Liam Peterson (left) high fives Caden McDonald (right) following the Gators' win over Harvard on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Fla.
D1Baseball Ranks Five Gators as Top-100 College Prospects
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Five Florida Gators are among the top-100 college prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft, as ranked by D1Baseball last week.
As one of four schools with at least five players in the top 100, Florida was led by right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson at No. 13 overall. The junior ace was followed by fellow right-hander Luke McNeillie (No. 31), infielder Ethan Surowiec (No. 56), outfielder Kyle Jones (No. 57) and right-hander/first baseman Caden McDonald (No. 91).
Peterson was previously tabbed as the top pitcher and No. 2 college prospect for the upcoming draft by Baseball America in August. Jones also appeared on that list at No. 43. For the remaining three Gators (McNeillie, Surowiec, McDonald), this is the first time they have been mentioned in any 2026 pre-draft rankings.
Gators in D1Baseball's Top-100 College Draft Prospects
13. RHP Liam Peterson
31. RHP Luke McNeillie
56. INF Ethan Surowiec
57. OF Kyle Jones
91. RHP/1B Caden McDonald
The SEC led all conferences with 43 prospects in the top 100, followed by the ACC (28) and Big 12 (13).
Hoping to become Florida's 21st first-round draft pick (27th including secondary phase), Peterson is projected atop the Gators rotation once again entering the 2026 campaign. Deployed as a weekend starter for the second time in as many seasons in 2025, the Palm Harbor, Fla. native served as staff ace from start to finish and led the Gators in victories (eight), games started (15) and strikeouts (96). Compiling 69 1/3 innings, he posted a 4.28 ERA, .250 batting average against, 1.43 WHIP and four quality starts while striking out 11 or more batters in three outings. His 12.5 strikeouts per nine ranked fifth in the SEC and 20th nationally. Across 34 career games (31 starts), Peterson has thrown 132 1/3 innings with an 11-10 record, 5.30 ERA, 11.8 strikeouts per nine and a 2.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Labeled by D1Baseball as UF's second-highest-ranked prospect, McNeillie takes a 9-8 career record, three saves, 5.73 ERA, .241 batting average against and 9.9 K/9 into his junior season. In 2025, the right-hander turned in a career-best 4.82 ERA and .230 BAA while striking out 72 batters to just 24 walks in 52 1/3 frames – the fourth-highest total on the roster. Although 50 of McNeillie's 54 career appearances have come in relief, he is expected to compete for a starting role this season.
Coming to Florida from Ole Miss during the offseason, Surowiec quickly caught the attention of Gator Nation by claiming Northwoods League MVP over the summer. Slashing .385/.472/.492, the Gulfport, Miss. native led the NWL in home runs (20), RBI (74) and slugging while finishing second in batting average. In the spring, Surowiec played in 11 games as a true freshman for the Rebels. The corner infielder popped two home runs in 16 at bats, hitting .375/.524/.750 with eight RBI and five runs scored.
Entering his second year as a Gator, Jones made four starts for Florida in 2025 before going down with a season-ending injury and slashed .313/.353/.375 (5-for-16). Holding status as a 2024 NCBWA Freshman All-American, the Athens, Ga. native played his rookie year at Stetson and started 62 games in center field. He finished the campaign batting .355/.459/.476 with five homers, 32 RBI, 53 runs and 23 stolen bases in 248 at bats while being an NCAA Gold Glove Finalist.
As for McDonald, the rising redshirt sophomore put his name on the radar with an All-Star performance in the Cape Cod League over the summer. Starring as a two-way player, McDonald made eight pitching appearances including five starts en route to a 3-1 record, 3.51 ERA, 17 strikeouts and seven walks in 25 2/3 innings. At the plate, McDonald batted .256/.396/.477 while mashing six homers in 86 at bats. During the 2025 college season, the Tampa, Fla. product pitched in 20 games out of the UF bullpen and produced a 4-0 record, 5.14 ERA and 29 strikeouts to 14 walks in 28.0 frames.
The Gators are currently in week three of their fall season, with all practices and scrimmages free to attend and open to the public. Florida has exhibition games against JU in Jacksonville (Friday, Oct. 31 – 6:30 p.m.) and Georgia Southern at Condron Family Ballpark (Sunday, Nov. 9 – 2 p.m.). Tickets for the Florida-Jacksonville exhibition are currently available for purchase.
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As one of four schools with at least five players in the top 100, Florida was led by right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson at No. 13 overall. The junior ace was followed by fellow right-hander Luke McNeillie (No. 31), infielder Ethan Surowiec (No. 56), outfielder Kyle Jones (No. 57) and right-hander/first baseman Caden McDonald (No. 91).
Peterson was previously tabbed as the top pitcher and No. 2 college prospect for the upcoming draft by Baseball America in August. Jones also appeared on that list at No. 43. For the remaining three Gators (McNeillie, Surowiec, McDonald), this is the first time they have been mentioned in any 2026 pre-draft rankings.
Gators in D1Baseball's Top-100 College Draft Prospects
13. RHP Liam Peterson
31. RHP Luke McNeillie
56. INF Ethan Surowiec
57. OF Kyle Jones
91. RHP/1B Caden McDonald
The SEC led all conferences with 43 prospects in the top 100, followed by the ACC (28) and Big 12 (13).
Hoping to become Florida's 21st first-round draft pick (27th including secondary phase), Peterson is projected atop the Gators rotation once again entering the 2026 campaign. Deployed as a weekend starter for the second time in as many seasons in 2025, the Palm Harbor, Fla. native served as staff ace from start to finish and led the Gators in victories (eight), games started (15) and strikeouts (96). Compiling 69 1/3 innings, he posted a 4.28 ERA, .250 batting average against, 1.43 WHIP and four quality starts while striking out 11 or more batters in three outings. His 12.5 strikeouts per nine ranked fifth in the SEC and 20th nationally. Across 34 career games (31 starts), Peterson has thrown 132 1/3 innings with an 11-10 record, 5.30 ERA, 11.8 strikeouts per nine and a 2.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Labeled by D1Baseball as UF's second-highest-ranked prospect, McNeillie takes a 9-8 career record, three saves, 5.73 ERA, .241 batting average against and 9.9 K/9 into his junior season. In 2025, the right-hander turned in a career-best 4.82 ERA and .230 BAA while striking out 72 batters to just 24 walks in 52 1/3 frames – the fourth-highest total on the roster. Although 50 of McNeillie's 54 career appearances have come in relief, he is expected to compete for a starting role this season.
Coming to Florida from Ole Miss during the offseason, Surowiec quickly caught the attention of Gator Nation by claiming Northwoods League MVP over the summer. Slashing .385/.472/.492, the Gulfport, Miss. native led the NWL in home runs (20), RBI (74) and slugging while finishing second in batting average. In the spring, Surowiec played in 11 games as a true freshman for the Rebels. The corner infielder popped two home runs in 16 at bats, hitting .375/.524/.750 with eight RBI and five runs scored.
Entering his second year as a Gator, Jones made four starts for Florida in 2025 before going down with a season-ending injury and slashed .313/.353/.375 (5-for-16). Holding status as a 2024 NCBWA Freshman All-American, the Athens, Ga. native played his rookie year at Stetson and started 62 games in center field. He finished the campaign batting .355/.459/.476 with five homers, 32 RBI, 53 runs and 23 stolen bases in 248 at bats while being an NCAA Gold Glove Finalist.
As for McDonald, the rising redshirt sophomore put his name on the radar with an All-Star performance in the Cape Cod League over the summer. Starring as a two-way player, McDonald made eight pitching appearances including five starts en route to a 3-1 record, 3.51 ERA, 17 strikeouts and seven walks in 25 2/3 innings. At the plate, McDonald batted .256/.396/.477 while mashing six homers in 86 at bats. During the 2025 college season, the Tampa, Fla. product pitched in 20 games out of the UF bullpen and produced a 4-0 record, 5.14 ERA and 29 strikeouts to 14 walks in 28.0 frames.
The Gators are currently in week three of their fall season, with all practices and scrimmages free to attend and open to the public. Florida has exhibition games against JU in Jacksonville (Friday, Oct. 31 – 6:30 p.m.) and Georgia Southern at Condron Family Ballpark (Sunday, Nov. 9 – 2 p.m.). Tickets for the Florida-Jacksonville exhibition are currently available for purchase.
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