Nature Coast QB Jackson Hoyt signs to play baseball at Florida

Sharks senior southpaw set to pitch for Gators

Nature Coast senior pitcher Jackson Hoyt signs to play baseball with the University of Florida on National Signing Day, Nov. 13, 2024. / Photo provided by Nature Coast baseball team

Jackson Hoyt spent most of this week preparing to lead the Nature Coast football team into a playoff game at Mulberry.

But he took some time out during Wednesday’s National Signing Day for athletes outside of football and basketball to officially sign to play baseball at the University of Florida.

“Just very excited,” Hoyt said. “Very exciting moment being one of the only persons in my family to ever go to a big college.

“… When football started I just pushed baseball to the side. I haven’t really thought about it. Just been focusing on just football and doing what I can do on the football field. I just knew I wanted to sign on Signing Day. It hasn’t been as crazy at it seems.”

The senior southpaw is coming off a junior season in which he went 4-1 with a 0.54 ERA across seven appearances, five of them starts. In 38.2 innings, he struck out 67 batters while giving up 15 hits and walking 15. He yielded just three earned runs on the season and held opponents to a miniscule .118 batting average.

“I think it’s great for him, for UF, his family and for Nature Coast,” Nature Coast head baseball coach Dan Garofano said. “He’s a great representative of our school, of his family. He’s a great kid and obviously an outstanding player.”

Garofano noted that Hoyt verbally committed before he ever threw a pitch for the Sharks his freshman season. A longtime travel ball player, Hoyt said he went to a camp the summer before ninth grade where he displayed his pitching skills during a tryout and began drawing interests from college coaches.

“My phone started blowing up with a bunch of colleges when they were able to text freshmen,” Hoyt said. “They invited me to one of their baseball camps and I went to a camp, and then they started giving me scholarships (offers) after the camp.

“… Florida’s been my dream school since I was a kid. Both of my parents were Gators fans and they grew me into being a Gator fan at a really young age. And I’ve always just loved Tim Tebow and the atmosphere there.”

He also had offers from USF, Florida State, Miami, Auburn and Vanderbilt. Beyond the sentimental value Florida provided Hoyt, the Gators also offer an opportunity to win. They’ve advanced to the College World Series nine times in the past 14 postseasons, more than any other team during that span.

Hoyt has done his fair share of winning at the high school level, compiling an 11-4 record with a 3.21 ERA over his three-year prep career, fanning 186 batters across 107 innings.

“He’s a big kid. He’s probably 6-2, he’s left-handed,” Garofano said. “He tops out in the low 90s with a really good slider, and he’s developing the change-up.

“… I think he’ll have a lot of success (in college). He’s composed on the mound. The moment doesn’t get too big with him and last year at the biggest moments he shined his brightest for us.”

This past season Hoyt started the district championship game against Hernando and tossed six shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out seven in a 7-0 victory.

Six days later he pitched the Sharks into the Sweet 16, going six innings again and permitting an unearned run on three hits and two walks. He struck out 12 as Nature Coast won 5-1 over Satellite.

An outfielder when not on the mound, he had his best season at the plate last spring, batting .357 with eight doubles and 13 RBI.

“I think I’ve performed pretty well,” Hoyt said. “I love Nature Coast. I love the environment at Nature Coast. Everyone treats me very good. I have very good baseball coaches. Coach Garofano is a very good coach. I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else if I had the chance.”

At the moment he’s making an impact on the football field, as the starting quarterback for the Sharks. He has completed 87 of 148 passes for 1,573 yards with 14 touchdowns against eight interceptions, and rushed for 589 yards and four touchdowns.

Hoyt’s performance in football has caught the attention of Major League Baseball scouts, he said. That could increase the possibility that he may never actually play for Florida depending on how things go in next year’s MLB draft.

“They (MLB scouts) like to see athleticism and they like see me show emotion and show how hard I’m going to play to win games,” Hoyt said. “That’s the goal, to get drafted out of high school. But nothing’s going to be for sure until that time comes.”

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