Aidan King warms up prior to his start against Vanderbilt at the SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Ala. / UAA Communications photo by Madilyn Gemme
College Baseball Foundation Dubs King Pitcher of the Year Finalist
Thursday, June 4, 2026 | Baseball
Sophomore Aidan King led UF with a 3.21 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 87.0 innings pitched this season.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gators sophomore right-hander Aidan King has been named a finalist for the College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year award, as announced on Thursday afternoon.
This represents yet another jewel in the crown for King, who has already been honored as SEC pitcher of the Year, a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist and a Baseball America College Pitcher of the Year finalist.
Taking over the role of UF ace in his true sophomore season, King became the first Gator underclassman to collect the conference's top pitching accolade including the fourth in league history. Making all 16 of his scheduled starts, King led Florida with eight wins, a 3.21 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 97.0 innings pitched while holding hitters to a miniscule .218 batting average. The Jacksonville, Fla. native fanned 92 batters against 19 free passes, equating to an elite 4.84 strikeout-to-walk ratio. King surrendered four big flies all year long to finish with 0.4 home runs allowed per nine innings.
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 teams, King averaged 6.2 frames per SEC start while his 62.0 SEC innings trailed only Alabama's Tyler Fay. In SEC action, King led all starters with a 0.89 WHIP while tying for the top spot in victories (six). The second-year righty held SEC hitters to a .184 batting average and went 6-1 in 10 conference starts.
King's 2026 Season Accolades
SEC Pitcher of the Year
First-Team All-SEC
College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Finalist
Baseball America College Pitcher of the Year Finalist
Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist
NCBWA National Pitcher of the Month (April)
D1Baseball Second Team Preseason All-American
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This represents yet another jewel in the crown for King, who has already been honored as SEC pitcher of the Year, a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist and a Baseball America College Pitcher of the Year finalist.
Taking over the role of UF ace in his true sophomore season, King became the first Gator underclassman to collect the conference's top pitching accolade including the fourth in league history. Making all 16 of his scheduled starts, King led Florida with eight wins, a 3.21 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 97.0 innings pitched while holding hitters to a miniscule .218 batting average. The Jacksonville, Fla. native fanned 92 batters against 19 free passes, equating to an elite 4.84 strikeout-to-walk ratio. King surrendered four big flies all year long to finish with 0.4 home runs allowed per nine innings.
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 teams, King averaged 6.2 frames per SEC start while his 62.0 SEC innings trailed only Alabama's Tyler Fay. In SEC action, King led all starters with a 0.89 WHIP while tying for the top spot in victories (six). The second-year righty held SEC hitters to a .184 batting average and went 6-1 in 10 conference starts.
| King's 2026 Season Snapshot | ||
| Category | Statistic | SEC Rank (National Rank) |
| Games Started | 16 | 2 (10) |
| ERA | 3.21 | 5 |
| WHIP | 1.03 | 5 (21) |
| H/9 | 7.34 | 7 |
| BB/9 | 1.97 | 7 |
| Wins | 8 | 9 (46) |
| K/BB Ratio | 4.84 | 10 (39) |
King's 2026 Season Accolades
SEC Pitcher of the Year
First-Team All-SEC
College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Finalist
Baseball America College Pitcher of the Year Finalist
Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist
NCBWA National Pitcher of the Month (April)
D1Baseball Second Team Preseason All-American
Follow the Gators
#GoGators
Players Mentioned
RHP
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