Sickles High state champion takes his talents to Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - As Caden McDonald continues to pursue his dream of playing in the MLB, the next step in his journey begins in Gainesville. Instead of repping the Gators as a fan, McDonald will now wear a Florida uniform as a player.

"Florida has always been my dream school, so it was pretty much a no-brainer," McDonald told FOX 13 Sports.

McDonald had to deal with some ups-and-downs off the field before finally signing with the Gators.

Caden McDonald has officially committed to the University of Florida.

He first committed to the University of Central Florida. When the Knights’ Head Coach Greg Lovelady abruptly left on May 27, McDonald decided that decommitting was the best option.

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Soon after opening up his recruiting, the University of Florida, who previously showed no interest in McDonald, quickly presented him with a scholarship offer.

 "I was in a pretty good situation where I could go pretty much where I wanted," McDonald said. "I could stay [at UCF] and become part of the rebuilding process they were about to go through, or I could leave and go somewhere where our goal was to win right away, and that’s what I chose."

Winning is something that McDonald has done a lot of recently. In his final season with Sickles High School, McDonald led the baseball team to a 30-2 record and the first state title in program history.

"It was really special," McDonald shared. "Just to be a part of that, it was awesome, the first team to ever win a state championship for baseball. It’s just something I won't ever forget. I think it’s the best team that will ever come out of Sickles."

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The two-way star was essential to the success of the program. On the mound, McDonald boasted a 0.87 ERA, 11 wins and 97 strikeouts, all while holding his opponents to a .145 Batting Average, according to Max Preps. 

When he was not pitching, McDonald was a versatile fielder, playing first base, third base and in the outfield.

McDonald has MLB dreams but is focusing on college right now.

With the bat, McDonald was one of the best in the country. His 12 home runs were good for second in the state and 28th in the nation. The homers helped him amass 33 RBI and a slugging percentage of .938.

McDonald will compete as a pitcher and a fielder with the Gators. He hopes that new teammate and Plant High graduate, Jac Caglianone, will guide him through the larger-than-normal workload.

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 "Hopefully, I get up there and he kind of takes me under his wing and teaches me the best strategies to stay with it and not get frustrated with it, and also how to excel at both at the same time," McDonald said.

With the MLB draft on the horizon, there is a strong chance that McDonald hears his name called. Even with this possibility looming, McDonald is all-in on the Gators.

UF has always been McDonald's dream school.

"Right now, I’m just focused on getting to college," McDonald explained. "If I get drafted, I get drafted, and we will cross that bridge when we get to it. I’m really excited to go to Florida and that’s where my focus is right now."

McDonald plans to compete for playing time, a feat that is not easy to achieve for any freshman. From what he saw during Florida’s play in the College World Series, the opportunity will be there.

"It’s nice knowing that there is a chance, and they are not hesitant to play the better player," McDonald said. "Whether it’s a freshman, or a senior or a fifth-year senior, they will play the better player and I really like that in the program."

Expectations may be high for Class 6A’s Player of the Year. With his talent and recent success on the field, McDonald is confident that his skills will help the Gators get back to the College World Series.