Gators Notebook: McDonald Answers Call, Pet Owner Banks, Big 12 Lacrosse, More Tidbits
Wednesday, April 29, 2026 | General, Baseball, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Finding time to study for organic chemistry had not been a problem for Gators two-way player Caden McDonald.
McDonald had made 14 relief appearances heading into last weekend's three-game series against Texas A&M, but with only two hits and eight at-bats, the biology major had ample time to hit the books after glancing at the scouting reports of the opposing pitchers.
"I'm sure he's got a ton of homework," teammate Aidan King said. "That kid is so smart it's absurd."
But on Friday when Florida's starting lineup was posted in the clubhouse, McDonald discovered he was in the lineup as the designated hitter.
"I was actually studying,'' he said. "Then they pulled me in the dugout and were like, 'Hey, you're starting.' I'm like, 'Oh my gosh.' Very surprised. I mean, I'm ready to pitch and I'm ready for whatever opportunity I've got on the mound. But yeah, it was pretty cool to see that."
Caden McDonald returns home after one of his two home runs last weekend against Texas A&M. (Photo: Madilyn Gemme/UAA Communications)
What did McDonald do after the adrenaline wore off? He went back to studying until it was time to prepare for the game.
McDonald proved he was ready to help Florida's fledgeling offense.
In Florida's 9-2 win on Friday night, he went 3-for-4 with a double, homer and two RBI. When he connected for his first career home run, the moment hit him as McDonald rounded the bases.
"It was pretty surreal," McDonald said. "Honestly, I kind of blacked out around second base. It was a lot of hard work put into that, and leading up to that moment. It's not going to be the last one, but to be backed by my teammates like that is an unreal experience."
McDonald wasn't kidding about it not being his last homer. He hit another one in Saturday's loss and in the three-game series, he started every game and went 5-for-8 with two home runs, a double and four RBI.
"What a great story that is," Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said after Friday's win. "He continues to work hard. It obviously worked out, but the underlying message is if you continue to work hard, you are a good teammate, and when you get your opportunity, things like this tend to happen."
A redshirt sophomore from Sickles High in Tampa, McDonald worked to become a batter two-way player last summer during a stint in the Cape Cod League. Playing for the Wareham (Mass.) Gatemen – the same team former LSU standout and MLB All-Star Paul Skenes pitched for in 2021 – McDonald went 3-1 with a 3.51 ERA and batted .256 with six home runs and 18 RBI.
"Last year I was just a pitcher, and I had to pick back up the hitting over the summer," he said. "Once it kind of got going, I just picked it up again. I was a pretty successful high school player doing both. It reassured me that I could still do it."
The Gators (29-16, 11-10 in SEC) travel this weekend for a three-game series at Oklahoma (29-14, 11-10), and with the way McDonald swung the bat against the Aggies, the Sooners likely have studied him hard this week. McDonald has undoubtedly studied them.
BANKS BUZZ
The big story surrounding the Gators in last weekend's NFL Draft was Minnesota selecting defensive tackle Caleb Banks in the first round with the 18th overall pick. Banks was ranked as a first-round talent but considering he has broken his foot twice in the past year, most draft analysts had him falling to the second round.
The Vikings considered Banks worth the risk.
Once Banks arrived in Minnesota to be introduced to the media, his engaging personality became part of the story – especially his passion as a pet owner. Banks owns two pythons, a Cane Corso, several birds and a chameleon.
He plans to bring all of them with him as he starts his NFL career.
"I'm different," Banks said. "I got a crazy personality. I'm very goofy. I don't know if y'all can tell. I can just make a joke out of anything. I'm a great person. I love my animals. I got four of them. I'm probably going to have more."
Here's the full ~2 minutes of Vikings first-round draft pick Caleb Banks talking about his 4 animals -- a chameleon, a cane corso and 2 ball pythons, who will all move to MN with him.
Story of how he got into animals was quite good. Can tell it's something he's passionate about. pic.twitter.com/CF5rf6w8CI
As one of 71 players (60 college, 11 international) to file as early entry candidates for the NBA Draft, Gators junior center Rueben Chinyelu has until June 13 to withdraw his name from consideration and retain his final year of eligibility. Rueben Chinyelu
Chinyelu tested his draft status for the second consecutive year after a breakout season, earning National Defensive Player of the Year honors and averaging a double-double with 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
The 6-foot-10, 265-pound Nigerian displayed considerable improvement as a junior and is projected as a second-round pick (49th overall to Denver via Atlanta) in ESPN.com's latest mock draft, released Tuesday.
Meanwhile, NBADraftRoom.comdoes not have Chinyelu being selected in the June 23-24 NBA Draft, but has him ranked as the potential No. 3 center in the 2027 NBA Draft.
Unlike first-round picks who are guaranteed contracts based on a predetermined rookie scale, NBA second-round picks must negotiation non-guaranteed contracts.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Gators lacrosse team is hosting the Big 12 Tournament starting Thursday, marking the first time the event has come to town. The Gators, in their inaugural season in the Big 12 a year ago, won the conference tournament in Boulder, Colorado.
Meanwhile, this marks the fourth time in the program's 17-season history that the Gators have hosted a conference tournament. Florida served as host of the American Lacrosse Tournament in 2012, the Big East Tournament in 2018, and the American Athletic Conference Tournament in 2021. The Gators are 3-0 as hosts and are favored to keep their streak intact.
The Gators lacrosse team hosts the Big 12 Tournament for the first time starting Thursday. (Photo: Erika Brown/UAA Communications)
No. 1-seed Florida (14-2) hosts No. 4-seed UC Davis (7-8) at 4 p.m. on Thursday in the first semifinal. No. 2-seed Colorado faces No. 3 Arizona State in the second semifinal. The winners meet on Saturday afternoon for the championship.
The Gators concluded the regular season on Saturday by defeating UC Davis. With a rematch set in the tournament, the Aggies remained in Florida rather than return home. Regardless of their conference, the Gators have won 11 consecutive tournament titles since winning the ALC Tournament in 2014.
And they've done it in several locations.
A look at where the Gators have played in conference tournaments since the program's inaugural season: 2010 – Columbus, Ohio; 2011 – Nashville; 2012 – Gainesville; 2013 – Baltimore; 2014 – Evanston, Illinois; 2015 – Storrs, Connecticut; 2016 – Washington, D.C.; 2017 – Philadelphia; 2018 – Gainesville; 2019 – Cincinnati; 2020 – Cancelled due to Covid; 2021 – Gainesville; 2022 – Greenville, North Carolina; 2023 – Greenville; 2024 – Nashville; 2025 –Boulder, Colorado.
GATOR BITES
Three former Gators who transferred during their careers were selected in the NFL Draft. Miami drafted receiver Caleb Douglas in the second round (75th overall). Douglas transferred to Texas Tech in 2024. Two picks later, Green Bay selected defensive tackle Chris McClellan (second round, 77th overall). McClellan spent his final two seasons at Missouri after leaving UF. And in the fourth round with the 113th overall pick, Indianapolis drafted offensive guard Jalen Farmer, who transferred to Kentucky after the 2023 season and became a two-year starter for the Wildcats … Three of the seven Gators selected in the draft transferred into the program after starting elsewhere: Caleb Banks/Louisville, George Gumbs Jr./Northern Illinois and Tommy Doman/Michigan … Gators women's basketball coach Tammi Reiss has been busy building her first UF roster, including the addition of Penn State transfer Kiyomi McMiller, a two-time All-Big Ten honoree. Former UF player Me'Arah O'Neal, daughter of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, made it official over the weekend that she is moving on. O'Neal will remain in the SEC after announcing her transfer to Kentucky … Three Gators signed undrafted free agent deals after the NFL draft: defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp (Cleveland), receiver J. Michael Sturdivant (Green Bay) and long snapper Rocco Underwood (Philadelphia).
