Liam Peterson named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gatos freshman pitcher Liam Peterson was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week. Peterson shared the honor with Arkansas pitcher Colin Fisher.
The Palm Harbor, Fla. native made two starts for the Gators, going 1-0 across seven scoreless innings while striking out 13 batters against four walks. He allowed just three hits, posting a 1.00 WHIP and a .125 batting average against.
Florida went 2-0 in Peterson’s two starts en route to a 5-0 week.
In his collegiate debut at North Florida on Feb. 20, Peterson fired three shutout frames on one hit and one walk to earn the win in a controlled start. The right-hander fanned seven, including striking out the side in order in his first-career inning. Peterson’s seven strikeouts were the most by a Gator in his collegiate debut since Pierce Coppola struck out seven against Liberty on Feb. 20, 2022.
Four days later, Peterson was back on the mound for his first weekend start vs. Columbia on Feb. 24. He once again rose to the occasion, throwing four scoreless innings on two hits and three walks while striking out six.
Prior to coming to Florida, Peterson held status as the No. 34 prep player nationally per Perfect Game. From 2022-23 at Calvary Christian, he delivered a 10-2 record, 1.28 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 76 2/3 innings – good for a 16.6 K/9.
Peterson and the Gators have five more games on tap this week, beginning with a Tuesday trip to Stetson to take on the Hatters at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Florida then hosts Bethune-Cookman at home on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
Liam Peterson and the rest of the SEC Player of the Week awards
Player of the Week
Charlie Condon – Georgia
Georgia’s Charlie Condon recorded an SEC-best 23 total bases on 11 hits including a double, triple and three home runs, nine runs scored and six RBI in helping Georgia go 4-0 last week. He batted .647 (11-for-17) for the week and has had multiple hits in all seven games this season. Condon went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in first road game of year making first career start at third base with three putouts and one assist. He ranks among national and SEC leaders in batting for the year at .643 (18-for-28), 1.179 SLG% and .694 OB% as Bulldogs are off to a 7-0 start in the Wes Johnson era.
Pitcher of the Week
Hagen Smith – Arkansas
Arkansas’ Hagen Smith tied a single-game program record with 17 strikeouts to lead No. 2 Arkansas to a memorable 5-4 win over No. 7 Oregon State on Feb. 23 in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field. It took Smith only 18 outs and 78 pitches, including 59 strikes, to tie the Hogs’ single-game strikeout record, which had stood for nearly 17 years. Smith recorded 15 consecutive outs via strikeout to begin the ballgame. Combined, Smith and the Razorback pitching staff recorded 23 total strikeouts in the win over the Beavers, breaking the previous program record of 18. Smith’s 17-strikeout performance on the mound is a Globe Life Field single-game record.
Co-Freshmen of the Week
Liam Peterson – Florida
Colin Fisher – Arkansas
Arkansas’ Colin Fisher made his first two collegiate pitching appearances and was superb, racking up 10 strikeouts and not allowing an earned run over 7.1 innings of work. Making his debut in a start against James Madison on Feb. 19, Fisher twirled five shutout innings with four strikeouts to earn his first collegiate win. His second appearance came in a relief role vs. Oklahoma State on Feb. 24 in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field, where he struck out six over 2.1 innings out of the bullpen.
