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Florida announces starting pitcher for Conway Regional opener against ECU
By Andrew Olson
Published:
The pitching matchup is set for the Conway Regional opener.
Florida‘s game notes show that Kevin O’Sullivan is going with his top-of-the-rotation starter, Liam Peterson, in Game 1. ECU is countering with Ethan Norby (7-5, 3.81 ERA).
Peterson, a 6-5 right-hander, is in his second season with the Gators. He stepped into the Friday night starter role for 2025, posting a record of 8-3 and ERA of 4.10. Opponents have a .239 batting average against Peterson, who has allowed 62 hits and walked 32 while striking out 95 over 68 innings (WHIP 1.38, K-BB 95-32). Last time out, Peterson went 4 IP in the SEC Tournament against Ole Miss, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6.
A Freshman All-SEC selection, Peterson picked up postseason experience pitching in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. In a win over Nebraska in the Stillwater Regional, Peterson went 5.1 IP, allowing 2 earned runs on 4 hits while striking out 7. He logged 3.2 more innings over 3 appearances against Clemson (Super Regional) and Texas A&M (College World Series).
With Peterson playing the opener, the Gators are likely to turn to Aidan King in Game 2, which will either be a winner’s bracket game or an elimination game. A 6-2 right-hander, King picked up 4 SEC weekly honors during his standout freshman season.
King was named SEC Freshman of the Week 3 times and also earned SEC Pitcher of the Week recognition. He brought his ERA down to 2.76 by going 6.1 IP in the regular-season finale against Alabama, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits, striking out 8. Over 65.1 IP, opponents are hitting .220 against King with 72 Ks, 54 hits and 21 walks (1.15 WHIP, 72-21 K-BB).
Florida and ECU are set for first pitch at noon ET on Friday, opening the Conway Regional hosted by No. 13 overall seed Coastal Carolina. Depending on outcomes, the Gators will play either Coastal Carolina or Fairfield.
Interestingly, Florida is the betting favorite to win the Conway Regional despite being the 2-seed. At DraftKings Sportsbook, the Gators are -115, while Coastal Carolina, the Regional’s 1-seed and No. 13 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, is +115. Regional 3-seed ECU is +1500 and 4-seed Fairfield is +5000.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
