GAINESVILLE — Florida right-hander Aidan King pitches with conviction, competitiveness and command that leaves hitters guessing and the Gators believing every time he takes the mound.
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The sophomore star attacks every corner of the strike zone, fearlessly challenging batters in spots most pitchers avoid, while processing angles and situations in real time.
Growing up with dyslexia, the 19-year-old from Jacksonville learned early to see the world differently and overcome challenges many classmates never faced. Now, King has transformed what once felt like an obstacle into one of his greatest assets on the mound.
“It’s a struggle I’m gonna have my entire life,” King told the Orlando Sentinel. “But in some ways, I can use it to my advantage. I understand things differently. It might take me a lot longer, but it’s just not taking that as a negative.
“It’s an obstacle. I gotta move past it. It’s a hitter. I gotta move past him … I gotta get him out.”
Whether in the classroom or at the ballpark, King has learned to handle adversity with aplomb.
“Getting into a difficult spot, like bases loaded, I can just step back and take a breath and just be like, ‘This is just another obstacle,’” he said. “‘I can find my way out of this, somehow, some way.’”
Entering Thursday’s regular season-ending series at LSU, King finds himself in the conversation of the SEC’s top pitchers and the best during Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan’s 19 seasons —- a stretch featuring nine pitchers selected in the first round of the MLB draft.
The Gators’ ace reminds O’Sullivan one of them: Brady Singer, King’s favorite former Florida pitcher.
“He’s got that competitive spirit that’s hard to find,” O’Sullivan said of King. “The word conviction for me pretty much tells you everything you need to know about him. He doesn’t second guess what pitch he’s throwing.”
King had a chance to watch Singer during the 2018 College World Series when his Jacksonville traveling team made a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, to play in the Triple Crown Baseball tournament.
“It was an opportunity to show these kids the hard work and dedication and where it can get you,” King’s father, Chris, recalled. “He always liked Brady Singer, and we still have a picture of them down there on the fence line. It was a great opportunity to showcase what the College World Series is about. And then they got the chance to go see the one player that he’s always liked as a pitcher.”
King hopes to follow in the footsteps of Singer, who helped the Gators to the 2017 national title and is now in his seventh MLB season.
King, meanwhile, is building a Singer-like résumé.
After earning Freshman All-America honors with a 7-2 record and 2.58 ERA in 2025, King has elevated his game to another level this spring.
His .89 WHIP ranks second nationally, his 6.08 hits allowed per nine innings leads the SEC and his 2.19 ERA is second to Texas star Dylan Volantis (2.13). King has recorded 77 strikeouts in 74 innings while issuing just 16 walks.
O’Sullivan — a former college catcher at Virginia known for developing pitchers — said King posesses the rare ability to attack all four quadrants of the strike zone, while challenging both right- and left-handed hitters with inside pitches or changeups.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound King also excels at holding runners on base and has not committed an error in 13 appearances.
“He’s just a complete pitcher,” O’Sullivan said.
King also shares Singer’s approach on the mound.
“I always thought I pitched like him, had a mentality like him,” King said. “You go out there, ‘I’m gonna beat you. And if you beat me, I’m gonna tip my cap, but you’re not gonna get me again.’”
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King, who is 7-2 in 13 appearances, entered last Friday’s visit from Kentucky riding a dominant stretch that included a 1.51 ERA over his previous five starts and a career-high 10 strikeouts at Oklahoma.
He opened against the Wildcats by striking out the first two hitters on six pitches, then needed just four more to retire the next batter — one pitch shy of an immaculate inning, the holy grail for pitchers.
Kentucky eventually settled in, though, tagging King for three RBI doubles before chasing him with the Gators trailing 4-1.
Two days later, following Florida’s series-clinching 9-6 Senior Day victory, King said he still took “a lot of positives” from his toughest SEC outing of the season
Not only did the Gators rally from a 6-1 deficit for a dramatic 7-6 victory in the series opener, but King also managed 6 ⅔ innings and 93 pitches after throwing 114 on May 1 at Oklahoma and 121 pitches April 24 against Texas A&M.
“We are super proud of of where he’s come and living out his dream,” Chris King said. “He’s doing everything he can to get to Omaha … and being a teammate, not an individual, and trying to bring the team together.”
Aidan King will be rested, ready and resolute entering a three-game trip to LSU as the No. 9 Gators (34-18, 15-12 SEC) prepare for the postseason.
Pitching in the CWS for Florida has been King’s dream — and perhaps his destiny.
His grandfather, Dennis Blank, and his mother, Tracy, are Florida graduates. Whenever possible, the family made the 90-minute trip from Jacksonville to Gainesville to watch the Gators play.
Yet, when it came time to choose a college before his senior season, O’Sullivan offered King preferred walk-on status. The family’s college fund gave their son the option to accept.
King didn’t settle.
The following spring, he led the Florida high school pitchers with 144 strikeouts and posted a 1.09 ERA at Jacksonville’s Bishop John L. Snyder, convincing O’Sullivan to award him a full scholarship.
“He was driven,” King’s father said. “He wanted to dominate.”
Pitching is King’s gift, but it also became his escape.
When he was diagnosed with dyslexia — a condition his father also manages — King retreated inward.
“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “I didn’t really want to answer questions in class. I didn’t want to put myself out there, because I was afraid of being wrong.”
Now the chief of technology and operational support for Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Chris King recognized the same visual-processing strengths in his son.
“He sees what’s going on, because he’s a visual learner. I’m a visual learner,” Chris said. “I see things, and I can make adjustments based on what I’m seeing. He’s on that mound, he’s in control, he’s watching what the batter does. He knows what to do next.
“That’s just his release. That’s his outlet.”
King does not always have his best stuff every time he takes the mound, but he consistently maintains the mindset needed to rise above.
The Gators are glad to be along for the ride.
“You just got to stay focused and focus on the positive, keep smiling, keep grinding through everything,” he said. “Eventually, everything’s gonna work out.”
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Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]