Gators Pitcher Honored as First Team Freshman All-American

The Florida Gators freshman righty received recognition for his efforts out of the gate in his college career

Florida Gators freshman Aidan King received a top honor for his freshman campaign | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Florida Gators freshman Aidan King earned First Team Freshman All-American honors Tuesday, the NCBWA announced. 

Young King Aidan 👑

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 Freshman All-American 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/9QtkcrNCa1

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 10, 2025

King had a stellar freshman campaign with the Gators. He made 17 appearances (12 starts), recording a 2.58 ERA and a 7-2 record in 73 ⅓ innings pitched, striking out 79 batters and issuing 23 walks. 

On top of this honor, King was named to the 2025 SEC All-Freshman team this season. He also became the first player in program history to notch four SEC weekly awards in a single season (three-time SEC Freshman of the Week, one-time SEC Pitcher of the Week). 

King was arguably the Gators' most consistent and effective pitcher this year, especially down the stretch when they needed him most. 

He only allowed two earned runs over his final three starts of the season against Texas, Alabama and Fairfield. 

His outing against the Longhorns was the best of his career. He threw seven shutout innings versus the then-ranked No. 1 team in the country and struck out a career-best nine hitters on the day. 

King followed this up with another strong outing against the Crimson Tide. He went 6 ⅓ innings, striking out eight batters along the way and allowing three runs (only one earned run). 

After King’s final start of the regular season, Gators infielder Bobby Boser had some strong words for the freshman. 

“He’s not like most freshmen,” Boser said. “That kid, he can chuck the ball. He knows what he can do. He does it, and he just repeats it. When you got that in a freshman, that shows a lot of confidence and a lot of balls to get out there and do that.”

The Gators should have a strong starting rotation once again in 2026. Ace Liam Peterson should command his leadoff role for the rotation and King has certainly cemented himself as the No. 2 for the Gators. 

If these two can build upon their 2025 performances, then it’s hard to believe many teams will have a better 1-2 punch on the mound.