A big achievement for the young pitcher.
Former Florida Ace Hurston Waldrep Makes MLB History originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Florida Gators had Hurston Waldrep selected 14th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2024 MLB Draft.
On Sunday, Waldrep had his 2025 debut for the organization at the Speedway Classic in Bristol, Tennessee. The Braves had a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds at Bristol Motor Speedway, marking the first time an MLB game took place in Tennessee.
Waldrep had a solid outing, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing three hits, one run, and striking out four batters. The Braves went on to win 4-2, which was not only Waldrep's first MLB victory but also the first for an MLB pitcher in Tennessee.
The pitcher started his college career with Southern Mississippi from 2021-22. He had a 7-2 record during that time and posted a 3.22 ERA.
In his one season with the Gators, he went 10-3 and had an ERA of 4.16. He is Florida's all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings (13.81) and was a Second-Team All-American per D1Baseball.
Florida reached the College World Series that season and faced the LSU Tigers, who won the national title in three games, 2-1. Waldrep was teammates with current first basemen for the Kansas City Royals, Jac Caglianone.
In college football, Florida is looking to continue building on head coach Billy Napier's success after an 8-5 season. The Gators were not given the best odds of reaching their first-ever College Football Playoff by ESPN's Analytics, with a 14.5% chance.
There have also been injury troubles for quarterback DJ Lagway before the 2025 season, as he was seen in a boot at the beginning of training camp. However, it was revealed to be a minor calf injury, and Lagway took the boot off a couple of days later.
ESPN's Matt Barrie was not feeling good about Lagway's long-term health and discussed the ramifications of future injuries.
Things are rolling at the University of Florida, whether in college football or baseball.
Related: No. 1 EDGE in Connecticut Intrigued by Historic SEC Program
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
