How Freshman OF Jacob Kendall has Impressed in Young Gators Career

Despite not collecting a hit in the Florida Gators' weekend series victory over the UAB Blazers, freshman outfielder Jacob Kendall finally opened his account in a loud way in the midweek win over the Stetson Hatters on Tuesday.

Kendall went 2-for-4 with one single and the first home run in his collegiate career. He also recorded four RBI against the Hatters.

His first long shot of the season was a towering one, too. Kendall walked into the batter's box with two runners on and two out in the third inning. Then, after taking the first pitch, Kendall blistered the ball over the right field wall for a three-run shot. That hit provided the Gators a 7-2 lead over the Hatters.

Mammoth shot for JK's first-career HR 🤯

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— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 18, 2026

However, his first hit and RBI in the Orange and Blue came in the second inning. With a runner on third base and two outs, Kendall sent the pitch back into right field for an RBI single to tie the game at two apiece.

As for his first series, it did not go as he had hoped it would, with the talented outfielder not registering a hit in the opening weekend. He did have several quality at-bats, though, and earned one walk across seven plate appearances in two games.

Following the series win over UAB, Gators associate head coach Tom Slater still praised Kendall alongside several of his freshmen teammates.

“JK, you know, played two games, played really well,” Slater said. “You know, 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.”

JK ties it with his first knock!

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— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 18, 2026

Three true freshmen and one redshirt freshman have already seen action in the starting lineup in the first four games. Additionally, two more redshirt freshmen made their debuts on the mound last weekend.

Kendall and Cash Strayer have featured in three of the four games for Florida, while infielder Kolt Myers made appearances in two games, and infielder Colton Schwarz appeared in one. Strayer, Myers and Schwarz each collected their first hit as Gators against the Blazers.

Schuyler Sandford and Joshua Whritenour are the first-year arms that got calls out of the bullpen against UAB. Both pitched scoreless frames and struck out at least one batter.

The Gators' next time out on the diamond is on Wednesday. They travel back to Condron Family Ballpark to host Stetson. The first pitch is around 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.