Florida sophomore right-handed pitcher Aidan King is one of 43 semifinalists for the 2026 National Pitcher of the Year Award. The College Baseball Foundation released the full list on Wednesday, which includes six SEC pitchers.
“This group of pitchers has been clearly dominant, and in most cases have put their teams in position to have great seasons,” National Pitcher of the Year Award chair Brian Melakian said. “As we near the final stretch of the season, it will be exciting to see which players step up to help lead their teams to postseason success and emerge as finalists for the National Pitcher of the Year.”
King has a league-high 10 starts and a 1.71 ERA, which ranks eighth nationally. He holds a 6-2 record with a 0.93 ERA, both of which rank fourth in the SEC. King has six quality starts, a .188 batting average against and a 55-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 52 2/3 innings.
King did not give up an earned run over his first five starts. Miami scored three unearned runs against him in a game that he left in the third inning with cramps and dehydration. High Point scored five unearned runs off him as well. He opened SEC play with six shutout innings against South Carolina, striking out a season-high five batters. To that point in the season, King had 26 strikeouts to three walks.
Alabama got to King for four runs on three hits and four walks over five innings, and Arkansas knocked him out with two outs in the fourth inning. A seven-inning shutout performance against Ole Miss was enough for head coach Kevin O’Sullivan to move King into the Friday night role. He has shone in that spot, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks with 14 strikeouts over the last 13 2/3 innings. Florida won both games against Georgia and Auburn that King started.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Aidan King named a National Pitcher of the Year semifinalist
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
