Report: Florida makes pivotal decision on pitcher Hunter Barco

Florida pitcher Hunter Barco got some bad news Wednesday regarding his elbow injury.

Barco is being shut down “indefinitely” as he deals with discomfort in his elbow, according to D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers. Doctors will continue to evaluate him as the season goes on.

Barco ranks second on the Gators roster with a 2.50 ERA and has a 5-2 record in nine starts. His last appearance came on April 15 when he threw two innings against Vanderbilt, but he didn’t show signs of being hurt.

He’s also an MLB Draft hopeful, coming in at No. 7 in D1Baseball’s prospect rankings. Barco earned SEC Pitcher of the Week and National Player of the Week honors in February when he struck out 11 against Liberty. He’s also on the Golden Spikes Award Watch List and was a Preseason All-American.

Barco is also the No. 53-ranked prospect ahead of the MLB Draft, according to MLB Pipeline. It’s unclear how or if the injury will affect his stock ahead of June’s draft.

Florida is 23-14 overall this season, including 6-9 in SEC play. The Gators are gearing up to take on Tennessee for a three-game series this weekend in Gainesville. Game one starts Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET at Florida Ballpark on the SEC Network.

Florida hits three home runs, hangs on to defeat Stetson

Florida trailed 4-0 against Stetson in its last game on Tuesday, but the Gators offense broke out as they battled back to pull off a 10-8 victory.

Sterlin Thompson went 3-for-5, including a home run, while Josh Rivera and Wyatt Langford also got on the board. Langord had a team-high four RBI to help lead the Florida comeback effort.

Now, Florida is gearing up to take on No. 1 Tennessee for a huge three-game set April 22-24 at Florida Ballpark. The Volunteers won’t be an easy matchup, coming in with a 34-3 overall record, including a 14-1 record in league action.