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The No. 8 Florida Gators went a perfect 2-0 this week in its midweek slate ahead of a rivalry weekend series this weekend. Here’s three quick hits from Florida’s wins against Stetson and North Florida:

Roaring ’20s

Florida is off to a 9-0 start on the year — it’s best since 2020. That year, the Gators would make it to 16 wins before picking up their first loss against Florida State. For this year’s Gators to reach the 16-win mark, they’ll need to remain unbeaten through a slate of Miami, Florida Atlantic, UCF and Harvard.

Long live the King

Aidan King was the most electric arm of the midweek. He tossed three innings of scoreless relief against Stetson Tuesday, striking out four batters and walking zero. King has a plus fastball that sits at about 95 mph and has been quick to make batters miss.

Expect the young flamethrower to pick up more leverage innings as the season progresses.

Young arms carry the load

Nine underclassmen pitchers made appearances this week, including all seven pitchers to get in the game on Wednesday against UNF. Jackson Barberi made the first start of his career, striking three in 2.1 shutout innings. Left-handers Niko Janssens and McCall Biemiller also made their collegiate debuts.

Although it might be a good thing to get the young guys, going, Florida limited its bullpen options this weekend by burning so many arms Wednesday night.

Barberi (51 TP), Janssens (40) and Caden McDonald (47) are unlikely to go. It’s unclear if Biemiller (25) will be available. All the other Wednesday arms tossed less than 20 pitches and should be all clear. King and Alex Philpott could also go despite throwing Tuesday. Luke McNeillie is the only reliever to make an appearance this season that didn’t throw in the midweek.

Florida will stay at home this weekend to host in-state rival Miami. First pitch Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. and will stream on ESPN SEC Network+.