ChompTalk.com

With the 2025 season finally underway, Gators baseball relied on a slurry of production from the mound and at the plate, including a combined shutout and 16 total strikeouts, to secure their first win of the new year.

The No. 10 Florida Gators (1-0) defeated Air Force (0-1) 7-0 Friday night to kick off the 2025 season. Peterson recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts — tied with Hunter Barco for the most by a Gators ace on opening day — and tossed six scoreless innings in the win.

Neither team could find runs in opening two innings of the year. Florida relied on it’s Friday night arm to hold firm in the opening moments. Peterson, who went 3-6 with a 6.43 ERA last season, struggled at times with blowup innings early on in games his freshman season.

“I think I got rid of those first-game jitters,” Peterson. “I can definitely say I did a lot of thinking last year, and 80% of that thinking wasn’t helpful at all.”

Peterson found himself in a familiar early jam when a leadoff double from Air Force designated hitter Tripp Garrish hit a leadoff double in the second inning and advanced to third on a fly out. The right-handed flamethrower then sat the next two batters and came out of the inning with some juice.

That might’ve been the fire Florida’s bats needed. The next inning, Gators designated hitter Brody Donay tattooed the first pitch of his at-bat over the left outfield wall. Florida followed it up with an RBI-single from third baseman Bobby Boser and a two-RBI single from second baseman Cade Kurland.

By the time Air Force could force its way out of the third inning, the damage had been done. Florida led 4-0 and had no intentions of letting up.

“You don’t get many first whatever’s,” Donay said. “Sometimes stuff just happens.”

Air Force’s struggles didn’t end there. Florida hit four singles with a walk mixed in to add two more runs in the bottom-fifth inning. Catcher Luke Heyman added another run on a double play as Boser scored. Air Force pulled its starter before it was able to relieve itself on defense, now down 7-0.

“I didn’t think anybody was gonna get the ball out tonight, I mean that ball was crushed,” Gators head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “There were guys that didn’t get to hit tonight that would’ve started other years. But they’ll get their opportunity.”

Peterson was pulled before the seventh inning in favor of O’Sullivan seeing the less experienced arms in his bullpen. First up was righty Caden McDonald, who got the call for the seventh and eighth innings and struck out three batters.

Freshman Jackson Barberi came in for the close. He picked up a strikeout of his own as the Gators secured the win and the shutout.

“All in all, the pitching was really, really solid tonight,” O’Sullivan said.

Due to anticipated weather conditions, Florida and Air Force will play both remaining games of the series tomorrow. Game one will begin at 1 p.m. with game two slated to start at 4:00 p.m. Jake Clemente and Pierce Coppola are expected to make the starts on the mounds.