striking out two batters on the way to shutting out the visitors. Whritenour closed out Game Three for the Gators, where he struck out one and gave up a hit in the final frame of the series.

Meanwhile, Schwarz featured in Game Three, where he collected his first hit and RBI and finished 1-for-3 in his debut. Myers played in both games of the doubleheader and had two base knocks and one run scored. Kendall did not record a hit, but did walk and score a run in Game One.

Florida travels to Stetson on Tuesday and then returns to Gainesville on Wednesday to face the Hatters. As for their weekend series, the Gators welcome Kennesaw State with Game One on Friday.

More From Florida Gators on SI