Florida right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson was selected with the No. 19 overall pick by the Cleveland Guardians in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday.
Peterson’s selection marks the 117th MLB Draft pick and 15th first-round selection of the Kevin O’Sullivan era (2008-present). Florida’s 15 first-round picks under O’Sullivan rank second nationally during that span.
Aside from the COVID-shortened, five-round 2020 MLB Draft, Florida has produced at least one draft pick every year since 1997.
A three-year weekend starter, Peterson posted a 5.03 career ERA across 50 appearances, including 47 starts. The Palm Harbor, Florida, native struck out 284 batters while walking 112 over 216.2 innings pitched.
In 2026, Peterson recorded a 4.59 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and .258 opponent batting average across 84.1 innings. He struck out a career-high 111 batters while issuing 36 walks, good for a 3.08 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Peterson’s 111 strikeouts ranked seventh in the SEC and 25th nationally.
Peterson was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on May 18 after earning the first complete-game victory of his career in his final regular-season start at LSU on May 15. The right-hander allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out 11 Tigers over seven innings.
As a sophomore in 2025, Peterson posted a career-best 4.28 ERA and .250 batting average against across 15 starts and 69.1 innings pitched. His 12.5 K/9 ranked fifth in the SEC and 20th nationally, while marking the third-highest single-season mark in program history.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound flamethrower earned a spot on the 2024 All-SEC Freshman Team after posting a 6.43 ERA and holding opponents to a .257 batting average across 63 innings. He struck out 77 batters while issuing 44 walks.
Peterson posted a 4.76 ERA with a .239 opponent batting average and 34 strikeouts across 28.1 innings over the final 30 games of the season, making nine appearances (eight starts). In the Stillwater Regional, he earned the win in his NCAA Tournament debut by limiting Nebraska to two runs on four hits and three walks across 5.1 innings while striking out seven batters on May 31.