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LSU coach Paul Mainieri called Florida's pitching staff the best he has ever seen at the collegiate level. Time will tell if the Gators pitching staff lives up to that billing at the end of the season, but several pitchers such as former first-rounder Karsten Whitson and sophomore left-hander Brian Johnson are having big-time campaigns.
Whitson topped out at 97 mph and was consistently 93-95 mph against LSU last weekend. He also threw a slider 86-87 mph and mixed in a changeup, which he said he has been developing the past few months, 82-84 mph.
Johnson topped out around 93 mph and was consistently 89-92 for the Gators. He also threw a slider in the mid 80s.
Whitson is 3-0 this season with a 2.52 ERA in 25 innings. He also has struck out 26 and walked nine and teams are hitting .250 against him. Johnson, meanwhile is 4-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 29 1/3 innings. He has struck out 26 and walked four and teams are hitting .168 against him.
Johnson is the No. 8 prospect in the college sophomore class, while Whitson is the top prospect in the freshman class.
Here’s exclusive HD video of Whitson and Johnson.
Prospects: LHP Brian Johnson (Florida) from Kendall Rogers on Vimeo.
Prospect: RHP Karsten Whitson (Florida) from Kendall Rogers on Vimeo.
Kendall Rogers is the managing editor of college baseball for Perfect Game USA and has covered the sport for over 10 seasons. He can be reached at kendall@perfectgame.org