Ethan Surowiec (left) and Brendan Lawson (right) high five during the Gators' game against the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday, May 10, 2026 at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Fla. / UAA Communications photo by Hannah White
D1Baseball Ranks Florida Quintet as Top-100 Prospects
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | Baseball
Florida is the only school with four players ranked as top-32 college prospects for the 2027 MLB Draft.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – As Florida opens its fall ball season, it does so with five Gators ranked on D1Baseball's list of top-100 college prospects for the 2027 MLB Draft in shortstop Brendan Lawson, right-handed pitchers Jackson Barberi, Aidan King and Joshua Whritenour, and infielder Ethan Surowiec.
Leading the way at No. 1 as the nation's top college prospect heading into 2027, Lawson is followed by a trio of right-handed pitchers all falling inside the top 32: Barberi (No. 11), King (No. 16) and Whritenour (No. 31). Florida is the only school with four players ranked inside the top-32 prospects, while Surowiec's inclusion (No. 64) makes UF one of two programs with five top-80 players.
D1Baseball Top-100 2027 MLB Draft Prospects
1. SS Brendan Lawson
11. RHP Jackson Barberi
16. RHP Aidan King
31. RHP Joshua Whritenour
64. INF Ethan Surowiec
As the aircraft carrier of the UF offense, Lawson started 51 of his 56 games at shortstop last season and paced Florida in OPS (1.210), on-base percentage (.511), slugging (.699), extra-base hits (32), home runs (19), runs scored (68), total bases (130), walks (53) and the second-most hit-by-pitches in program history (24). Leading the SEC with the sixth-best OBP ever by a Gator, the Canadian sophomore set career highs in nearly every offensive statistic while ranking second in the conference in hit-by-pitches, third in walks and sixth in runs scored. He homered in eight of the last 12 games of the campaign, slashing .409/.567/1.023 in that stretch with 45 total bases, 23 runs, 12 RBI and four steals. Lawson also improved defensively as the season progressed, committing just one error across 59 chances at shortstop in the final 14 games of the season for a .983 fielding percentage.
In his second collegiate campaign, Barberi dominated to a 5-2 record, .156 batting average against, 55-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 1.02 WHIP, 3.13 ERA and two saves over 19 outings spanning 37 1/3 frames. The righty pitched in five of UF's seven shutouts with 11 scoreless appearances – 10 being four outs or more. Barberi finished his sophomore season boasting 13.3 strikeouts per nine and 5.1 hits allowed per nine. Across four appearances with the Collegiate National Team this summer, Barberi worked 4 2/3 innings with just one run allowed on one hit, two walks and five strikeouts for a 1.93 ERA and 0.64 WHIP.
Fresh off becoming the first Gator underclassman to collect SEC Pitcher of the Year honors including the fourth in league history, King led Florida with eight wins, a 3.21 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 97.0 innings pitched while holding hitters to a .218 batting average. On the season, King fanned 92 batters against 19 free passes, equating to a 4.84 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In SEC action, he led all starters with a 0.89 WHIP, tied for the top spot in victories (six) and held hitters to a .184 batting average. King fired a team-high eight quality starts including six in SEC play – pitching into the seventh inning five times against SEC foes. From April 3 through May 1, King went 4-0 with five-straight quality starts and a 1.51 ERA across 35 2/3 frames for an average of 7.1 innings per outing.
Frequently touching triple digits, Whritenour made his collegiate debut as a redshirt freshman last year and led the Gators with seven saves as the primary closer. Making 25 appearances out of the bullpen, Whritenour held opposing hitters to a .223 batting average while delivering a 1.23 WHIP. The fire-balling righty racked up 49 strikeouts against 14 free passes in 36 2/3 frames, translating to 12.0 strikeouts per nine, 3.4 walks per nine and a 3.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Across three relief outings at CNT Training Camp, Whritenour turned in three shutout, no-hit innings. He walked two and fanned three batters en route to a 0.67 WHIP.
In 30 SEC contests last season, Surowiec led the squad in batting with a .339/.414/.556 slash line as the only Gator to hit over .300. Seven of his 12 homers came in league play on top of six doubles, 30 RBI and 28 runs. As the lone Gator to play in and start all 62 games, Surowiec paced Florida in hits (78), batting average (.317), RBI (63), total bases (130) and at bats (246) while ranking second in multi-hit contests (21) and multi-RBI efforts (16). He finished his first season in Orange & Blue slashing .317/.409/.528 for a .937 OPS.
Stay informed on all the most-recent news on Florida baseball by checking FloridaGators.com and following @GatorsBB on social media.
2027 Season Ticket Information
Place a deposit to secure your spot for new season tickets at Condron Family Ballpark for the 2027 baseball season here. Returning season ticket holders from the 2026 season DO NOT need to place a deposit. Your seats are being held for you and renewal information will be sent at a later date. The Gator Ticket Office can be contacted at (352) 375-4683.
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Leading the way at No. 1 as the nation's top college prospect heading into 2027, Lawson is followed by a trio of right-handed pitchers all falling inside the top 32: Barberi (No. 11), King (No. 16) and Whritenour (No. 31). Florida is the only school with four players ranked inside the top-32 prospects, while Surowiec's inclusion (No. 64) makes UF one of two programs with five top-80 players.
D1Baseball Top-100 2027 MLB Draft Prospects
1. SS Brendan Lawson
11. RHP Jackson Barberi
16. RHP Aidan King
31. RHP Joshua Whritenour
64. INF Ethan Surowiec
As the aircraft carrier of the UF offense, Lawson started 51 of his 56 games at shortstop last season and paced Florida in OPS (1.210), on-base percentage (.511), slugging (.699), extra-base hits (32), home runs (19), runs scored (68), total bases (130), walks (53) and the second-most hit-by-pitches in program history (24). Leading the SEC with the sixth-best OBP ever by a Gator, the Canadian sophomore set career highs in nearly every offensive statistic while ranking second in the conference in hit-by-pitches, third in walks and sixth in runs scored. He homered in eight of the last 12 games of the campaign, slashing .409/.567/1.023 in that stretch with 45 total bases, 23 runs, 12 RBI and four steals. Lawson also improved defensively as the season progressed, committing just one error across 59 chances at shortstop in the final 14 games of the season for a .983 fielding percentage.
In his second collegiate campaign, Barberi dominated to a 5-2 record, .156 batting average against, 55-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 1.02 WHIP, 3.13 ERA and two saves over 19 outings spanning 37 1/3 frames. The righty pitched in five of UF's seven shutouts with 11 scoreless appearances – 10 being four outs or more. Barberi finished his sophomore season boasting 13.3 strikeouts per nine and 5.1 hits allowed per nine. Across four appearances with the Collegiate National Team this summer, Barberi worked 4 2/3 innings with just one run allowed on one hit, two walks and five strikeouts for a 1.93 ERA and 0.64 WHIP.
Fresh off becoming the first Gator underclassman to collect SEC Pitcher of the Year honors including the fourth in league history, King led Florida with eight wins, a 3.21 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 97.0 innings pitched while holding hitters to a .218 batting average. On the season, King fanned 92 batters against 19 free passes, equating to a 4.84 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In SEC action, he led all starters with a 0.89 WHIP, tied for the top spot in victories (six) and held hitters to a .184 batting average. King fired a team-high eight quality starts including six in SEC play – pitching into the seventh inning five times against SEC foes. From April 3 through May 1, King went 4-0 with five-straight quality starts and a 1.51 ERA across 35 2/3 frames for an average of 7.1 innings per outing.
Frequently touching triple digits, Whritenour made his collegiate debut as a redshirt freshman last year and led the Gators with seven saves as the primary closer. Making 25 appearances out of the bullpen, Whritenour held opposing hitters to a .223 batting average while delivering a 1.23 WHIP. The fire-balling righty racked up 49 strikeouts against 14 free passes in 36 2/3 frames, translating to 12.0 strikeouts per nine, 3.4 walks per nine and a 3.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Across three relief outings at CNT Training Camp, Whritenour turned in three shutout, no-hit innings. He walked two and fanned three batters en route to a 0.67 WHIP.
In 30 SEC contests last season, Surowiec led the squad in batting with a .339/.414/.556 slash line as the only Gator to hit over .300. Seven of his 12 homers came in league play on top of six doubles, 30 RBI and 28 runs. As the lone Gator to play in and start all 62 games, Surowiec paced Florida in hits (78), batting average (.317), RBI (63), total bases (130) and at bats (246) while ranking second in multi-hit contests (21) and multi-RBI efforts (16). He finished his first season in Orange & Blue slashing .317/.409/.528 for a .937 OPS.
Stay informed on all the most-recent news on Florida baseball by checking FloridaGators.com and following @GatorsBB on social media.
2027 Season Ticket Information
Place a deposit to secure your spot for new season tickets at Condron Family Ballpark for the 2027 baseball season here. Returning season ticket holders from the 2026 season DO NOT need to place a deposit. Your seats are being held for you and renewal information will be sent at a later date. The Gator Ticket Office can be contacted at (352) 375-4683.
Follow the Gators
#GoGators
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