The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association announced its National Pitcher of the Month on Friday, awarding Florida Gators ace Aidan King with the honor for April.
The Jacksonville, Florida, product earned victories as well as quality starts in all four of his appearances last month, lasting at least six innings for a total of 28 2/3 frames of work while allowing just five runs for a 1.57 ERA and recording a 28:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The right-hander surrendered just 13 hits against some of the most potent offenses in the nation over that stretch.
As of the final day of April, King is on pace to lead the conference in ERA for a second-straight season after posting an impressive 1.78 ERA before his Friday start at Oklahoma, making him the only qualified pitcher in the SEC with a sub-2.00 mark. The sophomore ranks second in the SEC and fifth nationally in WHIP (0.87), third in victories (seven) and ninth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.69) while leading the Gators with seven quality starts and a .182 batting average against over 60 2/3 frames entering May.
Last week, King was also included among a list of 43 semifinalists for the College Baseball Foundation’s 2026 National Pitcher of the Year Award.
In the series opener against the Sooners, he threw yet another quality start, allowing just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out a career-high 10 batters over seven innings of work, only to see his effort erased by the bullpen in a 4-3 loss. He did, however, lower his already microscopic ERA to 1.73 after the outing.
King has not only taken over the Friday night starter role from Liam Peterson, he also has earned coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s absolute confidence, having thrown a whopping 121 and 114 pitches, respectively, in his last two appearances. His success remains critical to Florida’s postseason outlook as the schedule winds down this month.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida’s Aidan King named the National Pitcher of the Month for April
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
