Aidan King delivers a pitch during the Gators' game against Vanderbilt at the SEC Tournament on May 20, 2026 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala. / UAA Communications photo by Madilyn Gemme
King Honored as College Pitcher of the Year Finalist
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 | Baseball
Baseball America named Aidan King one of five finalists for the publication’s top pitching accolade.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Fresh off being named the 2026 SEC Pitcher of the Year, sophomore right-hander Aidan King was tabbed as one of five finalists for Baseball America's College Pitcher of the Year award on Wednesday.
Introduced in 2025, BA's College Pitcher of the Year is a new honor designed specifically to recognize the nation's most outstanding arm. The 2026 recipient will be announced on June 11, one day before the start of the College World Series. King headlines a finalist quintet that also includes USC's Mason Edwards, UC Santa Barbara's Jackson Flora, Texas' Dylan Volantis and Oregon State's Dax Whitney.
Making all 15 of his scheduled starts this season, King has dominated to the tune of an 8-2 record, 2.68 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 89-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 84.0 innings. As the fourth-ever underclassman to be crowned SEC Pitcher of the Year, King has held opposing hitters to a .204 batting average while surrendering just three homers – good for an elite 0.3 home runs allowed per nine. The Jacksonville, Fla. native failed to complete five innings only three times all season and just once in conference play.
Entering the NCAA Tournament, King ranks third in the SEC in WHIP (13th nationally), fourth in ERA and hits allowed per nine (6.75), seventh in wins and walks allowed per nine (2.04) and 11th in strikeout-to-walk ratio. King's 2.68 ERA is line to be the lowest by a Gator since Brady Singer in 2018 (2.55). As a true workhorse, King fired a team-high eight quality starts including six in SEC play.
Pitching into the seventh inning five times against SEC opponents, King averaged 6.2 frames per SEC start while his 62.0 SEC innings trailed only Tyler Fay of Alabama. In SEC action, King led all starting pitchers with a 0.89 WHIP while tying for the league lead in victories (six). The second-year righty also held SEC hitters to a .184 batting average and went 6-1 in 10 conference starts.
King and the Gators are set to open up play at the NCAA Gainesville Regional against No. 4-seed Rider on Friday, May 29 at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
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Introduced in 2025, BA's College Pitcher of the Year is a new honor designed specifically to recognize the nation's most outstanding arm. The 2026 recipient will be announced on June 11, one day before the start of the College World Series. King headlines a finalist quintet that also includes USC's Mason Edwards, UC Santa Barbara's Jackson Flora, Texas' Dylan Volantis and Oregon State's Dax Whitney.
Making all 15 of his scheduled starts this season, King has dominated to the tune of an 8-2 record, 2.68 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 89-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 84.0 innings. As the fourth-ever underclassman to be crowned SEC Pitcher of the Year, King has held opposing hitters to a .204 batting average while surrendering just three homers – good for an elite 0.3 home runs allowed per nine. The Jacksonville, Fla. native failed to complete five innings only three times all season and just once in conference play.
Entering the NCAA Tournament, King ranks third in the SEC in WHIP (13th nationally), fourth in ERA and hits allowed per nine (6.75), seventh in wins and walks allowed per nine (2.04) and 11th in strikeout-to-walk ratio. King's 2.68 ERA is line to be the lowest by a Gator since Brady Singer in 2018 (2.55). As a true workhorse, King fired a team-high eight quality starts including six in SEC play.
Pitching into the seventh inning five times against SEC opponents, King averaged 6.2 frames per SEC start while his 62.0 SEC innings trailed only Tyler Fay of Alabama. In SEC action, King led all starting pitchers with a 0.89 WHIP while tying for the league lead in victories (six). The second-year righty also held SEC hitters to a .184 batting average and went 6-1 in 10 conference starts.
King and the Gators are set to open up play at the NCAA Gainesville Regional against No. 4-seed Rider on Friday, May 29 at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
Follow the Gators
#GoGators
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