Report: RHP Liam Peterson Expected to Miss Series Vs. Georgia

The sophomore has had a stellar start to 2025 as Florida's Friday starter with a 4-1 record, 2.16 ERA and 42 strikeouts.

Florida Gators pitcher Liam Peterson tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts in the win over Harvard. "My mentality was just attack. I knew they were a team that didn't bunt a lot, so I knew they were going to be out there to hit," Peterson said. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- As the No. 13 Florida Gators get ready to host No. 4 Georgia for a three-game series, the program may be without its ace on the mound.

Sophomore righty Liam Peterson, who's been Florida's Friday starter all season, is expected to miss this weekend's series due to some "general soreness," according to Baseball America's Jacob Rudner. This is believed to be precautionary and not a longterm issue, Rudner reported.

Peterson has shined after an inconsistent freshman campaign with a 4-1 record, 2.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 42 strikeouts, all of which are team-bests among qualifying pitchers. A major part of Peterson's improvement from last year has simply been his confidence on the mound, which was evident in the season-opening win over Air Force on Feb. 14.

"I think I kind of got rid of those first game jitters, first game nerves. It's obviously great pitching in front of crowd again. So definitely got my adrenaline boosted a lot," Peterson said. "But at the end of the day, I definitely think I handle situations, like that runner at third, especially not overthinking it, or overcooking anything, and letting my heart rate get up.

"I feel like those are the moments you need to slow the game down. I learned that a lot last year."

Liam Peterson celebrates after recording one of his record-tying 11 strikeouts in the Florida Gators' season-opening win over Air Force. As a whole, Florida pitchers combined for 47 strikeouts in three games against the Falcons. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

In Peterson's place, Florida will likely turn to freshman Aidan King, who emerged as a contender for a full-time weekend starting spot after a strong showing last week at Tennessee. King, starting in place of the injured Pierce Coppola, shined with only one earned run and six strikeouts in six innings pitched.

A slew of runs from the Volunteers after King had been replaced on the mound ultimately led to Florida's loss.

"It was a really weird game. Of course, we pitched really well the first six innings, gave up one run. For his first road start in the league, I thought he was outstanding," head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said of King last week.

In 22.1 innings pitched, King has recorded a 0.81 ERA with 26 strikeouts and only two earned runs on the year. Joining him as a weekend starter is Jake Clemente, who'll take the mound on Sunday. Florida has not announced its Saturday starter yet.

First pitch on Friday at Condron Ballpark is at 6:30 p.m. with streaming coverage on SEC Network+.

SEC pitching probables this weekend pic.twitter.com/0He9zv3TJY

— Jacob Rudner (@JacobRudner) March 20, 2025

Injuries Upon Injuries

Although Peterson's expected absence is simply precautionary, the Gators are no strangers to serious injuries in the early part of the 2025 campaign.

Florida will be without freshman infielder Joshua Whritenour for the entire season after a preseason UCL issue and Tommy John surgery, transfer outfielder Kyle Jones for the rest of the year with a shoulder injury and relief pitcher Frank Menendez for the rest of the season with an elbow injury.

The Gators have been without starting pitcher Pierce Coppola and second baseman Cade Kurland for a large portion of the season, too, after both were removed from the team's win over Miami on March 1.

Coppola is expected to resume throwing for the first time next week, O'Sullivan said, while Kurland is the equivalent of day-to-day with a shoulder issue. He missed multiple games with a dislocated shoulder before returning on Tuesday, but he was removed in the third inning after O'Sullivan noticed him grimacing after a swing.

"Yeah, I think he's ok," O'Sullivan said. "Like I said (Tuesday) night, the most important thing is it didn't pop back out. So, we've got a couple of guys who'll throw live to him (Thursday), and we'll see how it feels."

Cade Kurland left Tuesday's game after some concerns regarding his shoulder injury. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

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