Takeaways From Gators' Series Win over Harvard

Heading into a grueling week with a road matchup at No. 5 Florida State and a weekend series at No. 2 Tennessee, the Florida Gators did everything it needed to do in a dominating series win over Harvard.

Florida Gators catcher Luke Heyman and pitcher Aidan King during the team's win over Harvard in the first game of Saturday's double-header. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- In the last weekend of peace before Florida Gators baseball runs headfirst into a brick wall of top five ranked opponents, the Gators found some momentum in a three-game series sweep of winless Harvard.

Though Florida’s five-game week began with an embarrassing road loss to UCF, Kevin O’Sullivan’s team bounced back with four straight victories, sending them into their first taste of conference play with some confidence.

Here are three takeaways from the Gators dominating weekend series win over Harvard in which Florida outscored the Crimson, 41-6.

A New King in the Rotation

While Aidan King’s first career start came mostly due to injury, the impressive freshman has earned a longer look as a weekend guy in Florida’s rotation this season.

In 16.1 career innings, King holds just a 0.55 ERA, allowing just one earned run while striking out 20 hitters. After his start on Saturday, where he threw six strong innings allowing just three baserunners and striking out eight, the young righty looks like a strong contender for a starting role regardless of the health of Pierce Coppola and Jake Clemente.

Florida Gators freshman pitcher Aidan King earned his third win of the season with an eight-strikeout effort in six innings pitched during Saturday's 7-0 win. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

“That’s why we started him today.” Coach O’Sullivan said on King possibly getting a start Vs Tennessee this weekend. “Just to try and get him going.”

While still young, King looks to have the stuff to be an elite starter for the Gators long-term.

“Electric, electric stuff.” Gators slugger Bobby Boser said about King. “Very good pitcher.”

Gators Two-Man Home Run Derby Is One to Watch

In game one of Saturday's double-header against Harvard, Bobby Boser mashed two home runs to tie Brody Donay with a team leading seven on the year. In game two, Brody Donay took the lead right back.

With Florida losing generational power hitter Jac Caglianone as he pursues a professional career, the Gators look to be locked into a two-man race for the home run lead on the season, with Boser and Donay providing much-needed power to a deep lineup.

Florida Gators third baseman Bobby Boser hits the first of two home runs with a two-run shot in the first inning of Saturday's 7-0 win over Harvard. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

“It’s awesome, we feed off each other.” Boser said about the race with Donay. “He is an unreal hitter.”

The Gators have not finished a season without two 20+ home run hitters since 2021, and it looks as if Boser and Donay could be the two to continue this streak this year

Justin Nadeau Will Play a Critical Role

While Florida’s lineup has been hot to start the year, Justin Nadeau has quietly been one of the Gators most reliable bats. The Jacksonville transfer leads the team with a .444 batting average as well as a .595 on-base percentage, reaching base 22 times in 27 at bats on the season.

“He’s a table-setter," O’Sullivan said about the utility player. “It feels like we have two leadoff hitters (Nadeau and Hayden Yost) who can flip the lineup over.”

Florida Gators utility player Justin Nadeau will be critical for the team going forward after multiple injuries, including one to center fielder Kyle Jones for the season. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

With the Gators recently losing Kyle Jones for the season due to injury, Nadeau and Yost seem to be the two players expected to step up in his role. While Yost looks to be the main-stay center fielder, the flexibility of Nadeau allows Florida to keep him in the lineup and profit off of his early ability to get on base.

What’s Next

Though the Gators have seen plenty of success on the year, their upcoming road-trip will test just how good this Florida team can be.

The Gators next two opponents in rivals Florida State and Tennessee sit at a combined 29-0 record on the season, the last two undefeated division one programs in the country, and both ranked conscientiously in the top five.

Florida’s first stop will be Tallahassee on Tuesday, where they take on the fifth-ranked Seminoles. FSU has beaten the Gators in three-straight matchups by a combined 30 runs. Billy Barlow will be on the mound for Florida, looking to break the streak and secure UF’s 45th win at Dick Howser Stadium in 116 games.

For the weekend, the Gators head to Knoxville to take on the second-ranked Volunteers. Florida is 3-7 in their last 10 against the Volunteers despite holding a 60-game lead on the series as a whole. While the statuses of starters Clemente and Coppola are up in the air, Florida will look to take the series against their first conference opponent.

Though maybe the most difficult week anyone will have this season, this Gators team has proven to be extremely good so far. The talent is there to win any game this week, but if I had to guess, I would pessimistically predict a 1-3 record in the four games.